| Unemployment rates fell in August in nearly 90 percent of large U.S. metro areas, mainly because more people gave up looking for work. |
| The Labor Department said Wednesday that unemployment rates dropped in 329 large cities, the most in four months. Rates rose in 24 cities and were unchanged in 19. |
| Here are unemployment rates in August for states and cities in the West: |
| Metro Unemployment, West |
| Unemployment rates by state and city |
| Figures in percentages |
| Aug. 2012 July 2012 Aug. 2011 |
| Alaska 6.6 7.2 6.7 |
| Anchorage 6.1 6.6 6.3 |
| Fairbanks 5.8 6.6 6.1 |
| Arizona 8.5 8.7 9.8 |
| Flagstaff 8.1 8.6 9 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman 9.7 9.6 11 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale 7.4 7.5 8.8 |
| Prescott 8.8 8.9 10 |
| Tucson 7.6 7.7 8.6 |
| Yuma 29.9 31.4 30.7 |
| California 10.4 10.9 11.9 |
| Bakersfield-Delano 12.8 13.6 14 |
| Chico 12.3 12.9 13.7 |
| El Centro 29.9 30.2 32.5 |
| Fresno 14 14.7 15.8 |
| Hanford-Corcoran 13.6 14.4 15 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana 10.3 10.9 11.9 |
| Madera-Chowchilla 13 14.1 14.4 |
| Merced 15.9 17.3 17 |
| Modesto 14.5 15.7 16.1 |
| Napa 7.5 7.7 8.5 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura 9.4 9.4 10.5 |
| Redding 12.5 13.1 14.1 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario 12.3 12.7 13.9 |
| Sacramento-Arden-Arcade 10.3 10.7 11.9 |
| Salinas 9.2 9.5 10.3 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos 9 9.3 10.3 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont 8.2 8.5 9.6 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara 8.5 8.8 9.9 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles 8.1 8.5 9.6 |
| Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta 7.6 7.9 8.6 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville 9.4 9.7 10.6 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma 8.3 8.6 9.9 |
| Stockton 14.3 15.1 16.4 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield 10 10.3 11.5 |
| Visalia-Porterville 15 15.7 16.2 |
| Yuba City 15.9 17.2 16.7 |
| Colorado 7.8 8.3 8.1 |
| Boulder 6.1 6.5 6.3 |
| Colorado Springs 9.1 9.8 9.1 |
| Denver-Aurora-Broomfield 7.7 8.2 8.3 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland 6.1 6.7 6.5 |
| Grand Junction 8.8 9.3 9.3 |
| Greeley 8.3 9.1 9 |
| Pueblo 10.6 11 10.3 |
| Hawaii 5.7 6.3 7 |
| Honolulu 5.1 5.6 6 |
| Idaho 6.9 6.9 8.6 |
| Boise City-Nampa 6.9 6.9 8.9 |
| Coeur d'Alene 7.5 7.7 9.6 |
| Idaho Falls 6.1 5.9 7 |
| Lewiston 6.3 6.5 7.5 |
| Pocatello 7.2 7 8.4 |
| Montana 5.7 5.9 6.4 |
| Billings 4.4 4.6 5.1 |
| Great Falls 5.4 5.6 6 |
| Missoula 5.5 5.8 6 |
| Nevada 12 12.5 13.8 |
| Carson City 11.6 12.2 12.8 |
| Las Vegas-Paradise 12.3 12.9 14.3 |
| Reno-Sparks 11.5 12 13 |
| New Mexico 6.4 7.4 7.6 |
| Albuquerque 6.8 7.9 8.2 |
| Farmington 6.8 7.8 8.1 |
| Las Cruces 6.5 7.8 7.5 |
| Santa Fe 5 5.8 6.1 |
| Oregon 8.7 8.8 9.4 |
| Bend 10.4 10.8 11.4 |
| Corvallis 6.8 7.2 7.1 |
| Eugene-Springfield 8.8 9 9.6 |
| Medford 10.7 11.1 11.7 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro 8.1 8.3 9.3 |
| Salem 9.2 9.5 9.8 |
| Utah 5.6 6.2 6.9 |
| Logan 4.4 4.8 5.2 |
| Ogden-Clearfield 5.8 6.4 7.2 |
| Provo-Orem 5.6 6.1 6.9 |
| St George 6.8 7.6 8.5 |
| Salt Lake City 5.4 6 6.8 |
| Washington 8.5 8.4 9 |
| Bellingham 7.7 7.4 8.3 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale 7.7 7.3 7.9 |
| Kennewick-Pasco-Richland 8.8 8.1 7.3 |
| Longview 11.4 10.8 12.1 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes 9.3 8.7 9.7 |
| Olympia 8.2 7.6 8.4 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue 8 8.2 8.4 |
| Spokane 9 8.7 9.5 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee 7.2 5.7 7.2 |
| Yakima 10 8.2 9.8 |
| Wyoming 5.1 5.3 5.6 |
| Casper 4.9 4.9 5.7 |
| Cheyenne 5.9 6.1 6.5 |
Wires