Department of Numbers

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Massachusetts Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Boston fell 4.5 percentage points in August 2020 to 10.8%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.6 percentage points lower than the Massachusetts rate. The unemployment rate in Boston peaked in June 2020 at 16.9% and is now 6.1 percentage points lower. You can also compare Boston unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate August 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
National 8.4% -1.8 +4.7
Massachusetts 11.4% -4.8 +8.6
Boston 10.8% -4.5 +8.2
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with August 2020 data as September metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Boston, Massachusetts, National

Boston, Massachusetts monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Boston, Massachusetts Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Boston peaked in June 2020 at 460,095. There are now 175,459 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Boston employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Boston, Massachusetts) is also available.

Unemployed Persons August 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
Boston 284,636 -133,250 +212,066

Number of Unemployed Persons

Boston, Massachusetts Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Massachusetts
Unemployment Rate		 Boston
Unemployment Rate		 Boston
Unemployed
September
2020		 7.9% 9.6% — —
August
2020		 8.4% 11.4% 10.8% 284,636
July
2020		 10.2% 16.2% 15.3% 417,886
June
2020		 11.1% 17.7% 16.9% 460,095
May
2020		 13.3% 16.6% 16.2% 425,040
April
2020		 14.7% 16.2% 15.7% 397,587
March
2020		 4.4% 2.8% 2.6% 72,000
February
2020		 3.5% 2.8% 2.5% 71,961
January
2020		 3.6% 2.8% 2.5% 71,301
December
2019		 3.5% 2.8% 2.5% 70,021
November
2019		 3.5% 2.8% 2.5% 70,472
October
2019		 3.6% 2.8% 2.5% 71,113

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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