US cities by unemployed people
New York, NY had the highest unemployed people of 1605 cities in 2015, at 234,883. Lebanon, NH had the lowest, at 172. The median was 1,161. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 cities, 2015
Full ranking
| Rank | Cities | 2015 | Change on 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | 234,883 | -21% |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 142,613 | -18.3% |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 91,842 | -16.2% |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | 51,021 | -10.9% |
| 5 | Houston, TX | 49,088 | -10.8% |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | 40,159 | -9.9% |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | 34,530 | -19.4% |
| 8 | Detroit, MI | 28,616 | -28.8% |
| 9 | Dallas, TX | 26,629 | -20.8% |
| 10 | Fresno, CA | 26,119 | -12.4% |
| 11 | Jacksonville, FL | 25,747 | -12.3% |
| 12 | San Jose, CA | 25,138 | -18.4% |
| 13 | San Antonio, TX | 25,010 | -18.6% |
| 14 | Baltimore, MD | 22,100 | -11.2% |
| 15 | Charlotte, NC | 21,657 | -0.3% |
| 16 | Indianapolis, IN | 21,638 | -21.3% |
| 17 | Las Vegas, NV | 20,967 | -14.2% |
| 18 | Memphis, TN | 20,074 | -17% |
| 19 | San Francisco, CA | 19,799 | -15.3% |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | 18,628 | -13.8% |
| 21 | Milwaukee, WI | 18,148 | -18.7% |
| 22 | Long Beach, CA | 17,333 | -19.1% |
| 23 | Bakersfield, CA | 16,411 | -2.8% |
| 24 | Fort Worth, TX | 16,385 | -15.7% |
| 25 | Portland, OR | 16,274 | -15.8% |
| 26 | Albuquerque, NM | 16,169 | -1.7% |
| 27 | Austin, TX | 16,106 | -18.6% |
| 28 | Boston, MA | 15,963 | -15.2% |
| 29 | Seattle, WA | 15,300 | -7.7% |
| 30 | Atlanta, GA | 15,218 | -15% |
| 31 | Kansas City, MO | 14,867 | -14.6% |
| 32 | Sacramento, CA | 14,405 | -18% |
| 33 | Tucson, AZ | 14,307 | -9.6% |
| 34 | El Paso, TX | 13,511 | -21.2% |
| 35 | Denver, CO | 13,243 | -24.6% |
| 36 | Miami, FL | 12,435 | -8.9% |
| 37 | Oakland, CA | 12,321 | -18.3% |
| 38 | Stockton, CA | 12,292 | -16% |
| 39 | New Orleans, LA | 11,672 | -3.4% |
| 40 | Mesa, AZ | 11,554 | -8.9% |
| 41 | Oklahoma City, OK | 11,007 | -2.8% |
| 42 | Raleigh, NC | 10,813 | +4% |
| 43 | Newark, NJ | 10,712 | -13.5% |
| 44 | Cleveland, OH | 10,592 | -16.9% |
| 45 | Tampa, FL | 10,136 | -10% |
| 46 | St. Louis, MO | 9,820 | -19.2% |
| 47 | Anaheim, CA | 9,673 | -18.2% |
| 48 | Virginia Beach, VA | 9,653 | -13.2% |
| 49 | Riverside, CA | 9,475 | -17.5% |
| 50 | Henderson, NV | 9,372 | -19.4% |
| 51 | Wichita, KS | 9,365 | -11.1% |
| 52 | Colorado Springs, CO | 9,333 | -25.8% |
| 53 | San Luis, AZ | 9,006 | -1.5% |
| 54 | Modesto, CA | 8,846 | -15.8% |
| 55 | Pittsburgh, PA | 8,485 | -6.6% |
| 56 | Arlington, TX | 8,144 | -20.8% |
| 57 | Santa Ana, CA | 8,133 | -18.9% |
| 58 | Minneapolis, MN | 8,026 | -10.8% |
| 58 | North Las Vegas, NV | 8,026 | -14.6% |
| 60 | Chula Vista, CA | 7,934 | -18.7% |
| 61 | Greensboro, NC | 7,898 | -3.6% |
| 62 | Buffalo, NY | 7,833 | -12.9% |
| 63 | Orlando, FL | 7,737 | -10.2% |
| 64 | Tulsa, OK | 7,671 | -3.2% |
| 65 | Jersey City, NJ | 7,660 | -15% |
| 66 | Anchorage, AK | 7,604 | -5.3% |
| 67 | Toledo, OH | 7,573 | -16.5% |
| 68 | Reno, NV | 7,506 | -19.9% |
| 69 | Hialeah, FL | 7,283 | +1% |
| 70 | Aurora, CO | 7,230 | -27.6% |
| 71 | Omaha, NE | 7,214 | -10.6% |
