US | unemployment Cities With Best, Worst Unemployment Rates Ames, Iowa, leads the pack By Newser Editors Posted Feb 21, 2017 9:36 AM CST Copied In this 2009 file photo, job seekers wait in line at a jobs fair in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) The nation's unemployment rate now sits below 5%, but that figure obviously varies across the country. 24/7 WallSt crunched numbers and determined the US cities faring best and worst in terms of employment. Here are the five at the bottom of the scale: El Centro, Calif.: 20.9%, up from 16.5% in 2006 Yuma, Ariz.: 18.2%, up from 14.4% Visalia-Porterville, Calif.: 10.9%, up from 8.4% Merced, Calif.: 10%, up from 9.2% Bakersfield, Calif.: 9.8%, up from 7.4% And the cities with the best unemployment rates: Ames, Iowa: 2.3%, down from 2.6% in 2006 Sioux Falls, SD: 2.4%, down from 2.7% Portsmouth, NH-Maine: 2.4%, down from 3.3% Burlington-South Burlington, Vt.: 2.4%, down from 3.4% Boulder, Colo.: 2.4%, down from 3.3% See the full rankings here. Read These Next A family hike took a tragic turn in Arkansas on Saturday. Delta pilot arrested moments after landing plane. Multiple people shot at Reno casino. Kim Jong Un's sister shows up with biting words. Report an error