Jobs data, by one glance, look better

Florida's unemployment rate still lingers in double-digits, but the latest data show one positive trend among the gloom: The jobless rate has improved on a year-over-year basis in 17 out of 20 Sunshine State regions.

Plus, the Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Florida that registered an unemployment increase in May did so minimally, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics' latest breakdown of nationwide regional data. All five Gulf Coast regions reported a decrease in unemployment from May 2010 to May 2011, the report shows. (See chart, below.)

The report on MSA unemployment also shows that the total amount of regions with jobless rates of at least 10% fell nationwide in May, from 118 areas in 2010 to 81 this year. The Naples-Marco Island MSA, which saw a decrease in unemployment from 10.9% to 9.9%, is one of the regions to go back under 10%.

Another highlight from the report is Florida is in much better shape than some other states. For instance, nine of the 10 MSAs with unemployment rates of at least 15% are in California, according to the Bureau of Labor Statics. That's a world away from North Dakota, where the Bismarck region, at 2.9%, and the Fargo area, at 3.5%, reported the lowest unemployment rate in the country for May.