| 72 | Cincinnati, OH | 7,191 | -16.7% |
| 73 | Corpus Christi, TX | 7,040 | -7.8% |
| 74 | Baton Rouge, LA | 6,998 | -2.8% |
| 75 | San Bernardino, CA | 6,820 | -19.2% |
| 76 | Salinas, CA | 6,778 | -11% |
| 77 | Spokane, WA | 6,703 | -2.6% |
| 78 | Fontana, CA | 6,643 | -18.5% |
| 79 | Birmingham, AL | 6,637 | -9.1% |
| 80 | Paterson, NJ | 6,545 | -13.8% |
| 81 | St. Petersburg, FL | 6,539 | -15.4% |
| 82 | Glendale, CA | 6,513 | -18.9% |
| 83 | Moreno Valley, CA | 6,508 | -17.8% |
| 84 | Rochester, NY | 6,426 | -14.4% |
| 85 | Lexington, KY | 6,389 | -20.2% |
| 86 | Chandler, AZ | 6,328 | -8.7% |
| 87 | Mobile, AL | 6,283 | -10.3% |
| 88 | Providence, RI | 6,225 | -21.9% |
| 89 | Glendale, AZ | 6,190 | -10.9% |
| 90 | Oxnard, CA | 6,174 | -16% |
| 91 | Shreveport, LA | 6,172 | -4.9% |
| 92 | Tacoma, WA | 6,162 | -8.3% |
| 93 | Winston-Salem, NC | 6,155 | -1.6% |
| 94 | Durham, NC | 6,141 | +4.5% |
| 95 | Norfolk, VA | 6,070 | -12.6% |
| 96 | Fort Wayne, IN | 5,973 | -18.5% |
| 97 | Bridgeport, CT | 5,931 | -14.4% |
| 98 | Columbus, GA | 5,909 | -13.6% |
| 99 | Aurora, IL | 5,845 | -15.9% |
| 100 | St. Paul, MN | 5,836 | -10.1% |
| 101 | Santa Clarita, CA | 5,814 | -18.9% |
| 102 | Montgomery, AL | 5,809 | -8.5% |
| 103 | Visalia, CA | 5,802 | -10.2% |
| 104 | Yuma, AZ | 5,787 | -7% |
| 105 | Richmond, VA | 5,781 | -13.9% |
| 106 | Joliet, IL | 5,765 | -18.5% |
| 107 | Palmdale, CA | 5,710 | -19.2% |
| 108 | Plano, TX | 5,690 | -18.5% |
| 109 | Rockford, IL | 5,518 | -15% |
| 110 | Vancouver, WA | 5,509 | -0.9% |
| 111 | Springfield, MA | 5,425 | -14.3% |
| 112 | Scottsdale, AZ | 5,411 | -5.9% |
| 113 | Huntsville, AL | 5,394 | -3.7% |
| 114 | Hartford, CT | 5,366 | -14% |
| 115 | Gilbert, AZ | 5,351 | -7.6% |
| 116 | Ontario, CA | 5,310 | -18.5% |
| 117 | Akron, OH | 5,275 | -14.9% |
| 118 | Yonkers, NY | 5,270 | -10.1% |
| 119 | Tallahassee, FL | 5,245 | -10.6% |
| 120 | Chesapeake, VA | 5,196 | -13.6% |
| 121 | Brownsville, TX | 5,180 | -18% |
| 122 | Hayward, CA | 5,175 | -17.5% |
| 123 | Worcester, MA | 5,138 | -17.1% |
| 124 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 5,108 | -5.6% |
| 125 | Garland, TX | 5,049 | -21.8% |
| 126 | Grand Rapids, MI | 5,034 | -22.5% |
| 127 | Calexico, CA | 5,023 | -0.9% |
| 128 | Pomona, CA | 4,995 | -19.3% |
| 129 | Knoxville, TN | 4,832 | -13.8% |
| 130 | Tempe, AZ | 4,827 | -8.3% |
| 131 | Vallejo, CA | 4,817 | -18.6% |
| 132 | Irving, TX | 4,809 | -19.9% |
| 133 | Des Moines, IA | 4,798 | -14.7% |
| 133 | Jackson, MS | 4,798 | -17.3% |
| 135 | Newport News, VA | 4,744 | -14.2% |
| 136 | Elizabeth, NJ | 4,737 | -13.7% |
| 137 | Fayetteville, NC | 4,736 | +2.7% |
| 138 | Lancaster, CA | 4,729 | -19.2% |
| 139 | El Centro, CA | 4,724 | -1.1% |
| 140 | Waterbury, CT | 4,677 | -14.7% |
| 141 | Inglewood, CA | 4,662 | -19.4% |
| 142 | Huntington Beach, CA | 4,656 | -18.6% |
| 143 | New Haven, CT | 4,639 | -15.7% |
| 144 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 4,638 | -19.5% |
| 145 | Laredo, TX | 4,621 | -10.1% |
| 146 | Chattanooga, TN | 4,619 | -13.9% |
| 147 | Madison, WI | 4,602 | -13.6% |
| 148 | Garden Grove, CA | 4,593 | -18.9% |
| 149 | Pasadena, CA | 4,586 | -18.4% |
| 150 | Macon, GA | 4,538 | -18.4% |
| 151 | Cape Coral, FL | 4,455 | -13.4% |
| 152 | Santa Rosa, CA | 4,442 | -20.1% |
| 153 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 4,400 | -19.1% |
| 154 | Irvine, CA | 4,390 | -16.3% |
| 155 | Salem, OR | 4,364 | -16.5% |
| 156 | Oceanside, CA | 4,357 | -19.7% |
| 157 | West Covina, CA | 4,356 | -19.2% |
| 158 | Fremont, CA | 4,304 | -18.2% |
| 159 | Savannah, GA | 4,288 | -20.2% |
| 160 | Warren, MI | 4,283 | -27.1% |
| 161 | El Monte, CA | 4,277 | -19.1% |
| 162 | Little Rock, AR | 4,258 | -16% |
| 163 | Kansas City, KS | 4,248 | -12.4% |
| 164 | Allentown, PA | 4,235 | -8.8% |
| 165 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 4,204 | -14.5% |
| 166 | Corona, CA | 4,174 | -16.9% |
| 167 | Lubbock, TX | 4,172 | -14.3% |
| 168 | Hollywood, FL | 4,150 | -15.8% |
| 169 | Eugene, OR | 4,114 | -13.2% |
| 170 | Compton, CA | 4,113 | -19.3% |
| 171 | Clovis, CA | 4,064 | -11.4% |
| 172 | Peoria, AZ | 4,018 | -9.1% |
| 173 | Carson, CA | 3,981 | -19.2% |
| 174 | Boise City, ID | 3,975 | -7.9% |
| 175 | New Bedford, MA | 3,970 | -17.2% |
| 176 | Jurupa Valley, CA | 3,966 | -17% |
| 177 | Miami Gardens, FL | 3,913 | -24% |
| 178 | Syracuse, NY | 3,869 | -11.1% |
| 179 | Springfield, MO | 3,864 | -11.9% |
| 180 | Grand Prairie, TX | 3,855 | -22.4% |
| 181 | Lincoln, NE | 3,842 | -12.1% |
| 182 | Elgin, IL | 3,838 | -17.2% |
| 183 | Lansing, MI | 3,820 | -24.1% |
| 184 | Pasadena, TX | 3,813 | -10.5% |
| 185 | Columbia, SC | 3,798 | +3.1% |
| 186 | Hampton, VA | 3,796 | -12% |
| 187 | Independence, MO | 3,785 | -14.6% |
| 188 | South Gate, CA | 3,772 | -19.1% |
| 189 | Peoria, IL | 3,767 | -12.7% |
| 190 | Flint, MI | 3,749 | -23.5% |
| 191 | Miramar, FL | 3,743 | -17.4% |
| 192 | Merced, CA | 3,697 | -12.4% |
| 193 | Thousand Oaks, CA | 3,674 | -16.7% |
| 194 | Lafayette, LA | 3,655 | +10.9% |
| 195 | Naperville, IL | 3,647 | -15.9% |
| 196 | Elk Grove, CA | 3,630 | -17.3% |
| 197 | Overland Park, KS | 3,622 | -9.6% |
| 198 | Coral Springs, FL | 3,607 | -9.7% |
| 199 | Yuba City, CA | 3,592 | -14.4% |
| 200 | Escondido, CA | 3,581 | -19.6% |
| 201 | Torrance, CA | 3,575 | -19.2% |
| 202 | Concord, CA | 3,572 | -18.8% |
| 203 | Fullerton, CA | 3,571 | -18.4% |
| 204 | Sterling Heights, MI | 3,550 | -27% |
| 205 | Antioch, CA | 3,531 | -18.3% |
| 206 | Dayton, OH | 3,501 | -17.9% |
| 207 | Clarksville, TN | 3,460 | -11.7% |
| 208 | Salt Lake City, UT | 3,438 | -3.1% |
| 209 | Norwalk, CA | 3,421 | -19.2% |
| 209 | Simi Valley, CA | 3,421 | -16.8% |
| 211 | El Cajon, CA | 3,419 | -19.7% |
| 212 | Rialto, CA | 3,364 | -19.2% |
| 213 | Downey, CA | 3,345 | -19.2% |
| 214 | Stamford, CT | 3,340 | -15% |
| 215 | Lawrence, MA | 3,320 | -15.5% |
| 216 | Fall River, MA | 3,299 | -16.3% |
| 217 | Springfield, IL | 3,285 | -12% |
| 218 | Gainesville, FL | 3,270 | -7.8% |
| 219 | Cary, NC | 3,267 | +7.9% |
| 220 | Trenton, NJ | 3,266 | -10.8% |
| 221 | Lowell, MA | 3,237 | -14.1% |
| 222 | San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA | 3,236 | -16.6% |
| 223 | Charleston, SC | 3,201 | +1.5% |
| 224 | Mesquite, TX | 3,190 | -21.8% |
| 225 | Manteca, CA | 3,169 | -14.7% |
| 226 | Yakima, WA | 3,166 | -1.8% |
| 227 | Beaumont, TX | 3,163 | -20.4% |
| 228 | Sunnyvale, CA | 3,161 | -18.3% |
| 229 | Waukegan, IL | 3,154 | -18.4% |
| 230 | Sparks, NV | 3,152 | -16.5% |
