Rochester, New York Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Rochester fell 0.2 percentage points in May 2021 to 5.8%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 2.0 percentage points lower than the New York rate. The unemployment rate in Rochester peaked in April 2020 at 16.0% and is now 10.2 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 5.8% in December 2020, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.0 percentage points. You can also compare Rochester unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | May 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 5.8% | -0.3 | -7.5 |
| New York | 7.8% | -0.4 | -7.9 |
| Rochester | 5.8% | -0.2 | -6.5 |
Unemployment Rate: Rochester, New York, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Rochester, New York Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Rochester peaked in April 2020 at 79,207. There are now 49,228 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 29,657 in December 2020, the number of unemployed has now grown by 322. Rochester employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Rochester, New York) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | May 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 29,979 | -958 | -32,737 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Rochester, New York Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
New York Unemployment Rate |
Rochester Unemployment Rate |
Rochester Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2021 |
5.9% | — | — | — |
| May 2021 |
5.8% | 7.8% | 5.8% | 29,979 |
| April 2021 |
6.1% | 8.2% | 6.0% | 30,937 |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 8.4% | 6.0% | 31,203 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 8.9% | 6.0% | 30,907 |
| January 2021 |
6.3% | 8.8% | 5.9% | 30,215 |
| December 2020 |
6.7% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 29,657 |
| November 2020 |
6.7% | 8.7% | 6.1% | 31,164 |
| October 2020 |
6.9% | 8.7% | 6.4% | 32,796 |
| September 2020 |
7.8% | 10.0% | 6.7% | 34,307 |
| August 2020 |
8.4% | 11.7% | 9.1% | 47,524 |
| July 2020 |
10.2% | 14.7% | 11.7% | 61,637 |
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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