Portland-South Portland, Maine Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Portland fell 0.2 percentage points in January 2023 to 2.7%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.2 percentage points lower than the Maine rate. The unemployment rate in Portland peaked in May 2020 at 10.0% and is now 7.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.5% in July 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.2 percentage points. You can also compare Portland unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.4% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Maine | 2.9% | -0.2 | -0.7 |
| Portland | 2.7% | -0.2 | -0.8 |
Unemployment Rate: Portland, Maine, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Portland, Maine Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Portland peaked in May 2020 at 19,896. There are now 14,358 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 5,089 in August 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 449. Portland employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Portland, Maine) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 5,538 | -359 | -1,628 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Portland, Maine Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Maine Unemployment Rate |
Portland Unemployment Rate |
Portland Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 5,538 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 5,897 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 5,728 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 5,556 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 3.0% | 2.6% | 5,281 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 5,089 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 5,146 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 5,446 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 5,784 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 6,125 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 6,621 |
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
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