Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Boston fell 0.0 percentage points in November 2022 to 2.9%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.5 percentage points lower than the Massachusetts rate. The unemployment rate in Boston peaked in April 2020 at 16.3% and is now 13.4 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.9% in October 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.0 percentage points. You can also compare Boston unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2022 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.6% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Massachusetts | 3.4% | -0.1 | -1.4 |
| Boston | 2.9% | 0.0 | -1.5 |
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 421,228. There are now 339,089 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Boston employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Boston, Massachusetts) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2022 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 82,139 | -187 | -41,824 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Boston, Massachusetts Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Massachusetts Unemployment Rate |
Boston Unemployment Rate |
Boston Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2022 |
3.5% | — | — | — |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 82,139 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 3.5% | 2.9% | 82,326 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 3.4% | 3.0% | 82,706 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 3.6% | 3.0% | 84,805 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 86,563 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 91,445 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 96,711 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 4.1% | 3.6% | 101,340 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 4.3% | 3.8% | 106,825 |
| February 2022 |
3.8% | 4.7% | 4.0% | 113,314 |
| January 2022 |
4.0% | 4.8% | 4.3% | 120,024 |
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.
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