Overall unemployment rate moved up to 3.6% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 9,000 roles, based on the most recently available information published in March 2023.

Total employment in the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH market rose by 2,529 jobs in January and the unemployment rate increased compared to the prior month by 70 bps to 3.6%. The national unemployment rate increased by 60 bps over the same time to 3.9%.

  • Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH unemployment rate is 26 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 80 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in January versus prior month by 1.2% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH Unemployment January 2023

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -1.3%. Key sectors include:

  • Education & Healthcare: 595,200; -5,700
  • Business Services: 537,100; -8,600
  • Transportation & Utilities: 412,800; -5,200
  • Government: 311,400; -3,600
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 241,600; -9,000
  • Financial Services: 188,700; -800
  • Manufacturing: 182,100; -400
  • Construction, Mining: 122,800; -3,600
  • Other Jobs: 99,300; +100
  • IT & Development: 84,700; -800
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH Unemployment by Industry January 2023

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through January 2023 (Data published March 2023 and reports created on March 17, 2023).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.