Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Seattle fell 0.3 percentage points in December 2011 to 8.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than the Washington rate. The unemployment rate in Seattle peaked in September 2009 at 9.6% and is now 1.5 percentage points lower. You can also compare Seattle unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | December 2011 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 8.5% | -0.2 | -0.9 |
| Washington | 8.5% | -0.2 | -0.8 |
| Seattle | 8.1% | -0.3 | -1.1 |
Unemployment Rate: Seattle, Washington, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Seattle, Washington Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Seattle peaked in September 2009 at 182,218. There are now 29,468 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Seattle employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Seattle, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | December 2011 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 152,750 | -6,359 | -20,773 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Seattle, Washington Unemployment History
| Date |
National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
January 2012 |
8.3% | — | — | — |
|
December 2011 |
8.5% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 152,750 |
|
November 2011 |
8.7% | 8.7% | 8.4% | 159,109 |
|
October 2011 |
8.9% | 9.1% | 8.8% | 165,575 |
|
September 2011 |
9.0% | 9.2% | 9.0% | 168,268 |
|
August 2011 |
9.1% | 9.3% | 9.1% | 169,946 |
|
July 2011 |
9.1% | 9.3% | 9.1% | 169,363 |
|
June 2011 |
9.1% | 9.3% | 8.9% | 166,089 |
|
May 2011 |
9.0% | 9.1% | 8.8% | 163,960 |
|
April 2011 |
9.0% | 9.2% | 8.9% | 165,395 |
|
March 2011 |
8.9% | 9.2% | 8.7% | 163,991 |
|
February 2011 |
9.0% | 9.1% | 8.8% | 165,034 |
|
January 2011 |
9.1% | 9.2% | 9.0% | 169,090 |
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. ↩
