Summary Box: Two-thirds of metro areas see unemployment rates dip, but pockets of pain persist

Summary Box: Rates dip in two-thirds of places

EMPLOYMENT SCORECARD: Unemployment rates dropped in two-thirds of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas in May as the gradual recovery spurred some hiring.

SLOW ROAD TO RECOVERY: Despite improvements, many out-of-work Americans face a difficult time finding work. Roughly 134 metro areas had double-digit jobless rates.

FARING BETTER: 36 metro areas reported unemployment rates at or below 6 percent, a figure consistent with healthy employment conditions on a national scale. They included places in the upper Plains states as well as the metro area of Washington, D.C., and Arlington and Alexandria, Va.