Overall unemployment rate moved down to 5.1% with the biggest shift in Government, which lost 22,300 roles, based on the most recently available information published in September 2021.
Total employment in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV market rose by 52,703 jobs in July and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 50 bps to 5.1%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 43 bps over the same time to 5.7%.
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV unemployment rate is 56 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
- Unemployment in the market is 330 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
- Average wages (per hour) grew in July versus prior month by 3.8% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
For key employment segments of the market, total jobs stayed flat. Key sectors include:
- Business Services: 789,600; +6,300
- Government: 686,300; -22,300
- Education & Healthcare: 426,900; +500
- Transportation & Utilities: 394,300; +300
- Restaurants & Hotels: 275,800; +13,300
- Other Jobs: 193,500; +1,000
- Construction, Mining: 163,700; +200
- Financial Services: 153,600; +700
- IT & Development: 73,500; +300
- Manufacturing: 56,100; +300
Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through July 2021 (Data published September 2021 and reports created on September 1, 2021). Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.
Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.