Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Seattle rose 0.1 percentage points in January 2023 to 3.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 1.1 percentage points lower than the Washington rate. The unemployment rate in Seattle peaked in April 2020 at 17.3% and is now 13.8 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.1% in June 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.4 percentage points. You can also compare Seattle unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.4% | -0.1 | -0.6 |
| Washington | 4.6% | +0.1 | +0.6 |
| Seattle | 3.5% | +0.1 | -0.4 |
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 379,960. There are now 303,064 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 68,622 in July 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 8,274. Seattle employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Seattle, Washington) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | January 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 76,896 | +2,039 | -8,513 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Seattle, Washington Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Washington Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployment Rate |
Seattle Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2023 |
3.6% | — | — | — |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.6% | 3.5% | 76,896 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.5% | 3.4% | 74,857 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 3.3% | 73,411 |
| October 2022 |
3.7% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 71,545 |
| September 2022 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 70,386 |
| August 2022 |
3.7% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 69,810 |
| July 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 3.1% | 68,622 |
| June 2022 |
3.6% | 3.9% | 3.1% | 70,197 |
| May 2022 |
3.6% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 71,885 |
| April 2022 |
3.6% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 75,284 |
| March 2022 |
3.6% | 3.9% | 3.6% | 78,844 |
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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