Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Seattle fell 1.4 percentage points in November 2021 to 3.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.2 percentage points lower than the Washington rate. The unemployment rate in Seattle peaked in April 2020 at 17.1% and is now 13.6 percentage points lower. You can also compare Seattle unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 4.2% | -0.4 | -2.5 |
| Washington | 4.7% | -0.3 | -2.0 |
| Seattle | 3.5% | -1.4 | -2.9 |
Unemployment Rate: Seattle, Washington, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Seattle, Washington Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Seattle peaked in April 2020 at 372,655. There are now 297,090 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Seattle employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Seattle, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 75,565 | -31,712 | -62,124 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Seattle, Washington Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2021 |
3.9% | — | — | — |
| November 2021 |
4.2% | 4.7% | 3.5% | 75,565 |
| October 2021 |
4.6% | 5.0% | 4.9% | 107,277 |
| September 2021 |
4.7% | 5.1% | 4.9% | 108,974 |
| August 2021 |
5.2% | 5.1% | 5.0% | 110,849 |
| July 2021 |
5.4% | 5.1% | 5.0% | 109,981 |
| June 2021 |
5.9% | 5.2% | 5.0% | 108,155 |
| May 2021 |
5.8% | 5.2% | 4.8% | 103,508 |
| April 2021 |
6.0% | 5.4% | 5.6% | 121,855 |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 118,865 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 117,193 |
| January 2021 |
6.4% | 6.0% | 6.1% | 132,237 |
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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