Department of Numbers

El Centro, California Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for El Centro fell 0.4 percentage points in December 2011 to 28.3%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 17.2 percentage points higher than the California rate. The unemployment rate in El Centro peaked in December 2010 at 30.6% and is now 2.3 percentage points lower. You can also compare El Centro unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate December 2011 Month/Month Year/Year
National 8.5% -0.2 -0.9
California 11.1% -0.2 -1.4
El Centro 28.3% -0.4 -2.3
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with December 2011 data as January metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: El Centro, California, National

El Centro, California monthly unemployment rate chart

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 1,798 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. El Centro employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in El Centro, California) is also available.

Unemployed Persons December 2011 Month/Month Year/Year
El Centro 21,763 -316 -1,778

Number of Unemployed Persons

El Centro, California Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
California
Unemployment Rate
El Centro
Unemployment Rate
El Centro
Unemployed
January
2012
8.3%
December
2011
8.5% 11.1% 28.3% 21,763
November
2011
8.7% 11.3% 28.7% 22,079
October
2011
8.9% 11.7% 29.2% 22,457
September
2011
9.0% 11.9% 29.5% 22,645
August
2011
9.1% 12.1% 29.9% 22,993
July
2011
9.1% 12.0% 30.2% 23,262
June
2011
9.1% 11.8% 30.2% 23,323
May
2011
9.0% 11.7% 30.1% 23,214
April
2011
9.0% 11.8% 30.3% 23,398
March
2011
8.9% 12.0% 30.5% 23,500
February
2011
9.0% 12.1% 30.6% 23,448
January
2011
9.1% 12.4% 30.6% 23,561

1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers.