Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.1% with the biggest shift in Transportation & Utilities, which gained 9,500 roles, based on the most recently available information published in January 2022.

Total employment in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV market declined by 15,183 jobs in November and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 20 bps to 3.1%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 4 bps over the same time to 3.4%.

  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 November versus prior month by 1% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Unemployment November 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 0.5% . Key sectors include:

  • Business Services: 806,100; +400
  • Government: 722,400; +5,400
  • Education & Healthcare: 449,500; +2,000
  • Transportation & Utilities: 418,400; +9,500
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 309,600; +1,300
  • Other Jobs: 198,600; -500
  • Construction, Mining: 166,800; -600
  • Financial Services: 148,000; +500
  • IT & Development: 80,600; +300
  • Manufacturing: 57,000; -200
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Unemployment by Industry November 2022

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

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.