Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Seattle rose 0.1 percentage points in April 2021 to 5.6%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the Washington rate. The unemployment rate in Seattle peaked in April 2020 at 17.1% and is now 11.5 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 5.4% in February 2021, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.2 percentage points. You can also compare Seattle unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | April 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 6.1% | +0.1 | -8.7 |
| Washington | 5.5% | 0.0 | -10.8 |
| Seattle | 5.6% | +0.1 | -11.5 |
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 249,962 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 117,193 in February 2021, the number of unemployed has now grown by 5,500. Seattle employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Seattle, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | April 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 122,693 | +3,828 | -249,962 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Seattle, Washington Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 |
5.8% | — | — | — |
| April 2021 |
6.1% | 5.5% | 5.6% | 122,693 |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 118,865 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 117,193 |
| January 2021 |
6.3% | 6.0% | 6.1% | 132,237 |
| December 2020 |
6.7% | 6.3% | 6.1% | 132,882 |
| November 2020 |
6.7% | 6.7% | 6.4% | 137,689 |
| October 2020 |
6.9% | 7.0% | 6.6% | 144,055 |
| September 2020 |
7.8% | 8.0% | 7.6% | 163,984 |
| August 2020 |
8.4% | 9.1% | 8.3% | 180,645 |
| July 2020 |
10.2% | 10.8% | 10.0% | 217,499 |
| June 2020 |
11.1% | 10.8% | 11.2% | 242,005 |
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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