San Diego-Carlsbad, California Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for San Diego rose 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 3.2%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.0 percentage points lower than the California rate. The unemployment rate in San Diego peaked in May 2020 at 16.6% and is now 13.4 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.9% in September 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare San Diego unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.4% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| California | 4.2% | +0.1 | -1.0 |
| San Diego | 3.2% | +0.1 | -1.7 |
Unemployment Rate: San Diego, California, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
San Diego, California Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in San Diego peaked in May 2020 at 251,021. There are now 200,100 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 46,622 in September 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 4,299. San Diego employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in San Diego, California) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 50,921 | +1,286 | -25,519 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
San Diego, California Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
California Unemployment Rate |
San Diego Unemployment Rate |
San Diego Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.2% | 3.2% | 50,921 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 3.1% | 49,635 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.1% | 3.1% | 48,911 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 3.0% | 47,149 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.0% | 2.9% | 46,622 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 3.8% | 3.0% | 46,997 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 48,736 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 52,779 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 4.0% | 3.6% | 57,157 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 61,608 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 4.2% | 66,444 |
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.
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