Department of Numbers

Madison, Wisconsin Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Madison fell 0.0 percentage points in November 2022 to 2.4%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.9 percentage points lower than the Wisconsin rate. The unemployment rate in Madison peaked in April 2020 at 11.2% and is now 8.8 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.2% in February 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.2 percentage points. You can also compare Madison unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate November 2022 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.6% -0.1 -0.6
Wisconsin 3.3% 0.0 +0.2
Madison 2.4% 0.0 +0.1
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with November 2022 data as December metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Madison, Wisconsin, National

Madison, Wisconsin monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Madison, Wisconsin Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Madison peaked in April 2020 at 42,662. There are now 32,964 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 8,731 in May 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 967.

Unemployed Persons November 2022 Month/Month Year/Year
Madison 9,698 +45 +304

Number of Unemployed Persons

Madison, Wisconsin Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate		 Wisconsin
Unemployment Rate		 Madison
Unemployment Rate		 Madison
Unemployed
December
2022		 3.5% — — —
November
2022		 3.6% 3.3% 2.4% 9,698
October
2022		 3.7% 3.3% 2.4% 9,653
September
2022		 3.5% 3.2% 2.4% 9,449
August
2022		 3.7% 3.1% 2.3% 9,026
July
2022		 3.5% 3.0% 2.2% 8,865
June
2022		 3.6% 2.9% 2.2% 8,740
May
2022		 3.6% 2.9% 2.2% 8,731
April
2022		 3.6% 2.8% 2.2% 8,795
March
2022		 3.6% 2.8% 2.2% 8,822
February
2022		 3.8% 2.9% 2.2% 8,948
January
2022		 4.0% 3.0% 2.3% 9,130

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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