Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Santa Cruz fell 1.1 percentage points in November 2021 to 5.9%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.0 percentage points lower than the California rate. The unemployment rate in Santa Cruz peaked in April 2020 at 16.9% and is now 11.0 percentage points lower. You can also compare Santa Cruz unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 4.2% | -0.4 | -2.5 |
| California | 6.9% | -0.4 | -1.8 |
| Santa Cruz | 5.9% | -1.1 | -1.3 |
Unemployment Rate: Santa Cruz, California, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Santa Cruz, California Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Santa Cruz peaked in April 2020 at 22,492. There are now 14,616 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Santa Cruz employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Santa Cruz, California) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz | 7,876 | -1,479 | -1,545 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Santa Cruz, California Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
California Unemployment Rate |
Santa Cruz Unemployment Rate |
Santa Cruz Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2021 |
3.9% | — | — | — |
| November 2021 |
4.2% | 6.9% | 5.9% | 7,876 |
| October 2021 |
4.6% | 7.3% | 7.0% | 9,355 |
| September 2021 |
4.7% | 7.5% | 7.2% | 9,522 |
| August 2021 |
5.2% | 7.5% | 7.3% | 9,592 |
| July 2021 |
5.4% | 7.6% | 7.2% | 9,481 |
| June 2021 |
5.9% | 7.6% | 7.2% | 9,373 |
| May 2021 |
5.8% | 7.7% | 7.0% | 9,201 |
| April 2021 |
6.0% | 8.0% | 6.9% | 9,087 |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 8.3% | 7.0% | 9,181 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 8.5% | 7.2% | 9,498 |
| January 2021 |
6.4% | 9.0% | 7.4% | 9,688 |
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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The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
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