Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Seattle rose 0.1 percentage points in September 2023 to 3.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 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. From a post peak low of 3.2% in January 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.3 percentage points. You can also compare Seattle unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.8% | 0.0 | +0.3 |
| Washington | 3.6% | 0.0 | -0.8 |
| Seattle | 3.5% | +0.1 | -0.1 |
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 376,097. There are now 296,297 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 69,943 in February 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 9,857. Seattle employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Seattle, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 79,800 | +1,536 | -626 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Seattle, Washington Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 |
3.9% | 3.8% | — | — |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 79,800 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 78,264 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 75,684 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 3.8% | 3.3% | 75,094 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.1% | 3.3% | 75,600 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.3% | 3.4% | 76,125 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.5% | 3.4% | 76,955 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 3.5% | 79,050 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.6% | 3.6% | 81,171 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 80,589 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 3.6% | 80,965 |
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
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