Department of Numbers

California-Lexington Park, Maryland Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for California rose 0.1 percentage points in September 2023 to 1.7%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the Maryland rate. The unemployment rate in California peaked in February 2010 at 7.0% and is now 5.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 1.6% in August 2023, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.1 percentage points. You can also compare California unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate September 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.8% 0.0 +0.3
Maryland 1.6% -0.1 -1.6
California 1.7% +0.1 -1.4
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with September 2023 data as October metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: California, Maryland, National

California, Maryland monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

California, Maryland Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in California peaked in April 2020 at 3,857. There are now 2,906 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 947 in August 2023, the number of unemployed has now grown by 4.

Unemployed Persons September 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
California 951 +4 -818

Number of Unemployed Persons

California, Maryland Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
Maryland
Unemployment Rate
California
Unemployment Rate
California
Unemployed
October
2023
3.9% 1.7%
September
2023
3.8% 1.6% 1.7% 951
August
2023
3.8% 1.7% 1.6% 947
July
2023
3.5% 1.8% 1.8% 1,030
June
2023
3.6% 2.0% 2.1% 1,178
May
2023
3.7% 2.4% 2.3% 1,350
April
2023
3.4% 2.5% 2.5% 1,421
March
2023
3.5% 2.7% 2.7% 1,527
February
2023
3.6% 2.9% 2.8% 1,635
January
2023
3.4% 3.0% 2.9% 1,675
December
2022
3.5% 3.0% 3.0% 1,740
November
2022
3.6% 3.1% 3.0% 1,741

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.