Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Boston rose 0.1 percentage points in November 2023 to 2.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points lower than the Massachusetts rate. The unemployment rate in Boston peaked in April 2020 at 16.1% and is now 13.5 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.4% in September 2023, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.2 percentage points. You can also compare Boston unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.7% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| Massachusetts | 2.9% | +0.1 | -0.8 |
| Boston | 2.6% | +0.1 | -0.8 |
Unemployment Rate: Boston, Massachusetts, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Boston, Massachusetts Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Boston peaked in April 2020 at 416,880. There are now 344,798 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 67,858 in September 2023, the number of unemployed has now grown by 4,224. Boston employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Boston, Massachusetts) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 72,082 | +3,538 | -22,694 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Boston, Massachusetts Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Massachusetts Unemployment Rate |
Boston Unemployment Rate |
Boston Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2023 |
3.7% | — | — | — |
| November 2023 |
3.7% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 72,082 |
| October 2023 |
3.8% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 68,544 |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 67,858 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 69,734 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 72,368 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 77,251 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 83,026 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 89,504 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 94,592 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 94,752 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 94,236 |
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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