Department of Numbers

Kalamazoo-Portage, Michigan Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Kalamazoo fell 0.1 percentage points in November 2020 to 5.4%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.5 percentage points lower than the Michigan rate. The unemployment rate in Kalamazoo peaked in April 2020 at 18.8% and is now 13.4 percentage points lower. You can also compare Kalamazoo unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate November 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
National 6.7% -0.2 +3.1
Michigan 6.9% +0.8 +3.0
Kalamazoo 5.4% -0.1 +2.0
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with November 2020 data as December metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Kalamazoo, Michigan, National

Kalamazoo, Michigan monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Kalamazoo, Michigan Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Kalamazoo peaked in April 2020 at 29,469. There are now 20,457 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Kalamazoo employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Kalamazoo, Michigan) is also available.

Unemployed Persons November 2020 Month/Month Year/Year
Kalamazoo 9,012 -413 +3,311

Number of Unemployed Persons

Kalamazoo, Michigan Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Michigan
Unemployment Rate		 Kalamazoo
Unemployment Rate		 Kalamazoo
Unemployed
December
2020		 6.7% — — —
November
2020		 6.7% 6.9% 5.4% 9,012
October
2020		 6.9% 6.1% 5.5% 9,425
September
2020		 7.8% 8.6% 7.6% 13,258
August
2020		 8.4% 8.7% 7.8% 13,548
July
2020		 10.2% 8.7% 7.9% 13,682
June
2020		 11.1% 14.9% 11.8% 20,756
May
2020		 13.3% 21.3% 15.9% 27,006
April
2020		 14.8% 24.0% 18.8% 29,469
March
2020		 4.4% 4.3% 3.1% 5,187
February
2020		 3.5% 3.6% 3.2% 5,398
January
2020		 3.5% 3.8% 3.3% 5,650

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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