DC metro unemployment creeps up

Unemployment rates in June were lower than a year ago in almost all metropolitan areas, though the unemployment rate in the D.C. metro area crept up from the previous month.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the D.C. region’s jobless rate in June was 3.7%, up from 3.3% in May. In June 2021, the D.C. metro’s unemployment rate was 5.7%.



Baltimore’s unemployment rate rose sharply in June, to 4.6%, from 3.6% the prior month.

Metropolitan-area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

The D.C. metro’s civilian workforce in June was 3.42 million. That’s 31,174 more jobs than a year earlier.

In June, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, had the lowest unemployment rate at 1.8%, and Yuma, Arizona, had the highest at 17.2%.

Among cities with a population of 1 million or more, Minneapolis and San Jose, California, had the lowest unemployment rates at 2.2% and 2.3%, respectively.

Cleveland had the highest big city unemployment rate at 6%, followed by Las Vegas at 5.7%

Las Vegas also had one of the largest year-over-year job growth rates.

Find information on monthly unemployment rates and change to the civilian workforce on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ website.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up