Department of Numbers

Boulder, Colorado Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Boulder fell 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 2.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.2 percentage points lower than the Colorado rate. The unemployment rate in Boulder peaked in May 2020 at 10.1% and is now 7.5 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.6% in June 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.0 percentage points. You can also compare Boulder unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.4% -0.1 -0.6
Colorado 2.8% 0.0 -1.2
Boulder 2.6% -0.1 -0.7
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with January 2023 data as February metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Boulder, Colorado, National

Boulder, Colorado monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Boulder, Colorado Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Boulder peaked in May 2020 at 19,322. There are now 14,088 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 5,202 in August 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 32. Boulder employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Boulder, Colorado) is also available.

Unemployed Persons January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Boulder 5,234 -178 -1,266

Number of Unemployed Persons

Boulder, Colorado Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Colorado
Unemployment Rate		 Boulder
Unemployment Rate		 Boulder
Unemployed
February
2023		 3.6% — — —
January
2023		 3.4% 2.8% 2.6% 5,234
December
2022		 3.5% 2.8% 2.7% 5,412
November
2022		 3.6% 2.8% 2.7% 5,545
October
2022		 3.7% 2.8% 2.7% 5,421
September
2022		 3.5% 2.8% 2.6% 5,266
August
2022		 3.7% 2.6% 2.6% 5,202
July
2022		 3.5% 2.7% 2.6% 5,253
June
2022		 3.6% 2.8% 2.6% 5,244
May
2022		 3.6% 2.9% 2.7% 5,393
April
2022		 3.6% 3.1% 2.8% 5,580
March
2022		 3.6% 3.3% 3.0% 5,906

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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