US cities by unemployed people
New York, NY had the highest unemployed people of 1618 cities in 2017, at 194,409. Lebanon, NH had the lowest, at 148. The median was 991. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 cities, 2017
Full ranking
| Rank | Cities | 2017 | Change on 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | 194,409 | -11.2% |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 98,217 | -7.8% |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 75,352 | -17.8% |
| 4 | Houston, TX | 55,795 | -2.5% |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | 45,080 | -5.2% |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | 34,124 | -7.1% |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | 27,506 | -13.9% |
| 8 | Dallas, TX | 26,205 | +0.9% |
| 9 | San Antonio, TX | 23,801 | -2.5% |
| 10 | Detroit, MI | 23,535 | -10.4% |
| 11 | Charlotte, NC | 20,702 | -6.1% |
| 12 | Jacksonville, FL | 19,920 | -11.7% |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | 19,106 | -1.4% |
| 14 | San Jose, CA | 18,565 | -14% |
| 15 | Baltimore, MD | 17,665 | -3.8% |
| 16 | San Francisco, CA | 16,656 | -9.9% |
| 17 | Austin, TX | 16,474 | -1.3% |
| 18 | Las Vegas, NV | 16,153 | -9.9% |
| 19 | Fort Worth, TX | 16,141 | -5% |
| 20 | Fresno, CA | 15,895 | -10.9% |
| 21 | Indianapolis, IN | 15,886 | -18.5% |
| 22 | Albuquerque, NM | 15,144 | -6.7% |
| 23 | Seattle, WA | 14,728 | -3.1% |
| 24 | Memphis, TN | 13,693 | -17.5% |
| 25 | Boston, MA | 13,226 | -2.4% |
| 26 | Atlanta, GA | 13,130 | -6.9% |
| 27 | El Paso, TX | 13,114 | -3.9% |
| 28 | Portland, OR | 13,059 | -11.5% |
| 29 | Milwaukee, WI | 12,456 | -18.5% |
| 30 | Tucson, AZ | 12,001 | -9.1% |
| 31 | Oklahoma City, OK | 11,743 | -2.3% |
| 32 | Long Beach, CA | 11,725 | -10.4% |
| 33 | Bakersfield, CA | 11,520 | -17.8% |
| 34 | Cleveland, OH | 11,415 | +2% |
| 35 | Kansas City, MO | 11,288 | -12.5% |
| 36 | Sacramento, CA | 11,147 | -12.8% |
| 37 | Stockton, CA | 10,566 | -10.7% |
| 38 | Raleigh, NC | 10,289 | -7.3% |
| 39 | Denver, CO | 10,011 | -11.7% |
| 40 | Mesa, AZ | 9,951 | -6.7% |
| 41 | Miami, FL | 9,812 | -10.4% |
| 42 | New Orleans, LA | 9,167 | -12.9% |
| 43 | Oakland, CA | 9,094 | -13.3% |
| 44 | Newark, NJ | 8,845 | -6.5% |
| 45 | Anchorage, AK | 8,535 | +3.3% |
| 46 | Toledo, OH | 8,509 | +15.2% |
| 47 | Tulsa, OK | 8,451 | -1.3% |
| 48 | Wichita, KS | 8,233 | -10.1% |
| 49 | Virginia Beach, VA | 8,106 | -9.9% |
| 50 | Corpus Christi, TX | 8,019 | -3.9% |
| 51 | Tampa, FL | 7,991 | -10.4% |
| 52 | Pittsburgh, PA | 7,852 | -5.5% |
| 53 | Omaha, NE | 7,844 | -0.9% |
| 54 | Arlington, TX | 7,793 | -2% |
| 55 | Buffalo, NY | 7,597 | +2.4% |
| 56 | Salinas, CA | 7,580 | -6% |
| 57 | Minneapolis, MN | 7,440 | -6.5% |
| 58 | Greensboro, NC | 7,188 | -8.4% |
| 59 | Henderson, NV | 7,126 | -10.7% |
| 60 | Cincinnati, OH | 7,030 | -1.1% |
| 61 | Riverside, CA | 6,962 | -13.3% |
