VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Unemployment (EC3)

FULL MEASURE NAME Unemployment rate by residential location

LAST UPDATED July 2019

DESCRIPTION Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force – by place of residence – that is not currently employed full-time or part-time. The unemployment rate reflects the strength of the overall employment market.

DATA SOURCE California Employment Development Department: Historical Unemployment Rates 1990-2018 https://data.edd.ca.gov/Labor-Force-and-Unemployment-Rates/Local-Area-Unemployment-Statistics-LAUS-Annual-Ave/7jbb-3rb8

CONTACT INFORMATION vitalsigns.info@bayareametro.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator) Unemployment rates produced by EDD for the region and county levels are not adjusted for seasonality (as they reflect annual data) and are final data (i.e., not preliminary). Unemployment rates produced by BLS for the metro regions are adjusted for seasonality; they reflect the primary MSA for the named region, except for the San Francisco Bay Area which uses the nine-county region. The unemployment rate is calculated based on the number of unemployed persons divided by the total labor force. Note that the unemployment rate can decline or increase as a result of changes in either variable.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate in California (CAUR) from Jan 1976 to Aug 2025 about CA, unemployment, rate, and USA.

In 1990, the unemployment rate of the United States stood at 5.6 percent. Since then there have been many significant fluctuations to this number - the 2008 financial crisis left millions of people without work, as did the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2022 and throughout 2023, the unemployment rate came to 3.6 percent, the lowest rate seen for decades. However, 2024 saw an increase up to four percent. For monthly updates on unemployment in the United States visit either the monthly national unemployment rate here, or the monthly state unemployment rate here. Both are seasonally adjusted. UnemploymentUnemployment is defined as a situation when an employed person is laid off, fired or quits his work and is still actively looking for a job. Unemployment can be found even in the healthiest economies, and many economists consider an unemployment rate at or below five percent to mean there is 'full employment' within an economy. If former employed persons go back to school or leave the job to take care of children they are no longer part of the active labor force and therefore not counted among the unemployed. Unemployment can also be the effect of events that are not part of the normal dynamics of an economy. Layoffs can be the result of technological progress, for example when robots replace workers in automobile production. Sometimes unemployment is caused by job outsourcing, due to the fact that employers often search for cheap labor around the globe and not only domestically. In 2022, the tech sector in the U.S. experienced significant lay-offs amid growing economic uncertainty. In the fourth quarter of 2022, more than 70,000 workers were laid off, despite low unemployment nationwide. The unemployment rate in the United States varies from state to state. In 2021, California had the highest number of unemployed persons with 1.38 million out of work.

United States Unemployment Rate: California data was reported at 4.000 % in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.900 % for Sep 2018. United States Unemployment Rate: California data is updated monthly, averaging 6.900 % from Jan 1976 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 514 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.700 % in Jan 2010 and a record low of 3.700 % in May 2018. United States Unemployment Rate: California data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G057: Unemployment Rate: By State.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate in San Diego County, CA (CASAND5URN) from Jan 1990 to Aug 2025 about San Diego County, CA; San Diego; CA; unemployment; rate; and USA.

Unemployment Rate in California was 5.30% in March of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Unemployment Rate in California reached a record high of 16.00 in April of 2020 and a record low of 3.70 in May of 2018. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Unemployment Rate in California - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change data was reported at -10.294 % in Apr 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of -12.500 % for Mar 2018. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change data is updated monthly, averaging -4.689 % from Jan 1958 (Median) to Apr 2018, with 400 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.721 % in Jun 1958 and a record low of -100.000 % in Dec 1966. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate in San Francisco County/City, CA (CASANF0URN) from Jan 1990 to Aug 2025 about San Francisco County/City, CA; San Francisco; CA; unemployment; rate; and USA.

The unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 in the United States in 202024 23 was 10 percent. However, this rate was much lower for people aged 45 and over, at 2.9 percent. U.S. unemployment The unemployment rate in the United States varies based on several factors, such as race, gender, and level of education. Black and African-American individuals had the highest unemployment rate in 2021 out of any ethnicity, and people who had less than a high school diploma had the highest unemployment rate by education level. Alaska is consistently the state with the highest unemployment rate, although the El Centro, California metropolitan area was the area with the highest unemployment rate in the country in 2019. Additionally, in August 2022, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had the highest unemployment rate in the United States Unemployment rate The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is the agency that researches and calculates the unemployment rate in the United States. Unemployment rises during recessions, which causes the cost of social welfare programs to increase. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says unemployed people are those who are jobless, have looked for employment within the last four weeks, and are free to work.

Unemployment rate, participation rate, and employment rate by educational attainment, gender and age group, annual.

Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data was reported at -3.175 % in Apr 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.279 % for Mar 2018. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data is updated monthly, averaging 0.000 % from Feb 1957 (Median) to Apr 2018, with 411 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.438 % in Jan 2009 and a record low of -100.000 % in Jan 1966. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment.

The number of people who are unemployed as a percentage of the active labour force (i.e. employed and unemployed).

