Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Seattle fell 0.4 percentage points in April 2013 to 5.8%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.2 percentage points lower than the Washington rate. The unemployment rate in Seattle peaked in December 2009 at 9.9% and is now 4.1 percentage points lower. You can also compare Seattle unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | April 2013 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 7.5% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Washington | 7.0% | -0.3 | -1.4 |
| Seattle | 5.8% | -0.4 | -1.9 |
Unemployment Rate: Seattle, Washington, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Seattle, Washington Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Seattle peaked in January 2010 at 186,502. There are now 75,525 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Seattle employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Seattle, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | April 2013 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 110,977 | -5,858 | -34,214 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Seattle, Washington Unemployment History
| Date |
National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
May 2013 |
7.6% | — | — | — |
|
April 2013 |
7.5% | 7.0% | 5.8% | 110,977 |
|
March 2013 |
7.6% | 7.3% | 6.2% | 116,835 |
|
February 2013 |
7.7% | 7.5% | 6.5% | 122,177 |
|
January 2013 |
7.9% | 7.5% | 6.7% | 126,580 |
|
December 2012 |
7.8% | 7.5% | 6.8% | 127,998 |
|
November 2012 |
7.8% | 7.6% | 6.9% | 130,482 |
|
October 2012 |
7.9% | 7.8% | 7.1% | 133,465 |
|
September 2012 |
7.8% | 8.0% | 7.2% | 136,786 |
|
August 2012 |
8.1% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 140,019 |
|
July 2012 |
8.2% | 8.3% | 7.5% | 142,581 |
|
June 2012 |
8.2% | 8.4% | 7.6% | 144,142 |
|
May 2012 |
8.2% | 8.4% | 7.7% | 144,840 |
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.
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