New Bedford, Massachusetts Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for New Bedford rose 0.1 percentage points in November 2021 to 7.2%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.8 percentage points higher than the Massachusetts rate. The unemployment rate in New Bedford peaked in April 2020 at 23.5% and is now 16.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 6.6% in May 2021, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.6 percentage points. You can also compare New Bedford unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 4.2% | -0.4 | -2.5 |
| Massachusetts | 5.4% | +0.1 | -3.0 |
| New Bedford | 7.2% | +0.1 | -2.3 |
Unemployment Rate: New Bedford, Massachusetts, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
New Bedford, Massachusetts Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in New Bedford peaked in April 2020 at 18,534. There are now 12,410 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 5,466 in May 2021, the number of unemployed has now grown by 658.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford | 6,124 | +95 | -1,857 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
New Bedford, Massachusetts Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Massachusetts Unemployment Rate |
New Bedford Unemployment Rate |
New Bedford Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2021 |
3.9% | — | — | — |
| November 2021 |
4.2% | 5.4% | 7.2% | 6,124 |
| October 2021 |
4.6% | 5.3% | 7.1% | 6,029 |
| September 2021 |
4.7% | 5.2% | 7.0% | 5,884 |
| August 2021 |
5.2% | 5.0% | 6.9% | 5,773 |
| July 2021 |
5.4% | 4.9% | 6.7% | 5,618 |
| June 2021 |
5.9% | 4.9% | 6.6% | 5,516 |
| May 2021 |
5.8% | 5.0% | 6.6% | 5,466 |
| April 2021 |
6.0% | 6.4% | 7.9% | 6,601 |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 6.7% | 7.9% | 6,618 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 7.0% | 8.0% | 6,724 |
| January 2021 |
6.4% | 7.8% | 8.1% | 6,772 |
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.
