Department of Numbers

Odessa, Texas Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Odessa rose 0.2 percentage points in February 2021 to 11.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 4.7 percentage points higher than the Texas rate. The unemployment rate in Odessa peaked in May 2020 at 16.5% and is now 4.9 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 10.7% in August 2020, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.9 percentage points. You can also compare Odessa unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
National 6.2% -0.1 +2.7
Texas 6.9% +0.1 +3.2
Odessa 11.6% +0.2 +8.5
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: Odessa, Texas, National

Odessa, Texas monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Odessa, Texas Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Odessa peaked in May 2020 at 14,030. There are now 4,779 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 9,154 in January 2021, the number of unemployed has now grown by 97. Odessa employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Odessa, Texas) is also available.

Unemployed Persons February 2021 Month/Month Year/Year
Odessa 9,251 +97 +6,491

Number of Unemployed Persons

Odessa, Texas Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Texas
Unemployment Rate		 Odessa
Unemployment Rate		 Odessa
Unemployed
March
2021		 6.0% — — —
February
2021		 6.2% 6.9% 11.6% 9,251
January
2021		 6.3% 6.8% 11.4% 9,154
December
2020		 6.7% 6.9% 11.7% 10,144
November
2020		 6.7% 7.2% 13.1% 11,480
October
2020		 6.9% 7.3% 11.3% 9,730
September
2020		 7.8% 7.9% 12.9% 11,337
August
2020		 8.4% 6.9% 10.7% 9,423
July
2020		 10.2% 9.3% 12.2% 10,376
June
2020		 11.1% 10.2% 12.1% 10,356
May
2020		 13.3% 11.6% 16.5% 14,030
April
2020		 14.8% 12.9% 13.8% 11,027

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. ↩

Data on deptofnumbers.com is for informational purposes only. No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is offered or implied. Contact [email protected] (or @deptofnumbers on Twitter) if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. Privacy policy.