Overall unemployment rate moved down to 6.1% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 9,400 roles, based on the most recently available information published in November 2021.

Total employment in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA market declined by 12,221 jobs in September and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 50 bps to 6.1%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 72 bps over the same time to 4.6%.

  • New Orleans-Metairie, LA unemployment rate is 154 bps above the national rate which is a negative sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 340 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in September versus prior month by 7.8% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
New Orleans-Metairie, LA Unemployment September 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -3.8%. Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 100,600; -3,200
  • Education & Healthcare: 97,500; -5,800
  • Business Services: 73,100; +300
  • Government: 69,800; +1,000
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 58,000; -9,400
  • Financial Services: 28,400; -700
  • Manufacturing: 27,900; -500
  • Construction, Mining: 26,900; -1,100
  • Other Jobs: 21,500; -300
  • IT & Development: 5,000; -200
New Orleans-Metairie, LA Unemployment by Industry September 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through September 2021 (Data published November 2021 and reports created on November 3, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.