Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Washington fell 0.0 percentage points in February 2019 to 3.4%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 2.1 percentage points lower than the District of Columbia rate. The unemployment rate in Washington peaked in February 2010 at 6.7% and is now 3.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.1% in December 2018, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare Washington unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | February 2019 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.8% | -0.2 | -0.3 |
| District of Columbia | 5.5% | +0.1 | -0.3 |
| Washington | 3.4% | 0.0 | -0.1 |
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 March 2010 at 208,691. There are now 93,119 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 106,082 in December 2018, the number of unemployed has now grown by 9,490. Washington employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Washington, District of Columbia) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | February 2019 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 115,572 | -579 | -3,668 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Washington, District of Columbia Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
District of Columbia Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2019 |
3.8% | 5.6% | — | — |
| February 2019 |
3.8% | 5.5% | 3.4% | 115,572 |
| January 2019 |
4.0% | 5.4% | 3.4% | 116,151 |
| December 2018 |
3.9% | 5.4% | 3.1% | 106,082 |
| November 2018 |
3.7% | 5.3% | 3.2% | 109,250 |
| October 2018 |
3.8% | 5.3% | 3.3% | 112,475 |
| September 2018 |
3.7% | 5.4% | 3.3% | 112,740 |
| August 2018 |
3.8% | 5.4% | 3.4% | 114,845 |
| July 2018 |
3.9% | 5.5% | 3.4% | 115,396 |
| June 2018 |
4.0% | 5.6% | 3.4% | 116,769 |
| May 2018 |
3.8% | 5.7% | 3.3% | 113,109 |
| April 2018 |
3.9% | 5.7% | 3.5% | 118,523 |
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.
