Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, California Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Santa Maria rose 0.1 percentage points in November 2023 to 4.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points lower than the California rate. The unemployment rate in Santa Maria peaked in April 2020 at 14.5% and is now 10.4 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.3% in June 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.8 percentage points. You can also compare Santa Maria unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.7% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| California | 4.9% | +0.1 | +0.8 |
| Santa Maria | 4.1% | +0.1 | +0.7 |
Unemployment Rate: Santa Maria, California, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Santa Maria, California Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Santa Maria peaked in April 2020 at 31,183. There are now 21,948 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 7,400 in July 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 1,835. Santa Maria employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Santa Maria, California) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Maria | 9,235 | +96 | +1,556 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Santa Maria, California Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
California Unemployment Rate |
Santa Maria Unemployment Rate |
Santa Maria Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2023 |
3.7% | — | — | — |
| November 2023 |
3.7% | 4.9% | 4.1% | 9,235 |
| October 2023 |
3.8% | 4.8% | 4.0% | 9,139 |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 4.7% | 4.0% | 9,079 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 4.6% | 4.0% | 9,006 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 4.6% | 3.9% | 8,966 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 4.6% | 4.0% | 9,000 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 4.5% | 3.9% | 8,869 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 4.5% | 3.8% | 8,581 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 4.4% | 3.7% | 8,304 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 4.4% | 3.5% | 7,979 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 4.2% | 3.4% | 7,754 |
1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩
Department of Numbers
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