New Bedford, Massachusetts Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for New Bedford fell 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 5.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.5 percentage points higher than the Massachusetts rate. The unemployment rate in New Bedford peaked in April 2020 at 24.1% and is now 19.0 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 5.1% in September 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.0 percentage points. You can also compare New Bedford unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.4% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Massachusetts | 3.6% | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| New Bedford | 5.1% | -0.1 | -1.5 |
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 19,305. There are now 15,072 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford | 4,233 | -104 | -1,327 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
New Bedford, Massachusetts Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Massachusetts Unemployment Rate |
New Bedford Unemployment Rate |
New Bedford Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.6% | 5.1% | 4,233 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 3.7% | 5.2% | 4,337 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 5.2% | 4,313 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 3.8% | 5.2% | 4,307 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 3.7% | 5.1% | 4,311 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 3.9% | 5.2% | 4,359 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 3.7% | 5.2% | 4,335 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 5.3% | 4,462 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 5.4% | 4,589 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 5.6% | 4,753 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 5.9% | 4,966 |
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.