| 231 | Santa Monica, CA | 3,144 | -19% |
| 232 | Brawley, CA | 3,139 | -1.2% |
| 233 | Burbank, CA | 3,134 | -19.3% |
| 234 | Tracy, CA | 3,133 | -15.7% |
| 235 | Palm Bay, FL | 3,131 | -18.1% |
| 236 | McAllen, TX | 3,115 | -13.5% |
| 237 | Spokane Valley, WA | 3,112 | +1.2% |
| 238 | Santa Maria, CA | 3,098 | -13.8% |
| 239 | Baldwin Park, CA | 3,094 | -19.3% |
| 240 | Camden, NJ | 3,081 | -12.2% |
| 241 | Brockton, MA | 3,068 | -15.5% |
| 242 | Murfreesboro, TN | 3,058 | -9.8% |
| 242 | Victorville, CA | 3,058 | -19.3% |
| 244 | Richmond, CA | 3,053 | -18.7% |
| 245 | Roseville, CA | 3,052 | -19.3% |
| 246 | Hesperia, CA | 3,050 | -19.1% |
| 247 | Alexandria, VA | 3,048 | -12.8% |
| 248 | High Point, NC | 3,040 | -8.4% |
| 249 | Orange, CA | 3,033 | -18.4% |
| 250 | Amarillo, TX | 3,023 | -17.1% |
Other periods
About this ranking
Residents with no job who were available for work and had looked for work in the previous four weeks, or were waiting to be recalled from a layoff, annual average.
More on how it is measured
- People aged 16 and over by place of residence, from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions are excluded.
United States cities only for now. The survey definition, not a count of benefit claimants. BLS estimates cities by splitting county estimates with Census Bureau employment and population data and unemployment insurance claims, so city figures are less precise than state ones. BLS publishes cities of 25,000 or more, and smaller cities in New England.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. 101 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2015 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average (US cities by unemployed people, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19
MLA 9
Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, US cities by unemployed people, 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. US cities by unemployed people, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2015.
Harvard
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, US cities by unemployed people, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_unemployed_2015,
author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average: US cities by unemployed people, 2015}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average: US cities by unemployed people, 2015
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
PB - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB - Invokely
UR - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2015
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2015.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU15-19. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank US cities by unemployed people using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"unemployed_persons","level":"municipality","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=unemployed_persons&level=municipality&within=United%20States&limit=10Questions
Which city has the highest unemployed people?
New York, NY, with 234,883 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which city has the lowest unemployed people?
Lebanon, NH, with 172 in 2015.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 101 cities have no value for 2015 and are not ranked.