| 62 | St. Louis, MO | 6,949 | -19.6% |
| 63 | Colorado Springs, CO | 6,713 | -12.4% |
| 64 | Jersey City, NJ | 6,640 | -3.9% |
| 65 | San Luis, AZ | 6,555 | -18.3% |
| 66 | Modesto, CA | 6,464 | -12.9% |
| 67 | Anaheim, CA | 6,410 | -11.7% |
| 68 | North Las Vegas, NV | 6,259 | -10.7% |
| 69 | Rochester, NY | 6,225 | +2.2% |
| 70 | Orlando, FL | 6,172 | -11.8% |
| 71 | Lexington, KY | 6,145 | +2.1% |
| 72 | Spokane, WA | 5,881 | -8.7% |
| 73 | Durham, NC | 5,835 | -7.7% |
| 74 | Oxnard, CA | 5,657 | -14.8% |
| 75 | Calexico, CA | 5,647 | -5.7% |
| 76 | Plano, TX | 5,629 | -0.7% |
| 77 | Delano, CA | 5,610 | +0.4% |
| 78 | Chandler, AZ | 5,604 | -4.6% |
| 79 | Baton Rouge, LA | 5,582 | -14% |
| 80 | Santa Ana, CA | 5,562 | -12.1% |
| 81 | Brownsville, TX | 5,491 | -6.6% |
| 82 | Glendale, AZ | 5,462 | -5.8% |
| 83 | Winston-Salem, NC | 5,451 | -8.8% |
| 84 | Hialeah, FL | 5,445 | -12.3% |
| 85 | Chula Vista, CA | 5,434 | -13.9% |
| 86 | San Bernardino, CA | 5,415 | -11.4% |
| 87 | Aurora, CO | 5,413 | -10.3% |
| 88 | Reno, NV | 5,367 | -14.7% |
| 89 | St. Paul, MN | 5,227 | -9.9% |
| 90 | St. Petersburg, FL | 5,172 | -9.8% |
| 91 | Paterson, NJ | 5,168 | -11.3% |
| 92 | Akron, OH | 5,165 | -3.3% |
| 92 | Yonkers, NY | 5,165 | +1.5% |
| 94 | Moreno Valley, CA | 5,163 | -12.4% |
| 95 | Tacoma, WA | 5,105 | -2.9% |
| 96 | Rockford, IL | 5,071 | -2.3% |
| 97 | Norfolk, VA | 5,049 | -12.8% |
| 98 | Irvine, CA | 5,017 | -9.3% |
| 99 | Mobile, AL | 4,980 | -19.6% |
| 100 | Columbus, GA | 4,906 | -10.6% |
| 101 | Santa Clarita, CA | 4,904 | -6.6% |
| 102 | Yuma, AZ | 4,891 | -3.8% |
| 103 | Richmond, VA | 4,878 | -6.4% |
| 104 | Shreveport, LA | 4,862 | -12.5% |
| 105 | Providence, RI | 4,859 | -12.6% |
| 106 | Birmingham, AL | 4,851 | -22.2% |
| 107 | Irving, TX | 4,838 | -0.6% |
| 108 | Gilbert, AZ | 4,821 | -5.6% |
| 109 | Aurora, IL | 4,711 | -12.6% |
| 110 | Scottsdale, AZ | 4,703 | -6.7% |
| 111 | Joliet, IL | 4,678 | -17.7% |
| 112 | Vancouver, WA | 4,657 | -13.7% |
| 113 | Bridgeport, CT | 4,639 | -9.8% |
| 114 | Garland, TX | 4,638 | -3.7% |
| 115 | Pasadena, TX | 4,607 | +6% |
| 116 | Fayetteville, NC | 4,589 | -10.5% |
| 117 | Lancaster, CA | 4,567 | -4.7% |
| 118 | Springfield, MA | 4,554 | +0.5% |
| 119 | Laredo, TX | 4,552 | -12.7% |
| 120 | Fontana, CA | 4,543 | -11.6% |
| 121 | Glendale, CA | 4,516 | -6.8% |
| 121 | Grand Rapids, MI | 4,516 | -1.1% |
| 123 | Chesapeake, VA | 4,486 | -10% |
| 124 | Fort Wayne, IN | 4,291 | -21.5% |
| 125 | Palmdale, CA | 4,266 | -6.2% |
| 126 | Montgomery, AL | 4,261 | -20.5% |
| 127 | Tallahassee, FL | 4,255 | -11.7% |
| 128 | Worcester, MA | 4,179 | -3.6% |
| 129 | Lubbock, TX | 4,167 | -3.4% |
| 130 | Des Moines, IA | 4,162 | -8.6% |
| 131 | Hartford, CT | 4,142 | -10.7% |
| 132 | Lincoln, NE | 4,123 | -2.1% |
| 133 | Huntsville, AL | 4,112 | -20.2% |
| 134 | Tempe, AZ | 4,102 | -7.1% |
