Overall unemployment rate moved down to 2.3% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which lost 300 roles, based on the most recently available information published in April 2022.

Total employment in the Portsmouth, NH-ME market rose by 517 jobs in February and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 80 bps to 2.3%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 28 bps over the same time to 4.1%.

  • Portsmouth, NH-ME unemployment rate is 184 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 120 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in February versus prior month by 4.7% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Portsmouth, NH-ME Unemployment February 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs stayed flat. Key sectors include:

  • Transportation & Utilities: 16,200; -100
  • Government: 14,600; +100
  • Business Services: 14,300; +100
  • Education & Healthcare: 13,200; no change
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 10,300; -300
  • Manufacturing: 9,200; +100
  • Financial Services: 5,300; no change
  • Other Jobs: 2,900; +100
  • Construction, Mining: 2,800; no change
  • IT & Development: 1,900; no change
Portsmouth, NH-ME Unemployment by Industry February 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through February 2022 (Data published April 2022 and reports created on April 6, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.