Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Lexington rose 0.1 percentage points in November 2023 to 3.5%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points lower than the Kentucky rate. The unemployment rate in Lexington peaked in April 2020 at 15.3% and is now 11.8 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.0% in February 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.5 percentage points. You can also compare Lexington unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.7% | -0.1 | +0.1 |
| Kentucky | 4.3% | +0.1 | +0.4 |
| Lexington | 3.5% | +0.1 | +0.3 |
Unemployment Rate: Lexington, Kentucky, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Lexington, Kentucky Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Lexington peaked in April 2020 at 41,709. There are now 32,010 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 8,220 in April 2023, the number of unemployed has now grown by 1,479. Lexington employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Lexington, Kentucky) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | November 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | 9,699 | +152 | +988 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Lexington, Kentucky Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Kentucky Unemployment Rate |
Lexington Unemployment Rate |
Lexington Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2023 |
3.7% | — | — | — |
| November 2023 |
3.7% | 4.3% | 3.5% | 9,699 |
| October 2023 |
3.8% | 4.2% | 3.4% | 9,547 |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 4.1% | 3.4% | 9,525 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 4.0% | 3.3% | 9,224 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 8,847 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 8,554 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 3.8% | 3.0% | 8,418 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 3.7% | 3.0% | 8,220 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 3.8% | 3.0% | 8,305 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 3.9% | 3.1% | 8,540 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.9% | 3.1% | 8,524 |
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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