Florida unemployment upside: At least we're not California

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that all 372 metro areas in the country posted higher unemployment rates in February versus a year ago.

No surprise there. But the extent of the pain on the job front … and its concentration … was astounding. Ten of the 14 areas with an unemployment rate of at least 15 percent were in California. The worst of the worst: El Centro, Calif., with a 24.5 percent unemployment rate, followed by Merced, Calif., at 19.9 percent; Yuba City, Calif., at 18.9 percent; and Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., at 18.0 percent.

Among the 38 biggest metro areas, Orlando-Kissimmee posted the fourth-largest year over year decrease in employment levels (down 5.2 percent). Overall, Florida's unemployment rate stood at 9.4 percent in February, the highest in 33 years. The Tampa Bay area's unemployment rate is 10.2 percent.