Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Boston fell 0.2 percentage points in February 2019 to 2.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than the Massachusetts rate. The unemployment rate in Boston peaked in December 2009 at 8.1% and is now 5.5 percentage points lower. You can also compare Boston unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate	February 2019	Month/Month	Year/Year
National	3.8%	-0.2	-0.3
Massachusetts	3.0%	-0.1	-0.6
Boston	2.6%	-0.2	-0.6

Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.¹ All comparisons are made with February 2019 data as March metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Boston, Massachusetts, National

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Boston, Massachusetts Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Boston peaked in January 2010 at 203,691. There are now 130,167 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Boston employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Boston, Massachusetts) is also available.

Unemployed Persons	February 2019	Month/Month	Year/Year
Boston	73,524	-6,499	-13,249

Number of Unemployed Persons

Boston, Massachusetts Unemployment History

Date	National Unemployment Rate	Massachusetts Unemployment Rate	Boston Unemployment Rate	Boston Unemployed
March 2019	3.8%	3.0%	—	—
February 2019	3.8%	3.0%	2.6%	73,524
January 2019	4.0%	3.1%	2.8%	80,023
December 2018	3.9%	3.1%	2.8%	78,745
November 2018	3.7%	3.1%	2.8%	79,747
October 2018	3.8%	3.1%	3.0%	85,170
September 2018	3.7%	3.2%	3.1%	86,507
August 2018	3.8%	3.3%	3.3%	93,659
July 2018	3.9%	3.3%	3.3%	94,294
June 2018	4.0%	3.4%	3.3%	91,414
May 2018	3.8%	3.5%	3.1%	87,926
April 2018	3.9%	3.5%	3.2%	88,584