Bellingham, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Bellingham fell 0.4 percentage points in May 2023 to 4.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points higher than the Washington rate. The unemployment rate in Bellingham peaked in April 2020 at 18.1% and is now 13.6 percentage points lower. You can also compare Bellingham unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | May 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.7% | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| Washington | 4.1% | -0.2 | +0.2 |
| Bellingham | 4.5% | -0.4 | -0.2 |
Unemployment Rate: Bellingham, Washington, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Bellingham, Washington Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Bellingham peaked in April 2020 at 21,964. There are now 16,677 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 5,221 in February 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 66. Bellingham employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Bellingham, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | May 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham | 5,287 | -410 | -100 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Bellingham, Washington Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Bellingham Unemployment Rate |
Bellingham Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 4.5% | 5,287 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 5,697 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.5% | 5.1% | 5,954 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 6,107 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 6,013 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 5,993 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 6,008 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 5,990 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 5.1% | 5,874 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 4.3% | 5.0% | 5,728 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 4.9% | 5,585 |
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.
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