Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Washington fell 0.1 percentage points in December 2011 to 5.8%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 4.6 percentage points lower than the District of Columbia rate. The unemployment rate in Washington peaked in November 2009 at 6.5% and is now 0.7 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 5.7% in March 2011, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.1 percentage points. You can also compare Washington unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | December 2011 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 8.5% | -0.2 | -0.9 |
| District of Columbia | 10.4% | -0.2 | +0.8 |
| Washington | 5.8% | -0.1 | -0.3 |
Unemployment Rate: Washington, District of Columbia, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Washington, District of Columbia Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Washington peaked in January 2010 at 199,252. There are now 19,793 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 174,797 in March 2011, the number of unemployed has now grown by 4,662. Washington employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Washington, District of Columbia) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | December 2011 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 179,459 | -2,609 | -8,012 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Washington, District of Columbia Unemployment History
| Date |
National Unemployment Rate |
District of Columbia Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
January 2012 |
8.3% | — | — | — |
|
December 2011 |
8.5% | 10.4% | 5.8% | 179,459 |
|
November 2011 |
8.7% | 10.6% | 5.9% | 182,068 |
|
October 2011 |
8.9% | 11.0% | 6.1% | 187,571 |
|
September 2011 |
9.0% | 11.2% | 6.1% | 186,956 |
|
August 2011 |
9.1% | 11.1% | 5.9% | 182,379 |
|
July 2011 |
9.1% | 10.8% | 5.9% | 180,272 |
|
June 2011 |
9.1% | 10.4% | 5.8% | 178,514 |
|
May 2011 |
9.0% | 9.8% | 5.7% | 175,647 |
|
April 2011 |
9.0% | 9.6% | 5.7% | 174,871 |
|
March 2011 |
8.9% | 9.5% | 5.7% | 174,797 |
|
February 2011 |
9.0% | 9.5% | 5.8% | 177,258 |
|
January 2011 |
9.1% | 9.6% | 6.0% | 182,867 |
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. ↩
Department of Numbers
The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
