| 25 Largest Rust Belt and Sun Belt Metropolitan Areas with Central City and Metropolitan Land Areas and 2006 Unemployment Rates | ||||||
| Metropolitan Area (Rust Belt) | Metropolitan Land Area (sq.mi.) | Central City Land Area (sq.mi.) | 2006 Central City Unemployment (%) | November 2006 Metropolitan Area Unemployment (%) | City Land Area over Metro Land Area (proportion) | City Unemployment over Metropolitan Unemployment |
| Rochester, NY | 4870.1 | 35.8 | 10.2% | 3.9 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Duluth, MN | 9215.1 | 68.0 | 7.5% | 4.6 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| Syracuse, NY | 2779.4 | 25.0 | 9.3% | 4.0 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| Holland, MI | 1632.0 | 16.6 | 5.0% | 5.0 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Erie, PA | 1558.4 | 22.0 | 8.1% | 4.8 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| Kalamazoo, MI | 1670.4 | 24.7 | 12.5% | 5.1 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| Green Bay, WI | 2849.0 | 43.9 | 5.0% | 4.2 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | 2890.7 | 44.6 | 6.3% | 5.5 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Buffalo, NY | 2366.7 | 40.6 | 12.5% | 4.3 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Cleveland, OH | 3978.9 | 77.6 | 11.2% | 5.1 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Racine, WI | 791.9 | 15.5 | 7.0% | 5.1 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Appleton, WI | 1041.4 | 20.9 | 3.4% | 4.0 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Lansing, MI | 1714.5 | 35.0 | 6.4% | 5.2 | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Saginaw, MI | 815.8 | 17.4 | 13.1% | 6.5 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Chicago, IL | 9579.2 | 227.2 | 10.1% | 3.8 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Milwaukee, WI | 3322.3 | 96.0 | 9.4% | 4.5 | 0.03 | 0.02 |
| Detroit, MI | 4235.1 | 138.8 | 13.8% | 7.2 | 0.03 | 0.02 |
| Toledo, OH | 2208.9 | 80.6 | 7.7% | 5.7 | 0.04 | 0.01 |
| Dallas, TX | 9,284.2 | 343 | 6.7% | 4.3 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 722.5 | 27.0 | 4.2% | 4.2 | 0.04 | 0.01 |
| South Bend, IN | 969.4 | 38.7 | 8.3% | 4.8 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
| Elkhart, IN | 467.9 | 21.4 | 6.0% | 5.2 | 0.05 | 0.01 |
| Flint, MI | 649.3 | 33.6 | 12.9% | 7.6 | 0.05 | 0.02 |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 1368.4 | 79.0 | 6.2% | 4.4 | 0.06 | 0.01 |
| Akron, OH | 927.2 | 62.1 | 7.4% | 5.0 | 0.07 | 0.01 |
| Metropolitan Area (Sun Belt) | ||||||
| Riverside, CA | 27,408.5 | 78 | 0.079 | 4.9 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| Miami, FL | 6,137.2 | 36 | 0.117 | 3.3 | 0.01 | 0.04 |
| Oxnard, CA | 2,208.2 | 25 | 0.075 | 4.5 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| Atlanta, GA | 8,480.3 | 132 | 0.140 | 4.2 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Las Vegas, NV | 8,090.7 | 131 | 0.070 | 4.1 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Albuerquerque, NM | 9,297.0 | 181 | 0.058 | 3.5 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Tucson, AZ | 9,188.8 | 195 | 0.059 | 3.8 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Orlando, FL | 4,011.8 | 94 | 0.050 | 3.1 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Birmingham, AL | 5,369.8 | 150 | 0.108 | 3 | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| Tulsa, OK | 6,460.2 | 183 | 0.054 | 3.5 | 0.03 | 0.02 |
| Tampa, FL | 3,330.9 | 112 | 0.086 | 3.3 | 0.03 | 0.03 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 14,598.4 | 515 | 0.056 | 3.3 | 0.04 | 0.02 |
| Raleigh, NC | 2,147.6 | 115 | 0.053 | 3.8 | 0.05 | 0.01 |
| San Antonio, TX | 7,384.7 | 408 | 0.062 | 4.2 | 0.06 | 0.01 |
| Houston, TX | 10,061.9 | 579 | 0.076 | 4.3 | 0.06 | 0.02 |
| Austin, TX | 4,279.9 | 252 | 0.044 | 3.6 | 0.06 | 0.01 |
| Memphis, TN | 4,699.6 | 302 | 0.086 | 5.5 | 0.06 | 0.02 |
| New Orleans, LA | 7,097.0 | 468 | 0.095 | 4.2 | 0.07 | 0.02 |
| San Diego, CA | 4,525.5 | 324 | 0.061 | 4 | 0.07 | 0.02 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 5,700.3 | 469 | 0.093 | 4 | 0.08 | 0.02 |
| Nashville, TN | 5,762.7 | 502 | 0.053 | 4 | 0.09 | 0.01 |
| Charlotte, NC | 3,147.2 | 280 | 0.055 | 4.8 | 0.09 | 0.01 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 5,581.8 | 607 | 0.053 | 3.6 | 0.11 | 0.01 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 3,698.1 | 767 | 0.051 | 3.2 | 0.21 | 0.02 |
| Sources: | ||||||
| 1.) www.city-data.com | ||||||
| 2.) Bureau of Labor Statistics: "Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment: December 2007". Table 1. Civilian labor force and unemployment by state and metropolitan area. | ||||||
| 3.) State and Metropolitan Area Data Book: 2006. Metropolitan and Micropolitan Area Data Tables. Accessed at www.census.gov, March 3, 2008. | ||||||
| 4.) US Census Bureau. Ranking Tables for Population of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Combined Statistical Areas, New England City | ||||||
| and Town Areas, and Combined New England City and Town Areas: | ||||||
| 1990 and 2000 (Areas defined by the Office of Management and Budget as of June 6, 2003.) (PHC-T-29). Table 3b. Accessed at www.census.gov, March 3, 2008. | ||||||