What does this measure?
Unemployed individuals are those without jobs who are able, available and actively seeking work. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the total labor force (the total number of employed and unemployed individuals 16 or older and not living in prisons, mental hospitals, or nursing homes).
Why is this important?
Unemployment rates are a relatively timely indicator of current local economic conditions, particularly recent changes in the employment landscape that reflect the overall health of the economy.
How is our region doing?
The unemployment rate in MetroWest was 3.0% in 2018, which represented about 52,600 people seeking employment. This was a continuation of the steady decline seen in unemployment rates since the peak rate in MetroWest of 7.5% in 2009 and 2010. The state and nation have also had an overall decline since 2009, and had rates of 3.3% and 3.9%, respectively, in 2018. The 2018 rates for MetroWest and the state, though, were higher than the 2000 rates of 2.3% and 2.7%, respectively.
Notes about the data
The unemployment rate represents only those who are actively seeking employment and does not account for under-employment or discouraged workers who have stopped looking for jobs. Also, county-level estimates are based on relatively small samples, and the true number of unemployed residents may vary considerably from the estimate. The rates reported here are averages of monthly rates. 2019 data for this indicator are expected to be released in the second quarter of 2020.
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 4.0% | 4.7% | 5.8% | 6.0% | 5.5% | 5.1% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 9.3% | 9.6% | 8.9% | 8.1% | 7.4% | 6.2% | 5.3% | 4.9% | 4.4% | 3.9% |
| Massachusetts | 2.7% | 3.7% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 5.1% | 4.8% | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.5% | 8.1% | 8.3% | 7.3% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 5.7% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3.3% |
| Region | 2.3% | 3.4% | 5.1% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.1% | 5.0% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.5% | 5.9% | 6.0% | 5.1% | 4.3% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.0% |
| Middlesex | 2.2% | 3.3% | 5.0% | 5.2% | 4.4% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 4.5% | 6.9% | 6.9% | 5.9% | 5.4% | 5.5% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 2.7% |
| Norfolk | 2.3% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 4.5% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.0% | 4.9% | 7.3% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.0% | 4.2% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.0% |
| Worcester | 2.7% | 3.9% | 5.6% | 6.1% | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.1% | 6.0% | 8.9% | 8.8% | 7.7% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 3.5% |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 5,692,000 | 6,801,000 | 8,378,000 | 8,774,000 | 8,149,000 | 7,591,000 | 7,001,000 | 7,078,000 | 8,924,000 | 14,265,000 | 14,825,000 | 13,747,000 | 12,506,000 | 11,460,000 | 9,617,000 | 8,296,000 | 7,751,000 | 6,982,000 | 6,314,000 |
| Massachusetts | 89,932 | 126,153 | 180,997 | 195,428 | 174,673 | 164,027 | 167,023 | 157,913 | 191,060 | 281,372 | 289,265 | 251,554 | 232,630 | 236,035 | 204,883 | 172,558 | 140,249 | 138,956 | 127,048 |
| Region | 36,335 | 53,774 | 80,533 | 85,563 | 74,046 | 68,619 | 69,161 | 65,219 | 79,128 | 119,062 | 121,075 | 103,315 | 95,494 | 97,340 | 84,325 | 71,026 | 57,960 | 57,665 | 52,592 |
| Middlesex | 17,716 | 27,271 | 41,316 | 42,997 | 35,943 | 32,986 | 32,946 | 30,707 | 37,346 | 56,868 | 57,202 | 48,606 | 45,024 | 46,014 | 39,926 | 33,862 | 27,702 | 27,621 | 24,982 |
| Norfolk | 8,143 | 11,342 | 16,715 | 18,051 | 15,994 | 14,780 | 15,094 | 14,171 | 17,492 | 26,152 | 26,678 | 22,478 | 20,426 | 21,073 | 18,361 | 15,398 | 12,595 | 12,750 | 11,654 |
| Worcester | 10,476 | 15,161 | 22,502 | 24,515 | 22,109 | 20,853 | 21,121 | 20,341 | 24,290 | 36,042 | 37,195 | 32,231 | 30,044 | 30,253 | 26,038 | 21,766 | 17,663 | 17,294 | 15,956 |
| INDICATORS | TREND |
|---|---|
| Change in Total Jobs by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Unemployment Rate | Maintaining |
| Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Average Salary by Sector | Not Applicable |
| High-Tech Jobs | Decreasing |
| Female to Male Earnings Ratio | Maintaining |
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