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).
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.
The unemployment rate in Essex County was 4.1% in 2024, representing about 18,400 people seeking employment. This is an increase from the previous year (2023) when the rate was 3.5%, but lower than in 2010 when it was 8.5%. The state and nation have also had an increase since 2023, and both had rates of 4.0% in 2024.
The unemployment rate in Essex County was higher than Middlesex, MA (3.6%) and Westchester, NY (3.3%) but lower than Lake County, IL (5%). Also on par with state and national trends, all comparison areas have higher unemployment rates than the previous year, 2023.
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.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 8.5% | 7.6% | 7.1% | 7.0% | 6.0% | 5.0% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 3.1% | 10.0% | 5.7% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 4.1% |
| Amesbury | 7.6% | 6.5% | 6.0% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 2.7% | 8.7% | 4.8% | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Beverly | 7.3% | 6.3% | 5.8% | 5.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 8.2% | 4.3% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.6% |
| Gloucester | 10.3% | 9.0% | 8.2% | 8.5% | 7.1% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 4.8% | 4.5% | 4.0% | 10.3% | 6.2% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.7% |
| Haverhill | 8.9% | 8.1% | 7.6% | 7.1% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 4.2% | 4.0% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 10.3% | 6.2% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Lawrence | 14.5% | 14.5% | 13.3% | 13.2% | 11.0% | 9.1% | 6.1% | 5.7% | 5.2% | 4.5% | 15.1% | 9.8% | 5.5% | 5.1% | 5.9% |
| Lynn | 8.7% | 8.0% | 7.6% | 7.3% | 6.4% | 5.3% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.1% | 12.1% | 6.5% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Methuen | 9.5% | 8.4% | 8.2% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 5.6% | 4.4% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 10.4% | 6.5% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Newburyport | 7.2% | 6.1% | 5.7% | 5.5% | 4.7% | 4.0% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 7.5% | 4.1% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 3.5% |
| Peabody | 7.6% | 6.5% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 5.3% | 4.5% | 4.0% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 2.8% | 10.3% | 5.3% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 3.8% |
| Salem | 8.2% | 7.4% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 3.9% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 9.9% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 6.8% | 5.9% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 7.6% | 4.3% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.6% |
| Lake County, IL | 10.0% | 8.9% | 8.2% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 5.4% | 5.2% | 4.5% | 4.6% | 4.0% | 7.9% | 5.4% | 4.4% | 5.1% | 5.0% |
| Westchester County, NY | 7.5% | 7.1% | 7.4% | 6.4% | 5.2% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 3.8% | 3.5% | 7.9% | 4.7% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.3% |
| Massachusetts | 8.1% | 7.2% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 5.7% | 4.8% | 4.0% | 3.8% | 3.5% | 3.0% | 9.3% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 4.0% |
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 33,197 | 30,050 | 28,326 | 28,057 | 24,441 | 20,555 | 17,023 | 16,381 | 15,227 | 13,522 | 43,459 | 24,637 | 16,124 | 15,548 | 18,437 |
| Amesbury | 715 | 615 | 576 | 568 | 491 | 435 | 341 | 319 | 322 | 273 | 850 | 467 | 320 | 300 | 348 |
| Beverly | 1,587 | 1,393 | 1,287 | 1,283 | 1,180 | 982 | 815 | 775 | 742 | 632 | 1,911 | 1,006 | 754 | 744 | 878 |
| Gloucester | 1,554 | 1,366 | 1,252 | 1,301 | 1,091 | 942 | 771 | 742 | 714 | 639 | 1,622 | 986 | 711 | 662 | 768 |
| Haverhill | 2,922 | 2,688 | 2,522 | 2,355 | 2,085 | 1,763 | 1,485 | 1,442 | 1,327 | 1,232 | 3,822 | 2,295 | 1,439 | 1,390 | 1,634 |
| Lawrence | 5,044 | 5,144 | 4,722 | 4,684 | 3,928 | 3,320 | 2,595 | 2,499 | 2,313 | 2,014 | 6,968 | 4,397 | 2,426 | 2,232 | 2,680 |
| Lynn | 3,965 | 3,644 | 3,523 | 3,379 | 3,018 | 2,473 | 2,109 | 1,955 | 1,885 | 1,664 | 6,457 | 3,379 | 2,124 | 1,963 | 2,335 |
| Methuen | 2,405 | 2,144 | 2,121 | 2,150 | 1,781 | 1,503 | 1,206 | 1,180 | 1,053 | 958 | 3,000 | 1,882 | 1,191 | 1,099 | 1,291 |
| Newburyport | 672 | 569 | 542 | 524 | 460 | 393 | 324 | 312 | 279 | 255 | 697 | 390 | 282 | 291 | 354 |
| Peabody | 2,134 | 1,818 | 1,769 | 1,770 | 1,534 | 1,283 | 1,120 | 1,049 | 958 | 827 | 2,975 | 1,512 | 1,040 | 942 | 1,124 |
| Salem | 1,896 | 1,725 | 1,578 | 1,588 | 1,402 | 1,164 | 990 | 971 | 898 | 766 | 2,589 | 1,379 | 903 | 921 | 1,091 |
| Middlesex County, MA | 55,656 | 48,781 | 45,595 | 45,861 | 40,225 | 34,131 | 28,730 | 28,266 | 25,817 | 22,457 | 68,455 | 38,442 | 27,075 | 27,399 | 33,798 |
| Lake County, IL | 36,961 | 32,929 | 29,944 | 28,741 | 23,502 | 19,696 | 19,403 | 16,842 | 17,379 | 15,345 | 28,877 | 19,584 | 16,006 | 18,824 | 18,658 |
| Westchester County, NY | 36,108 | 33,940 | 35,401 | 30,903 | 24,506 | 22,034 | 21,162 | 21,964 | 19,052 | 18,098 | 39,304 | 23,680 | 15,736 | 16,303 | 17,526 |
| Massachusetts | 281,478 | 252,328 | 235,533 | 235,315 | 206,429 | 173,920 | 146,222 | 142,691 | 132,096 | 117,122 | 346,882 | 197,036 | 137,277 | 133,327 | 157,366 |
| INDICATORS | TREND | ESSEX COUNTY |
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