Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Los Angeles rose 0.1 percentage points in September 2023 to 4.8%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the California rate. The unemployment rate in Los Angeles peaked in May 2020 at 18.5% and is now 13.7 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 4.0% in August 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.8 percentage points. You can also compare Los Angeles unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.8% | 0.0 | +0.3 |
| California | 4.7% | +0.1 | +0.7 |
| Los Angeles | 4.8% | +0.1 | +0.7 |
Unemployment Rate: Los Angeles, California, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Los Angeles, California Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Los Angeles peaked in May 2020 at 1,153,581. There are now 833,179 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 265,105 in August 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 55,297. Los Angeles employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Los Angeles, California) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 320,402 | +10,711 | +53,378 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Los Angeles, California Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
California Unemployment Rate |
Los Angeles Unemployment Rate |
Los Angeles Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 |
3.9% | 4.8% | — | — |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 320,402 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 309,691 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 303,981 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 304,979 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.5% | 4.6% | 301,401 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 295,068 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 292,664 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 285,343 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 276,039 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 4.2% | 273,655 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.1% | 4.2% | 273,027 |
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.
