Department of Numbers

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts Job Growth

There were 2,840,600 jobs in Boston, Massachusetts in March 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 2,699,972 employed persons for the month. Boston added 10,400 jobs in March 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 116 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Boston job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey March 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 2,840,600 +10,400 +78,800
CPS 2,699,972 -116 +6,563

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 peaked in February 2020 at 2,851,600. Since then 11,000 jobs have been lost in Boston according to the employer survey. From a trough of 2,339,800 in April 2020, Boston has gained 500,800 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 2,782,674 for Boston in October 2019. 82,702 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 520,735 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through March 2023

Boston, Massachusetts Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
March 2023 2,840,600 10,400 2,699,972 -116
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
November 2022 2,803,200 12,400 2,689,221 -607
October 2022 2,790,800 9,000 2,689,828 -704
September 2022 2,781,800 800 2,690,532 -163
August 2022 2,781,000 -1,400 2,690,695 61
July 2022 2,782,400 9,600 2,690,634 -200
June 2022 2,772,800 8,800 2,690,834 -451
May 2022 2,764,000 1,000 2,691,285 -1,007
April 2022 2,763,000 1,200 2,692,292 -1,117