BAY AREA (KRON) -- More people are working in the Bay Area this year than last according to new numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau breaks down the Bay Area into several geographical divisions but in all of them the unemployment rate is down about a full percentage point from May of this year when compared to May of last year.

In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 8.2% of people are unemployed.  This does not include people who have given up looking for work.  9.3% were jobless during May of 2011.

In the South Bay, unemployment fell from 9.8% to 8.4% from May to May.  Vallejo and Fairfield also saw a drop of more than a full percentage point during the same period.  The drop in Napa came to nine-tenths of one percent while the Peninsula also showed a one percentage point drop year to year.

The BLS says unemployment rates were lower in May than a year earlier in 331 of the 372 metropolitan areas, higher in 32 areas, and unchanged in nine areas.

45 metro areas saw jobless rates at more than ten percent, just more than half as many as reported double-digit unemployment in May of 2011.

Las Vegas and Riverside are tied for the highest unemployment rates in the country with 11.8%.  Oklahoma City has the lowest rate at 4.5%

The jobless numbers and the rate of economic activity remain key factors in this year's Presidential race.

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