Overall unemployment rate moved up to 3.2% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 9,300 roles, based on the most recently available information published in August 2022.

Total employment in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO market rose by 6,464 jobs in June and the unemployment rate increased compared to the prior month by 10 bps to 3.2%. The national unemployment rate increased by 46 bps over the same time to 3.8%.

  • Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO unemployment rate is 64 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 310 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in June versus prior month by 6.5% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Unemployment June 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 1.0% . Key sectors include:

  • Business Services: 315,600; +2,200
  • Transportation & Utilities: 288,000; +2,100
  • Government: 201,600; -1,400
  • Education & Healthcare: 193,100; -1,100
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 172,000; +9,300
  • Construction, Mining: 117,300; +4,000
  • Financial Services: 115,500; -1,100
  • Manufacturing: 74,000; +800
  • Other Jobs: 62,600; +1,200
  • IT & Development: 53,800; -100
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Unemployment by Industry June 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through June 2022 (Data published August 2022 and reports created on August 3, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.