Special Report
This Is the US City Where the Most People Are Out of Work
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Last Updated:
After crashing from a five-decade best national jobless rate of 3.5% in February to a multi decade high of 14.7% in April, the figure settled at 6.7% in December. Based on the country’s rate over the last five years, that is still high. The total number of people unemployed in December was 10.73 million compared to 5.84 million in December 2019.
Unemployment rates varied significantly by city according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary for December 2020. Among the data the BLS follows each month is the jobless rate in the 51 metropolitan areas with a 2010 Census population of one million or more. In December, among these Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV had an unemployment rate of 10.4%. This has been attributed mostly to the collapse of tourism to gambling mecca due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lowest rate was 3.5% in both Birmingham-Hoover, AL, and Salt Lake City, UT. The unemployment rate rose in each of the 51 metros from December 2019 to December 2020.
24/7 Wall St. looked at several ways that city job situations are measured. The first is the unemployment rate most often seen by the public. The next is the size of the civilian labor force in each city. This does not include government or farm workers, or people who work for non-profits. The city with the largest figure for civilian labor force is the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro at 9,521,481. The next data point is the number of people who are unemployed. For New York, this was 797,026 in December. For all other metros we examined, we looked at each of these three figures for both December 2019 and December 2020.
Click here to see the US cities where the most people are out of work.
51. Birmingham-Hoover, AL
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 22,486
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 4.1%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 13,603
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.4%
> Population: 1,090,435
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50. Salt Lake City, UT
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 26,059
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 3.8%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 15,812
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.3%
> Population: 1,232,696
49. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 26,890
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 4.8%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 16,047
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.8%
> Population: 1,077,370
48. Richmond, VA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 34,259
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 19,288
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.8%
> Population: 1,290,866
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47. Oklahoma City, OK
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 35,784
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 20,945
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.0%
> Population: 1,408,950
46. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 35,877
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.4%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 24,599
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.6%
> Population: 1,266,389
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45. Jacksonville, FL
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 38,193
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 4.9%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 22,404
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.8%
> Population: 1,559,514
44. Raleigh, NC
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 38,524
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.4%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 22,946
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.1%
> Population: 1,390,785
43. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 40,105
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.5%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 25,312
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 4.7%
> Population: 1,127,983
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42. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 44,848
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.4%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 25,252
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.9%
> Population: 1,765,031
41. Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 47,134
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 4.3%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 30,302
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.8%
> Population: 2,076,531
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40. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 50,403
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 30,273
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.7%
> Population: 1,575,179
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39. Memphis, TN-MS-AR
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 50,567
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.5%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 26,146
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 4.0%
> Population: 1,344,910
38. New Orleans-Metairie, LA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 51,108
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.6%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 29,590
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 4.9%
> Population: 1,270,530
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37. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 52,017
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 24,036
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.8%
> Population: 1,204,877
36. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 53,320
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.9%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 23,973
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.4%
> Population: 1,624,578
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35. Kansas City, MO-KS
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 55,213
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 4.8%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 38,498
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.3%
> Population: 2,155,068
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34. Columbus, OH
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 55,564
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.1%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 38,792
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.5%
> Population: 2,122,271
33. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 57,610
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.1%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 40,810
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.6%
> Population: 2,219,750
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32. Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 60,813
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.5%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 28,506
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.6%
> Population: 1,933,860
31. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 66,955
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 26,703
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.4%
> Population: 1,990,660
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30. Austin-Round Rock, TX
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 67,615
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.4%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 32,824
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.6%
> Population: 2,227,083
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29. Cleveland-Elyria, OH
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 67,839
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.9%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 41,165
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.9%
> Population: 2,048,449
28. Pittsburgh, PA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 78,838
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.8%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 58,870
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 4.8%
> Population: 2,317,600
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27. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 79,114
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.1%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 41,846
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.1%
> Population: 2,493,221
26. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 80,983
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.7%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 37,304
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.1%
> Population: 2,550,960
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25. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 81,178
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.1%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 44,898
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.3%
> Population: 2,636,883
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24. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 83,808
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.8%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 51,291
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.4%
> Population: 2,800,053
23. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 85,946
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.6%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 44,736
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.8%
> Population: 3,194,831
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22. Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 87,552
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.0%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 36,887
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.3%
> Population: 2,363,730
21. St. Louis, MO-IL
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 89,655
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 51,304
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.4%
> Population: 2,801,423
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20. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 91,619
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 4.7%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 62,898
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.1%
> Population: 3,640,043
19. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 92,057
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.1%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 37,192
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.7%
> Population: 2,608,147
18. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 113,461
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 10.5%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 41,851
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.7%
> Population: 2,266,715
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17. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 131,396
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 47,361
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.0%
> Population: 3,338,330
16. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 147,691
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.5%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 40,378
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.4%
> Population: 2,967,239
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15. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 167,944
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.8%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 67,190
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.1%
> Population: 3,979,845
14. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 179,736
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 97,168
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.8%
> Population: 4,948,203
13. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 180,028
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 5.8%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 86,658
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.8%
> Population: 6,018,744
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12. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 183,320
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.3%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 63,403
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.4%
> Population: 4,731,803
11. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 187,795
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.9%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 70,021
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.5%
> Population: 4,873,019
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10. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 192,149
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 9.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 78,881
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.8%
> Population: 4,650,631
9. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 201,777
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.0%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 101,372
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.9%
> Population: 6,280,697
8. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 213,840
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.0%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 142,051
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 4.5%
> Population: 6,102,434
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7. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 217,457
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 7.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 76,478
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 2.4%
> Population: 6,166,488
6. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 219,920
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 10.2%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 87,389
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 4.0%
> Population: 4,319,629
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5. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 268,752
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 6.7%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 129,028
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.2%
> Population: 7,573,136
4. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 284,211
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.3%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 131,756
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.8%
> Population: 7,066,140
3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 403,335
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.6%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 168,394
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.5%
> Population: 9,457,867
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2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 637,544
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 9.9%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 263,681
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.9%
> Population: 13,214,799
1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
> Unemployed population, Dec 2020: 800,642
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2020: 8.4%
> Unemployed population, Dec 2019: 367,719
> Unemployment rate, Dec 2019: 3.7%
> Population: 19,216,182
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