Unemployment Rate in Alameda County, CA was 5.10% in August of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Unemployment Rate in Alameda County, CA reached a record high of 14.10 in April of 2020 and a record low of 2.50 in May of 2018. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Unemployment Rate in Alameda County, CA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Unemployment Rate in Mendocino County, CA was 5.80% in August of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Unemployment Rate in Mendocino County, CA reached a record high of 16.30 in April of 2020 and a record low of 3.40 in May of 2018. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Unemployment Rate in Mendocino County, CA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Jobs (LU2)

FULL MEASURE NAME Employment estimates by place of work

LAST UPDATED October 2019

DESCRIPTION Jobs refers to the number of employees in a given area by place of work. These estimates do not include self-employed and private household employees.

DATA SOURCE California Employment Development Department: Current Employment Statistics 1990-2018 http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/

U.S. Census Bureau: LODES Data Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Program (2005-2010) http://lehd.ces.census.gov/

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Tables S0804 (2010) and B08604 (2010-2017) https://factfinder.census.gov/

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Current Employment Statistics Table D-3: Employees on nonfarm payrolls (1990-2018) http://www.bls.gov/data/

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator) The California Employment Development Department (EDD) provides estimates of employment, by place of employment, for California counties. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides estimates of employment for metropolitan areas outside of the Bay Area. Annual employment data are derived from monthly estimates and thus reflect “annual average employment.” Employment estimates outside of the Bay Area do not include farm employment. For the metropolitan area comparison, farm employment was removed from Bay Area employment totals. Both EDD and BLS data report only wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed.

For measuring jobs below the county level, Vital Signs assigns collections of incorporated cities and towns to sub-county areas. For example, the cities of East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Redwood City and Woodside are considered South San Mateo County. Because Bay Area counties differ in footprint, the number of sub-county city groupings varies from one (San Francisco and San Jose counties) to four (Santa Clara County). Estimates for sub-county areas are the sums of city-level estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey (ACS) 2010-2017.

The following incorporated cities and towns are included in each sub-county area: North Alameda County – Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont East Alameda County - Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton South Alameda County - Fremont, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro, Union City Central Contra Costa County - Clayton, Concord, Danville, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon, Walnut Creek East Contra Costa County - Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Pittsburg West Contra Costa County - El Cerrito, Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo Marin – all incorporated cities and towns Napa – all incorporated cities and towns San Francisco – San Francisco North San Mateo - Brisbane, Colma, Daly City, Millbrae, Pacifica, San Bruno, South San Francisco Central San Mateo - Belmont, Burlingame, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, San Carlos, San Mateo South San Mateo - East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Woodside North Santa Clara - Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale San Jose – San Jose Southwest Santa Clara - Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga South Santa Clara - Gilroy, Morgan Hill East Solano - Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville South Solano - Benicia, Vallejo North Sonoma - Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor South Sonoma - Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma

Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data was reported at 13.415 % in Mar 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of -13.228 % for Dec 2017. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data is updated quarterly, averaging -2.764 % from Jun 1957 (Median) to Mar 2018, with 136 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 37.363 % in Mar 2009 and a record low of -100.000 % in Mar 1966. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: % Change over Previous Period data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Quarterly.

Unemployment Rate in Humboldt County, CA was 5.20% in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Unemployment Rate in Humboldt County, CA reached a record high of 11.10 in January of 2009 and a record low of 3.60 in January of 2018. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Unemployment Rate in Humboldt County, CA - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Regional unemployment rates used by the Employment Insurance program, by effective date, current month.

In December 2024, Nevada had the highest unemployment rate in the United States, with an unemployment rate of 5.7. The unemployment rate was also high in the District of Columbia, with an unemployment rate of 5.6 percent in December. Unemployment in the U.S. A person is considered unemployed if they have no job and are currently looking for a job and available to work. The unemployment rate in the United States varies across states. Nation-wide unemployment was 3.4 percent as of April 2023. Unemployment can be affected by various factors including economic conditions and global competition. During economic prosperity, unemployment rates generally decrease and during times of recession, rates increase. The seasons can also have an impact on the unemployment rate, especially during winter, when there is lower demand for construction workers or other professionals who typically work outdoors. The retail sector also experiences fluctuating demand for workers, particularly during the holiday-shopping season, when demand for workers increases. For this reason, labor statistics are usually presented as being either seasonally adjusted or unadjusted. The data presented in this statistic have been seasonally adjusted, but the monthly unadjusted unemployment rate can be accessed here.

In 2023, the unemployment rate in Florida was at 2.9 percent. This is a decrease from the previous year, when the unemployment rate stood at three percent.

The monthly unemployment rate for the United States can be accessed here.

Employment situation in Florida

The unemployment rate in Florida has risen and fallen over the last two decades from a low of 2.5 percent in 2006 to a high of 10.8 percent in 2010. Similarly, the unemployment rate in California reached a low of 4.2 percent in 2019 and a high of 12.5 percent in 2010. As of 2020, there were a total of 8.5 million non-farm employees in Florida, with 1.74 million people working in trade, transportation, and utilities industries and 1.31 million people employed in education and health services. During the same time, the employment to population ratio in the state totaled some 52.9 percent, in comparison to 63.7 percent in Iowa. The fluctuations in unemployment rates can vary due to both domestic and global factors. Locality, skill gap, labor unions, and job openings relative to unemployed numbers can influence monthly unemployment rates, while the outsourcing of jobs by American companies can impact the nation’s availability of jobs.

In Florida, the unemployment benefits program is named the Reemployment Assistance Program to emphasize the job search and reemployment services offered. To be eligible, you must have lost your job through no fault of your own, must be available to work and be actively seeking work, and must have a minimum amount of wages earned during a base period.