Department of Numbers

Watertown-Fort Drum, New York Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Watertown fell 0.0 percentage points in May 2023 to 3.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points lower than the New York rate. The unemployment rate in Watertown peaked in April 2020 at 18.2% and is now 14.6 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.5% in February 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.1 percentage points. You can also compare Watertown unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate May 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.7% +0.3 +0.1
New York 3.9% -0.1 -0.2
Watertown 3.6% 0.0 -0.4
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with May 2023 data as June metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Watertown, New York, National

Watertown, New York monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Watertown, New York Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Watertown peaked in April 2020 at 8,026. There are now 6,406 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 1,569 in February 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 51.

Unemployed Persons May 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Watertown 1,620 +27 -169

Number of Unemployed Persons

Watertown, New York Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
New York
Unemployment Rate
Watertown
Unemployment Rate
Watertown
Unemployed
June
2023
3.6%
May
2023
3.7% 3.9% 3.6% 1,620
April
2023
3.4% 4.0% 3.6% 1,593
March
2023
3.5% 4.1% 3.7% 1,664
February
2023
3.6% 4.2% 3.9% 1,732
January
2023
3.4% 4.2% 4.1% 1,815
December
2022
3.5% 4.1% 4.2% 1,834
November
2022
3.6% 4.1% 4.2% 1,835
October
2022
3.7% 4.2% 4.2% 1,848
September
2022
3.5% 4.0% 4.3% 1,873
August
2022
3.7% 3.9% 4.3% 1,894
July
2022
3.5% 4.0% 4.3% 1,890

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.