| 135 | Allentown, PA | 4,074 | +0.4% |
| 136 | Newport News, VA | 4,063 | -10.1% |
| 137 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 4,030 | -11.3% |
| 138 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 4,021 | -8.7% |
| 139 | Warren, MI | 3,979 | -14.6% |
| 140 | Flint, MI | 3,943 | -2.3% |
| 141 | Fremont, CA | 3,920 | -15% |
| 142 | Grand Prairie, TX | 3,826 | -3.5% |
| 143 | Macon, GA | 3,808 | -8.9% |
| 144 | Madison, WI | 3,786 | -13.4% |
| 145 | Huntington Beach, CA | 3,785 | -12.6% |
| 146 | Kansas City, KS | 3,749 | -6.1% |
| 147 | Jackson, MS | 3,729 | -13.7% |
| 148 | New Haven, CT | 3,702 | -7.2% |
| 149 | Ontario, CA | 3,665 | -13.6% |
| 150 | Peoria, AZ | 3,650 | -5.7% |
| 151 | Syracuse, NY | 3,623 | +0.4% |
| 152 | Elizabeth, NJ | 3,614 | -9.8% |
| 153 | Baytown, TX | 3,601 | +21.5% |
| 154 | Pomona, CA | 3,590 | -10.7% |
| 155 | Waterbury, CT | 3,587 | -7.4% |
| 156 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 3,569 | -13.6% |
| 157 | Cape Coral, FL | 3,543 | -11.3% |
| 158 | Santa Maria, CA | 3,529 | -4.8% |
| 159 | Boise City, ID | 3,493 | -11.5% |
| 160 | Eugene, OR | 3,484 | -11.1% |
| 161 | Savannah, GA | 3,443 | -12.5% |
| 162 | Salem, OR | 3,442 | -10.4% |
| 163 | Visalia, CA | 3,425 | -10.6% |
| 164 | Oceanside, CA | 3,415 | -15.5% |
| 165 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 3,395 | -11.7% |
| 166 | McAllen, TX | 3,353 | -2.2% |
| 167 | Overland Park, KS | 3,348 | -6.6% |
| 168 | Dayton, OH | 3,343 | -2.5% |
| 169 | Salt Lake City, UT | 3,325 | +3% |
| 170 | McKinney, TX | 3,323 | +4.9% |
| 171 | Beaumont, TX | 3,313 | +4.9% |
| 172 | Cary, NC | 3,298 | -3.5% |
| 173 | Chattanooga, TN | 3,277 | -19.1% |
| 174 | Little Rock, AR | 3,276 | -3.6% |
| 175 | Lansing, MI | 3,271 | +0.2% |
| 176 | Porterville, CA | 3,259 | -3.9% |
| 177 | Elgin, IL | 3,252 | -13.9% |
| 178 | Garden Grove, CA | 3,243 | -13.6% |
| 179 | Knoxville, TN | 3,238 | -22.5% |
| 180 | Hollywood, FL | 3,227 | -11.4% |
| 180 | Victorville, CA | 3,227 | -11.4% |
| 182 | Santa Rosa, CA | 3,224 | -13.2% |
| 183 | Corona, CA | 3,223 | -12.3% |
| 183 | New Bedford, MA | 3,223 | -2.2% |
| 185 | Pasadena, CA | 3,213 | -8.1% |
| 186 | Watsonville, CA | 3,190 | -20.8% |
| 187 | Elk Grove, CA | 3,189 | -13.1% |
| 188 | Hampton, VA | 3,179 | -11.8% |
| 189 | Mesquite, TX | 3,178 | +0.6% |
| 190 | Burbank, CA | 3,169 | -10.3% |
| 191 | Sterling Heights, MI | 3,167 | -14.4% |
| 192 | Hayward, CA | 3,166 | -14% |
| 193 | Miami Gardens, FL | 3,158 | -11.2% |
| 194 | Peoria, IL | 3,150 | -15.7% |
| 195 | Torrance, CA | 3,123 | -9.2% |
| 196 | Naperville, IL | 3,097 | -16.8% |
| 197 | Frisco, TX | 3,090 | +7.6% |
| 198 | Vallejo, CA | 3,064 | -13.7% |
| 199 | Amarillo, TX | 2,982 | -4.1% |
| 200 | Gainesville, FL | 2,963 | -10.4% |
| 201 | Inglewood, CA | 2,898 | -11.2% |
| 201 | Las Cruces, NM | 2,898 | -6.9% |
