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 7.9% in 2020, which represented about 133,900 people seeking employment. Subsequent to a peak in unemployment during the 2008 recession, the unemployment rate had been steadily declining, year-over-year, to under 3% in 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a surge of unemployment, pushing 2020 rates above 2009 recessionary rates. The state and nation also had a corresponding jump in unemployment, with rates of 8.9% and 8.1%, respectively, in 2020, significantly higher than their respective 2019 rates of 2.7% and 3.0%.
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.
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | 3.7% | 8.1% |
| Massachusetts | 2.8% | 3.8% | 5.2% | 5.7% | 5.1% | 4.8% | 4.7% | 4.5% | 5.3% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 7.2% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 5.7% | 4.8% | 4.0% | 3.8% | 3.4% | 3.0% | 8.9% |
| Region | 2.4% | 3.5% | 5.0% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.8% | 7.5% | 7.3% | 6.4% | 6.0% | 5.9% | 5.1% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 7.9% |
| Middlesex County | 2.3% | 3.4% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 4.4% | 4.0% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% | 6.9% | 6.7% | 5.9% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 7.3% |
| Norfolk County | 2.4% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 7.3% | 7.2% | 6.3% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.0% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 8.3% |
| Worcester County | 2.9% | 3.9% | 5.6% | 6.1% | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.1% | 5.0% | 5.8% | 8.9% | 8.6% | 7.7% | 7.2% | 7.1% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 4.3% | 4.0% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 8.8% |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 6,001,000 | 12,947,000 |
| Massachusetts | 94,210 | 128,540 | 179,347 | 195,695 | 173,839 | 162,583 | 160,659 | 155,327 | 183,607 | 280,925 | 280,687 | 251,677 | 235,201 | 233,545 | 204,704 | 172,113 | 145,171 | 140,526 | 129,725 | 114,351 | 324,195 |
| Region | 38,070 | 54,833 | 79,763 | 85,685 | 73,692 | 68,017 | 66,531 | 64,157 | 76,023 | 118,861 | 117,479 | 103,371 | 96,538 | 96,273 | 84,238 | 70,827 | 60,014 | 58,321 | 53,710 | 47,054 | 133,850 |
| Middlesex County | 18,559 | 27,823 | 40,918 | 43,060 | 35,769 | 32,695 | 31,693 | 30,208 | 35,875 | 56,764 | 55,503 | 48,654 | 45,528 | 45,511 | 39,884 | 33,771 | 28,686 | 27,930 | 25,505 | 22,134 | 64,193 |
| Norfolk County | 8,533 | 11,558 | 16,552 | 18,072 | 15,917 | 14,648 | 14,519 | 13,940 | 16,804 | 26,110 | 25,885 | 22,483 | 20,654 | 20,842 | 18,344 | 15,356 | 13,041 | 12,889 | 11,903 | 10,327 | 31,733 |
| Worcester County | 10,978 | 15,452 | 22,293 | 24,553 | 22,006 | 20,674 | 20,319 | 20,009 | 23,344 | 35,987 | 36,091 | 32,234 | 30,356 | 29,920 | 26,010 | 21,700 | 18,287 | 17,502 | 16,302 | 14,593 | 37,924 |
| INDICATORS | REGIONAL TREND |
|---|---|
| Change in Total Jobs by Sector | Not Applicable |
| Unemployment Rate | Increasing |
| Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Share of Workers who are Professionals, by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Average Salary by Sector | Not Applicable |
| High-Tech Jobs | Maintaining |
| Female to Male Earnings Ratio | Maintaining |
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