US cities by unemployed people
New York, NY had the highest unemployed people of 1680 cities in 2020, at 499,386. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 161. The median was 1,859. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 cities, 2020
Full ranking
| Rank | Cities | 2020 | Change on 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | 499,386 | +193.4% |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 250,432 | +166.4% |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 157,916 | +181.9% |
| 4 | Houston, TX | 100,582 | +135.3% |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | 89,224 | +124.4% |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | 66,690 | +92.5% |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | 63,507 | +188% |
| 8 | Detroit, MI | 57,767 | +166% |
| 9 | Dallas, TX | 53,699 | +130.7% |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | 53,180 | +150.6% |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV | 45,165 | +225.2% |
| 12 | San Jose, CA | 44,534 | +200.9% |
| 13 | San Francisco, CA | 44,280 | +241.7% |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | 38,270 | +121.2% |
| 15 | Boston, MA | 37,977 | +252.3% |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | 37,833 | +110.4% |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | 36,768 | +148.1% |
| 18 | Austin, TX | 36,534 | +151.4% |
| 19 | Seattle, WA | 36,182 | +204.3% |
| 20 | Fort Worth, TX | 33,985 | +127.6% |
| 21 | Memphis, TN | 33,602 | +164.4% |
| 22 | Jacksonville, FL | 33,120 | +106.5% |
| 23 | Portland, OR | 32,758 | +175.1% |
| 24 | Denver, CO | 31,971 | +197.5% |
| 25 | Long Beach, CA | 29,683 | +164.9% |
| 26 | Milwaukee, WI | 25,886 | +123% |
| 27 | Fresno, CA | 25,729 | +89% |
| 28 | El Paso, TX | 23,933 | +117.2% |
| 29 | Baltimore, MD | 23,914 | +70.4% |
| 30 | Sacramento, CA | 23,404 | +157.5% |
| 31 | Oakland, CA | 22,826 | +208.8% |
| 32 | Atlanta, GA | 22,246 | +122.8% |
| 33 | New Orleans, LA | 22,199 | +164% |
| 34 | Tucson, AZ | 21,789 | +77% |
| 35 | Cleveland, OH | 21,588 | +157.3% |
| 36 | Oklahoma City, OK | 21,512 | +121.5% |
| 37 | Albuquerque, NM | 21,206 | +67.5% |
| 38 | Bakersfield, CA | 20,410 | +111.4% |
| 39 | Henderson, NV | 20,145 | +212.9% |
| 40 | Orlando, FL | 19,479 | +289.8% |
| 41 | Kansas City, MO | 19,023 | +104.8% |
| 42 | Minneapolis, MN | 18,697 | +166.1% |
| 43 | Mesa, AZ | 18,280 | +76.9% |
| 44 | Miami, FL | 18,100 | +186.8% |
| 45 | Wichita, KS | 18,078 | +162.6% |
| 46 | Raleigh, NC | 17,871 | +97.3% |
| 47 | Anaheim, CA | 17,803 | +247.7% |
| 48 | North Las Vegas, NV | 17,697 | +223.4% |
| 49 | Newark, NJ | 17,675 | +145.3% |
| 50 | Stockton, CA | 17,353 | +92.3% |
| 51 | Tampa, FL | 17,018 | +158.9% |
| 52 | Aurora, CO | 16,789 | +195.6% |
| 53 | Arlington, TX | 16,400 | +127.5% |
| 54 | Colorado Springs, CO | 16,383 | +123.5% |
| 55 | Toledo, OH | 15,234 | +128.7% |
| 56 | Virginia Beach, VA | 14,869 | +137.3% |
| 57 | Pittsburgh, PA | 14,632 | +118.9% |
| 58 | Jersey City, NJ | 14,563 | +187.6% |
| 59 | Tulsa, OK | 14,375 | +125.8% |
| 60 | Buffalo, NY | 14,277 | +138.7% |
| 61 | Riverside, CA | 14,036 | +152.4% |
| 62 | Santa Ana, CA | 14,013 | +215.1% |
| 63 | Omaha, NE | 13,695 | +60.5% |
| 64 | Cincinnati, OH | 13,509 | +114.4% |
| 65 | Corpus Christi, TX | 13,165 | +116.9% |
| 66 | St. Louis, MO | 13,138 | +124.1% |
| 67 | Chula Vista, CA | 12,968 | +195.3% |
| 68 | Glendale, CA | 12,813 | +200.2% |
| 69 | Santa Clarita, CA | 12,750 | +153.5% |
| 70 | Greensboro, NC | 12,704 | +102.5% |
| 71 | St. Paul, MN | 12,279 | +144.6% |
