Department of Numbers

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts Job Growth

There were 2,560,200 jobs in Boston, Massachusetts in November 2020 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 2,498,682 employed persons for the month. Boston added 4,200 jobs in November 2020 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 2,142 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Boston job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey November 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 2,560,200 +4,200 -257,000
CPS 2,498,682 -2,142 -275,723

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 2,827,600. Since then 267,400 jobs have been lost in Boston according to the employer survey. From a trough of 2,323,000 in April 2020, Boston has gained 237,200 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 2,776,599 for Boston in December 2019. 277,917 jobs have been lost in Boston since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 2,128,867, Boston has added 369,815 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through November 2020

Boston, Massachusetts Employment History

Date CES
Employment		 CES
Month/Month		 CPS
Employment		 CPS
Month/Month
November 2020 2,560,200 4,200 2,498,682 -2,142
October 2020 2,556,000 9,000 2,500,824 -30,204
September 2020 2,547,000 35,300 2,531,028 172,680
August 2020 2,511,700 41,700 2,358,348 52,915
July 2020 2,470,000 55,900 2,305,433 41,858
June 2020 2,414,100 61,900 2,263,575 63,598
May 2020 2,352,200 29,200 2,199,977 71,110
April 2020 2,323,000 -475,900 2,128,867 -599,813
March 2020 2,798,900 -28,700 2,728,680 -42,229
February 2020 2,827,600 4,600 2,770,909 -719
January 2020 2,823,000 10,600 2,771,628 -4,971
December 2019 2,812,400 -4,800 2,776,599 2,194

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