Department of Numbers

New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for New York fell 0.0 percentage points in January 2023 to 4.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points lower than the New York rate. The unemployment rate in New York peaked in May 2020 at 17.5% and is now 13.4 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 4.1% in November 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.0 percentage points. You can also compare New York unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.4% -0.1 -0.6
New York 4.2% +0.1 -0.9
New York 4.1% 0.0 -1.5
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with January 2023 data as February metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: New York, New York, National

New York, New York monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

New York, New York Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in New York peaked in May 2020 at 1,719,262. There are now 1,307,881 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. New York employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in New York, New York) is also available.

Unemployed Persons January 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
New York 411,381 -2,176 -144,488

Number of Unemployed Persons

New York, New York Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
New York
Unemployment Rate
New York
Unemployment Rate
New York
Unemployed
February
2023
3.6%
January
2023
3.4% 4.2% 4.1% 411,381
December
2022
3.5% 4.1% 4.1% 413,557
November
2022
3.6% 4.1% 4.1% 415,538
October
2022
3.7% 4.2% 4.2% 421,092
September
2022
3.5% 4.0% 4.3% 432,035
August
2022
3.7% 3.9% 4.4% 443,846
July
2022
3.5% 4.0% 4.4% 441,549
June
2022
3.6% 4.1% 4.5% 448,472
May
2022
3.6% 4.1% 4.6% 460,497
April
2022
3.6% 4.3% 4.8% 476,457
March
2022
3.6% 4.4% 5.0% 496,588

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.