Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Santa Cruz rose 0.2 percentage points in May 2023 to 5.4%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.9 percentage points higher than the California rate. The unemployment rate in Santa Cruz peaked in April 2020 at 17.3% and is now 11.9 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 4.6% in April 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.8 percentage points. You can also compare Santa Cruz 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 |
| Santa Cruz | 5.4% | +0.2 | +0.8 |
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 23,150. There are now 15,811 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 6,100 in May 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 1,239. Santa Cruz employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Santa Cruz, California) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | May 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz | 7,339 | +347 | +1,239 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Santa Cruz, California Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
California Unemployment Rate |
Santa Cruz Unemployment Rate |
Santa Cruz Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.5% | 5.4% | 7,339 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 6,992 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 5.0% | 6,830 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 4.9% | 6,619 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 6,484 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 6,480 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 6,497 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 6,503 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.0% | 4.8% | 6,436 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 3.8% | 4.7% | 6,327 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 3.8% | 4.6% | 6,204 |
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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