Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Washington fell 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 3.2%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.2 percentage points lower than the District of Columbia rate. The unemployment rate in Washington peaked in April 2020 at 10.0% and is now 6.8 percentage points lower. You can also compare Washington unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.4% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| District of Columbia | 4.4% | +0.2 | -1.6 |
| Washington | 3.2% | -0.1 | -0.9 |
Unemployment Rate: Washington, District of Columbia, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Washington, District of Columbia Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Washington peaked in April 2020 at 341,974. There are now 234,476 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Washington employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Washington, District of Columbia) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 107,498 | -3,327 | -29,976 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Washington, District of Columbia Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
District of Columbia Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 107,498 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.2% | 3.3% | 110,825 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.2% | 3.3% | 112,723 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.2% | 3.4% | 113,390 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 113,408 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 115,624 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 115,160 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 3.5% | 117,253 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 3.5% | 118,645 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 4.9% | 3.6% | 121,729 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 5.2% | 3.7% | 126,723 |
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.
