Department of Numbers

Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Cleveland fell 2.2 percentage points in February 2021 to 5.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the Ohio rate. The unemployment rate in Cleveland peaked in April 2020 at 21.4% and is now 16.3 percentage points lower. You can also compare Cleveland unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
National 6.2% -0.1 +2.7
Ohio 5.0% -0.3 +0.3
Cleveland 5.1% -2.2 +0.3
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with February 2021 data as March metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Cleveland, Ohio, National

Cleveland, Ohio monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Cleveland, Ohio Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Cleveland peaked in April 2020 at 212,543. There are now 161,677 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Cleveland employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Cleveland, Ohio) is also available.

Unemployed Persons February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
Cleveland 50,866 -23,231 -182

Number of Unemployed Persons

Cleveland, Ohio Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Ohio
Unemployment Rate		 Cleveland
Unemployment Rate		 Cleveland
Unemployed
March
2021		 6.0% — — —
February
2021		 6.2% 5.0% 5.1% 50,866
January
2021		 6.3% 5.3% 7.3% 74,097
December
2020		 6.7% 5.6% 8.1% 82,186
November
2020		 6.7% 5.6% 8.1% 81,998
October
2020		 6.9% 5.6% 8.2% 81,807
September
2020		 7.8% 7.4% 9.1% 82,333
August
2020		 8.4% 9.0% 8.5% 83,564
July
2020		 10.2% 9.3% 8.8% 85,690
June
2020		 11.1% 10.3% 12.6% 124,574
May
2020		 13.3% 14.9% 17.2% 175,473
April
2020		 14.8% 16.4% 21.4% 212,543

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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