Department of Numbers

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for San Jose fell 0.0 percentage points in February 2021 to 5.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 3.0 percentage points lower than the California rate. The unemployment rate in San Jose peaked in April 2020 at 12.0% and is now 6.5 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 5.2% in November 2020, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare San Jose unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
National 6.2% -0.1 +2.7
California 8.5% -0.5 +4.2
San Jose 5.5% 0.0 +3.0
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with February 2021 data as March metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: San Jose, California, National

San Jose, California monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

San Jose, California Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in San Jose peaked in April 2020 at 127,612. There are now 69,534 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 56,161 in November 2020, the number of unemployed has now grown by 1,917. San Jose employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in San Jose, California) is also available.

Unemployed Persons February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
San Jose 58,078 -816 +30,877

Number of Unemployed Persons

San Jose, California Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 California
Unemployment Rate		 San Jose
Unemployment Rate		 San Jose
Unemployed
March
2021		 6.0% — — —
February
2021		 6.2% 8.5% 5.5% 58,078
January
2021		 6.3% 9.0% 5.5% 58,894
December
2020		 6.7% 9.3% 6.2% 66,955
November
2020		 6.7% 8.7% 5.2% 56,161
October
2020		 6.9% 9.8% 5.8% 63,412
September
2020		 7.8% 10.6% 7.1% 74,312
August
2020		 8.4% 12.3% 7.0% 73,174
July
2020		 10.2% 13.2% 9.3% 97,681
June
2020		 11.1% 14.1% 10.5% 112,919
May
2020		 13.3% 15.6% 11.5% 121,287
April
2020		 14.8% 16.0% 12.0% 127,612

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. ↩

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