Grand Junction led the nation with the largest percentage drop in jobs of any metropolitan area last year, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.
The number of non-farm workers in Grand Junction and surrounding Mesa County fell from 67,100 in December 2008 to 61,900 in December 2009, a 7.7 percent decline that surpassed the rate of job losses recorded in Las Vegas and Flint, Mich.
Grand Junction, hard hit by weak natural gas prices, saw its unemployment rate rise from 4.7 percent to 9 percent over the same period.
Unemployment rose in most cities and counties in December, signaling that companies remain reluctant to hire even as the economy recovers.
The unemployment rate rose in 306 of 372 metro areas, the Labor Department said. The rate fell in 41 and was unchanged in 25. That’s worse than November, when the rate fell in 170 areas, rose in only 154 and was unchanged in 48.
In Denver, non-farm payrolls declined by 3.2 percent or 39,700 jobs last year, while the unemployment rate rose from 6.3 percent to 7.5 percent.
In Greeley, non-farm payrolls fell 5.8 percent or 4,800 jobs, while the unemployment rate climbed to 8.6 percent from 6.4 percent.
Colorado Springs lost 9,500 non-farm jobs, a decline of 3.7 percent, last year, with unemployment rising from 7 percent to 7.9 percent.
The metro employment numbers aren’t seasonally adjusted and can be volatile. Many of the increases were due to seasonal factors.
Joblessness topped 10 percent in 138 metro areas, up from 125 in November but below last year’s peak of 144 areas in June.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
