Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of May of this year, national unemployment is at 3.6%—as it was in both March and April, marking a three-month stagnation—following a steady drop since that aforementioned COVID-affected peak. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 1.9% in Nebraska and Utah, to 5.3% in New Mexico and 5.8% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in Massachusetts using data from the BLS. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in April 2022, which as of this writing is the most current Bureau data.
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#14. Middlesex County
– Current unemployment rate: 2.55%
— 1 month change: -0.3%
— 1 year change: -2.3%
– Total labor force: 910,210 (23,166 unemployed)
John Phelan // Wikimedia Commons
#13. Hampshire County
– Current unemployment rate: 2.74%
— 1 month change: -0.5%
— 1 year change: -1.8%
– Total labor force: 89,155 (2,446 unemployed)
Jameslwoodward // Wikimedia Commons
#12. Norfolk County
– Current unemployment rate: 2.92%
— 1 month change: -0.2%
— 1 year change: -2.5%
– Total labor force: 391,989 (11,435 unemployed)
Rudi Weikard // Wikimedia Commons
#11. Franklin County
– Current unemployment rate: 2.93%
— 1 month change: -0.4%
— 1 year change: -2.3%
– Total labor force: 40,493 (1,185 unemployed)
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#10. Suffolk County
– Current unemployment rate: 3.06%
— 1 month change: -0.2%
— 1 year change: -3.2%
– Total labor force: 451,947 (13,838 unemployed)
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Linda Roy Walls // Wikimedia Commons
#9. Worcester County
– Current unemployment rate: 3.49%
— 1 month change: -0.4%
— 1 year change: -2.6%
– Total labor force: 435,755 (15,211 unemployed)
Bobak // Wikimedia Commons
#8. Essex County
– Current unemployment rate: 3.67%
— 1 month change: -0.4%
— 1 year change: -3.2%
– Total labor force: 418,397 (15,368 unemployed)
Scott Romine // Wikimedia Commons
#7. Plymouth County
– Current unemployment rate: 3.70%
— 1 month change: -0.6%
— 1 year change: -2.8%
– Total labor force: 281,494 (10,421 unemployed)
Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) // Wikimedia Commons
#6. Bristol County
– Current unemployment rate: 4.18%
— 1 month change: -0.8%
— 1 year change: -2.6%
– Total labor force: 295,376 (12,332 unemployed)
Protophobic // Wikimedia Commons
#5. Berkshire County
– Current unemployment rate: 4.22%
— 1 month change: -0.6%
— 1 year change: -3.1%
– Total labor force: 59,760 (2,524 unemployed)
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#4. Hampden County
– Current unemployment rate: 4.58%
— 1 month change: -0.4%
— 1 year change: -3.5%
– Total labor force: 223,884 (10,260 unemployed)
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#3. Barnstable County
– Current unemployment rate: 4.60%
— 1 month change: -1.3%
— 1 year change: -2.8%
– Total labor force: 107,620 (4,947 unemployed)
Jwgetchell // Wikimedia Commons
#2. Dukes County
– Current unemployment rate: 5.48%
— 1 month change: -1.7%
— 1 year change: -2.2%
– Total labor force: 8,744 (479 unemployed)
thisisbossi // Wikimedia Commons
#1. Nantucket
– Current unemployment rate: 6.64%
— 1 month change: -4.7%
— 1 year change: -2.3%
– Total labor force: 6,630 (440 unemployed)
This story was written by Stacker and has been re-published pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.