Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Charleston rose 0.4 percentage points in January 2021 to 4.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points lower than the South Carolina rate. The unemployment rate in Charleston peaked in April 2020 at 12.3% and is now 7.8 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.9% in October 2020, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.6 percentage points. You can also compare Charleston unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 6.3% | -0.4 | +2.8 |
| South Carolina | 5.3% | -0.3 | +2.7 |
| Charleston | 4.5% | +0.4 | +2.5 |
Unemployment Rate: Charleston, South Carolina, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Charleston, South Carolina Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Charleston peaked in May 2020 at 48,275. There are now 30,528 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 15,228 in October 2020, the number of unemployed has now grown by 2,519. Charleston employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Charleston, South Carolina) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 17,747 | +1,839 | +9,586 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Charleston, South Carolina Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
South Carolina Unemployment Rate |
Charleston Unemployment Rate |
Charleston Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2021 |
6.0% | — | — | — |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 5.2% | — | — |
| January 2021 |
6.3% | 5.3% | 4.5% | 17,747 |
| December 2020 |
6.7% | 5.6% | 4.1% | 15,908 |
| November 2020 |
6.7% | 5.6% | 4.0% | 15,376 |
| October 2020 |
6.9% | 5.4% | 3.9% | 15,228 |
| September 2020 |
7.8% | 5.4% | 4.8% | 18,837 |
| August 2020 |
8.4% | 5.4% | 6.3% | 25,132 |
| July 2020 |
10.2% | 7.6% | 8.7% | 35,106 |
| June 2020 |
11.1% | 7.7% | 8.6% | 34,535 |
| May 2020 |
13.3% | 11.5% | 12.3% | 48,275 |
| April 2020 |
14.8% | 11.5% | 12.3% | 47,730 |
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. ↩
Department of Numbers
The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
