San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for San Luis Obispo rose 0.1 percentage points in May 2023 to 3.3%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.2 percentage points lower than the California rate. The unemployment rate in San Luis Obispo peaked in April 2020 at 15.4% and is now 12.1 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.8% in June 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.5 percentage points. You can also compare San Luis Obispo unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | May 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.7% | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| California | 4.5% | 0.0 | +0.5 |
| San Luis Obispo | 3.3% | +0.1 | +0.4 |
Unemployment Rate: San Luis Obispo, California, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
San Luis Obispo, California Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in San Luis Obispo peaked in April 2020 at 20,180. There are now 15,595 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 3,847 in July 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 738. San Luis Obispo employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in San Luis Obispo, California) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | May 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo | 4,585 | +140 | +557 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
San Luis Obispo, California Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
California Unemployment Rate |
San Luis Obispo Unemployment Rate |
San Luis Obispo Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 4,585 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.5% | 3.2% | 4,445 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 3.1% | 4,330 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 3.0% | 4,199 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.2% | 2.9% | 4,061 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 2.9% | 3,975 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.1% | 2.9% | 3,973 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 2.9% | 3,952 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.0% | 2.8% | 3,902 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 3.8% | 2.8% | 3,857 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 3.8% | 2.8% | 3,847 |
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.
