Department of Numbers

Reading, Pennsylvania Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Reading fell 0.2 percentage points in April 2013 to 7.7%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the Pennsylvania rate. The unemployment rate in Reading peaked in December 2009 at 9.3% and is now 1.6 percentage points lower. You can also compare Reading unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate April 2013 Month/Month Year/Year
National 7.5% -0.1 -0.6
Pennsylvania 7.6% -0.3 -0.2
Reading 7.7% -0.2 -0.3
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with April 2013 data as May metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Reading, Pennsylvania, National

Reading, Pennsylvania monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Reading, Pennsylvania Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Reading peaked in February 2010 at 18,999. There are now 3,021 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Reading employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Reading, Pennsylvania) is also available.

Unemployed Persons April 2013 Month/Month Year/Year
Reading 15,978 -367 -330

Number of Unemployed Persons

Reading, Pennsylvania Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate 		Pennsylvania
Unemployment Rate 		Reading
Unemployment Rate 		Reading
Unemployed
May
2013 		7.6% — — —
April
2013 		7.5% 7.6% 7.7% 15,978
March
2013 		7.6% 7.9% 7.9% 16,345
February
2013 		7.7% 8.1% 8.1% 16,877
January
2013 		7.9% 8.2% 8.2% 17,140
December
2012 		7.8% 7.9% 8.1% 16,780
November
2012 		7.8% 8.1% 8.1% 16,786
October
2012 		7.9% 8.0% 8.1% 16,793
September
2012 		7.8% 8.1% 8.1% 16,806
August
2012 		8.1% 8.1% 8.1% 16,809
July
2012 		8.2% 8.1% 8.1% 16,767
June
2012 		8.2% 8.0% 8.1% 16,654
May
2012 		8.2% 7.9% 8.0% 16,486

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. ↩

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