Department of Numbers

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Baton Rouge fell 0.1 percentage points in May 2021 to 6.3%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points lower than the Louisiana rate. The unemployment rate in Baton Rouge peaked in May 2020 at 12.5% and is now 6.2 percentage points lower. You can also compare Baton Rouge unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate May 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
National 5.8% -0.3 -7.5
Louisiana 7.1% -0.1 -6.0
Baton Rouge 6.3% -0.1 -6.2
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with May 2021 data as June metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, National

Baton Rouge, Louisiana monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Baton Rouge peaked in May 2020 at 50,857. There are now 24,475 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Baton Rouge employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is also available.

Unemployed Persons May 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
Baton Rouge 26,382 -506 -24,475

Number of Unemployed Persons

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Louisiana
Unemployment Rate		 Baton Rouge
Unemployment Rate		 Baton Rouge
Unemployed
June
2021		 5.9% — — —
May
2021		 5.8% 7.1% 6.3% 26,382
April
2021		 6.1% 7.2% 6.4% 26,888
March
2021		 6.0% 7.4% 6.5% 27,394
February
2021		 6.2% 7.6% 6.7% 28,357
January
2021		 6.3% 7.6% 6.9% 29,232
December
2020		 6.7% 7.9% 6.4% 27,008
November
2020		 6.7% 7.9% 6.5% 27,661
October
2020		 6.9% 7.9% 6.7% 28,395
September
2020		 7.8% 8.0% 6.9% 29,188
August
2020		 8.4% 8.2% 7.2% 30,540
July
2020		 10.2% 9.1% 8.4% 32,793

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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