| 203 | Miramar, FL | 2,884 | -12.8% |
| 204 | El Centro, CA | 2,878 | -28.3% |
| 205 | Kent, WA | 2,867 | -2.1% |
| 206 | Erie, PA | 2,865 | -9.8% |
| 207 | Lafayette, LA | 2,861 | -19.2% |
| 208 | Coral Springs, FL | 2,841 | -10.6% |
| 209 | Independence, MO | 2,840 | -15.6% |
| 210 | High Point, NC | 2,825 | -5.9% |
| 211 | Yuba City, CA | 2,786 | -10.1% |
| 212 | Yakima, WA | 2,783 | -9.3% |
| 213 | Springfield, MO | 2,779 | -19.7% |
| 214 | Alexandria, VA | 2,763 | -0.4% |
| 215 | Columbia, SC | 2,758 | -15.5% |
| 215 | Rio Rancho, NM | 2,758 | -6.7% |
| 217 | Bellevue, WA | 2,747 | -2.9% |
| 218 | Killeen, TX | 2,745 | -2.1% |
| 219 | Escondido, CA | 2,723 | -14% |
| 220 | Springfield, IL | 2,716 | -12.2% |
| 221 | Sioux Falls, SD | 2,714 | +2.3% |
| 222 | Stamford, CT | 2,710 | -6.5% |
| 223 | Fall River, MA | 2,694 | -3.2% |
| 224 | Trenton, NJ | 2,689 | -6.9% |
| 225 | Clarksville, TN | 2,654 | -15.7% |
| 226 | Downey, CA | 2,641 | -10.7% |
| 227 | Carrollton, TX | 2,629 | -1.2% |
| 228 | Waukegan, IL | 2,628 | -12.9% |
| 229 | Merced, CA | 2,610 | -9.9% |
| 230 | Fullerton, CA | 2,595 | -11.1% |
| 231 | Reading, PA | 2,588 | -0.3% |
| 232 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 2,586 | -2.9% |
| 233 | Indio, CA | 2,582 | -8.2% |
| 233 | Simi Valley, CA | 2,582 | -12.8% |
| 233 | Spokane Valley, WA | 2,582 | -12.3% |
| 236 | Santa Monica, CA | 2,577 | -10.2% |
| 237 | Brockton, MA | 2,570 | -1.1% |
| 238 | Wilmington, NC | 2,569 | -10.3% |
| 239 | West Covina, CA | 2,559 | -9.2% |
| 240 | Waco, TX | 2,548 | +2.6% |
| 241 | Reedley, CA | 2,524 | -7% |
| 242 | Lowell, MA | 2,520 | -5.8% |
| 243 | Charleston, SC | 2,519 | -14.1% |
| 244 | Camden, NJ | 2,511 | -6.6% |
| 245 | Orange, CA | 2,508 | -13.7% |
| 246 | Surprise, AZ | 2,507 | -5.2% |
| 247 | Compton, CA | 2,506 | -8% |
| 247 | Topeka, KS | 2,506 | -10.4% |
| 249 | Rialto, CA | 2,500 | -14.8% |
| 250 | Lawrence, MA | 2,499 | -3.7% |
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. 88 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2017 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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.
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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_unemployed_2017,
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, 2017}},
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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2017.
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
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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 194,409 in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which city has the lowest unemployed people?
Lebanon, NH, with 148 in 2017.
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. 88 cities have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.