El Centro, California Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for El Centro rose 0.2 percentage points in March 2012 to 28.8%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 17.8 percentage points higher than the California rate. The unemployment rate in El Centro peaked in December 2010 at 30.6% and is now 1.8 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 28.3% in December 2011, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.5 percentage points. You can also compare El Centro unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate	March 2012	Month/Month	Year/Year
National	8.2%	-0.1	-0.7
California	11.0%	+0.1	-0.9
El Centro	28.8%	+0.2	-1.7

Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.¹ All comparisons are made with March 2012 data as April metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: El Centro, California, National

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

El Centro, California Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in El Centro peaked in January 2011 at 23,561. There are now 866 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 21,763 in December 2011, the number of unemployed has now grown by 932. El Centro employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in El Centro, California) is also available.

Unemployed Persons	March 2012	Month/Month	Year/Year
El Centro	22,695	+291	-805

Number of Unemployed Persons

El Centro, California Unemployment History

Date	National Unemployment Rate	California Unemployment Rate	El Centro Unemployment Rate	El Centro Unemployed
April 2012	8.1%	10.9%	—	—
March 2012	8.2%	11.0%	28.8%	22,695
February 2012	8.3%	10.9%	28.6%	22,404
January 2012	8.3%	10.9%	28.4%	22,051
December 2011	8.5%	11.2%	28.3%	21,763
November 2011	8.7%	11.3%	28.7%	22,079
October 2011	8.9%	11.5%	29.2%	22,457
September 2011	9.0%	11.7%	29.5%	22,645
August 2011	9.1%	11.9%	29.9%	22,993
July 2011	9.1%	11.9%	30.2%	23,262
June 2011	9.1%	11.9%	30.2%	23,323
May 2011	9.0%	11.9%	30.1%	23,214
April 2011	9.0%	11.8%	30.3%	23,398