Olympia-Tumwater, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Olympia rose 0.2 percentage points in November 2023 to 3.9%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points lower than the Washington rate. The unemployment rate in Olympia peaked in April 2020 at 16.2% and is now 12.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.5% in August 2023, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.4 percentage points. You can also compare Olympia unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.7% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| Washington | 4.0% | +0.2 | -0.6 |
| Olympia | 3.9% | +0.2 | -1.0 |
Unemployment Rate: Olympia, Washington, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Olympia, Washington Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Olympia peaked in April 2020 at 24,824. There are now 18,914 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 5,400 in September 2023, the number of unemployed has now grown by 510. Olympia employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Olympia, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympia | 5,910 | +275 | -1,419 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Olympia, Washington Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Olympia Unemployment Rate |
Olympia Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2023 |
3.7% | — | — | — |
| November 2023 |
3.7% | 4.0% | 3.9% | 5,910 |
| October 2023 |
3.8% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 5,635 |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 5,400 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 5,414 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 5,481 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 5,851 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 4.2% | 6,459 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.3% | 4.6% | 7,047 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 7,402 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 7,549 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 7,324 |
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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