Department of Numbers

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts Job Growth

There were 2,874,400 jobs in Boston, Massachusetts in November 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 2,714,076 employed persons for the month. Boston added 6,200 jobs in November 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 3,805 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Boston job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey November 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 2,874,400 +6,200 +71,200
CPS 2,714,076 +3,805 +24,855

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Boston, Massachusetts Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Boston as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Boston, Massachusetts

CES employment for Boston in November 2023 is at a new high of 2,874,400.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 2,782,674 for Boston in October 2019. 68,598 jobs have been lost in Boston since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 2,179,237, Boston has added 534,839 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through November 2023

Boston, Massachusetts Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
November 2023 2,874,400 6,200 2,714,076 3,805
October 2023 2,868,200 6,800 2,710,271 2,844
September 2023 2,861,400 2,000 2,707,427 3,146
August 2023 2,859,400 6,000 2,704,281 -567
July 2023 2,853,400 1,700 2,704,848 173
June 2023 2,851,700 1,500 2,704,675 749
May 2023 2,850,200 6,300 2,703,926 315
April 2023 2,843,900 5,700 2,703,611 3,739
March 2023 2,838,200 8,000 2,699,872 -216
February 2023 2,830,200 4,200 2,700,088 4,018
January 2023 2,826,000 12,300 2,696,070 6,885
December 2022 2,813,700 10,500 2,689,185 -36