| Unemployment Rate | December 2011 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 8.5% | -0.2 | -0.9 |
| Massachusetts | 6.8% | -0.2 | -1.5 |
| Boston | 6.2% | -0.2 | -1.4 |
Unemployment Rate: Boston, Massachusetts, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Boston, Massachusetts Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Boston peaked in October 2009 at 206,105. There are now 46,591 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Boston employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Boston, Massachusetts) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | December 2011 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 159,514 | -3,699 | -33,985 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Boston, Massachusetts Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Massachusetts Unemployment Rate |
Boston Unemployment Rate |
Boston Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2012 |
8.3% | — | — | — |
| December 2011 |
8.5% | 6.8% | 6.2% | 159,514 |
| November 2011 |
8.7% | 7.0% | 6.4% | 163,213 |
| October 2011 |
8.9% | 7.3% | 6.6% | 168,075 |
| September 2011 |
9.0% | 7.3% | 6.6% | 167,529 |
| August 2011 |
9.1% | 7.4% | 6.6% | 168,075 |
| July 2011 |
9.1% | 7.6% | 6.7% | 170,351 |
| June 2011 |
9.1% | 7.6% | 6.7% | 169,783 |
| May 2011 |
9.0% | 7.6% | 6.7% | 171,285 |
| April 2011 |
9.0% | 7.8% | 6.9% | 175,689 |
| March 2011 |
8.9% | 8.0% | 7.1% | 181,656 |
| February 2011 |
9.0% | 8.2% | 7.3% | 187,297 |
| January 2011 |
9.1% | 8.3% | 7.5% | 190,675 |
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. ↩