| 72 | Paterson, NJ | 11,843 | +191% |
| 73 | Tacoma, WA | 11,623 | +180.7% |
| 74 | Anchorage, AK | 11,560 | +68.3% |
| 75 | Reno, NV | 11,538 | +141.8% |
| 76 | Rochester, NY | 11,371 | +120.2% |
| 77 | St. Petersburg, FL | 11,213 | +172.9% |
| 78 | Fort Wayne, IN | 11,108 | +165.6% |
| 79 | Yonkers, NY | 11,027 | +155% |
| 80 | Richmond, VA | 10,898 | +186.9% |
| 81 | San Bernardino, CA | 10,666 | +155.7% |
| 82 | Baton Rouge, LA | 10,563 | +95.6% |
| 83 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 10,548 | +233.7% |
| 84 | Modesto, CA | 10,531 | +100.4% |
| 85 | Irvine, CA | 10,504 | +151.7% |
| 86 | Grand Rapids, MI | 10,488 | +166.1% |
| 87 | Warren, MI | 10,455 | +173.6% |
| 88 | Spokane, WA | 10,329 | +61.7% |
| 89 | Moreno Valley, CA | 10,316 | +147.1% |
| 90 | Worcester, MA | 10,302 | +193.1% |
| 91 | Salinas, CA | 10,289 | +49.4% |
| 92 | Providence, RI | 10,182 | +157.8% |
| 93 | Irving, TX | 10,148 | +134.6% |
| 94 | Plano, TX | 10,105 | +102.7% |
| 95 | Norfolk, VA | 10,067 | +164.4% |
| 96 | Chandler, AZ | 9,960 | +75.3% |
| 97 | Glendale, AZ | 9,788 | +81.8% |
| 98 | Garden Grove, CA | 9,601 | +279.9% |
| 99 | Durham, NC | 9,586 | +86.7% |
| 100 | Lexington, KY | 9,557 | +74.2% |
| 101 | Springfield, MA | 9,458 | +147.5% |
| 102 | Scottsdale, AZ | 9,401 | +90.4% |
| 103 | Palmdale, CA | 9,343 | +123.1% |
| 104 | Laredo, TX | 9,336 | +129.5% |
| 105 | Fontana, CA | 9,325 | +165.1% |
| 106 | Lancaster, CA | 9,275 | +107.2% |
| 107 | Oxnard, CA | 9,240 | +101.7% |
| 108 | Winston-Salem, NC | 9,159 | +93.6% |
| 109 | Garland, TX | 9,152 | +116.8% |
| 110 | Akron, OH | 9,115 | +107.3% |
| 111 | Huntington Beach, CA | 9,113 | +196.4% |
| 112 | Mobile, AL | 8,798 | +128.2% |
| 113 | Birmingham, AL | 8,778 | +157.3% |
| 114 | Rockford, IL | 8,680 | +97.4% |
| 115 | Pomona, CA | 8,496 | +150.7% |
| 116 | Hialeah, FL | 8,495 | +166.2% |
| 117 | Vancouver, WA | 8,420 | +74.4% |
| 118 | Gilbert, AZ | 8,417 | +65.8% |
| 119 | Montgomery, AL | 8,399 | +170% |
| 120 | Sterling Heights, MI | 8,388 | +173.9% |
| 121 | Bridgeport, CT | 8,296 | +121.8% |
| 122 | Inglewood, CA | 8,270 | +190.2% |
| 123 | Brownsville, TX | 8,233 | +88% |
| 124 | Joliet, IL | 8,229 | +125.6% |
| 125 | Tempe, AZ | 8,190 | +89.8% |
| 126 | Oceanside, CA | 8,160 | +192.6% |
| 127 | Aurora, IL | 8,134 | +104.3% |
| 128 | Des Moines, IA | 8,130 | +112.2% |
| 129 | Ontario, CA | 8,111 | +172.8% |
| 130 | Hayward, CA | 8,078 | +214.2% |
| 131 | Newport News, VA | 8,077 | +161.6% |
| 132 | Hollywood, FL | 8,076 | +219.3% |
| 133 | Flint, MI | 8,035 | +128.1% |
| 134 | Grand Prairie, TX | 7,953 | +120.6% |
| 135 | Madison, WI | 7,933 | +111.8% |
| 136 | Burbank, CA | 7,898 | +156.3% |
| 137 | Shreveport, LA | 7,878 | +90% |
| 138 | Fremont, CA | 7,845 | +158.5% |
| 139 | Allentown, PA | 7,792 | +117% |
| 140 | Chesapeake, VA | 7,736 | +120.1% |
| 141 | Lubbock, TX | 7,733 | +108.3% |
| 142 | Boise City, ID | 7,694 | +138.9% |
| 143 | Elizabeth, NJ | 7,672 | +172.2% |
| 144 | Kent, WA | 7,611 | +233.5% |
| 145 | Pasadena, CA | 7,543 | +140.3% |
| 146 | Fayetteville, NC | 7,460 | +84.5% |
| 147 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 7,456 | +167.7% |
| 148 | Torrance, CA | 7,432 | +157% |
| 149 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 7,425 | +176.6% |
| 150 | Little Rock, AR | 7,413 | +130.6% |
| 151 | Chattanooga, TN | 7,401 | +142.5% |
| 152 | Santa Rosa, CA | 7,311 | +187.8% |
| 153 | Hartford, CT | 7,294 | +114.7% |
| 154 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 7,254 | +115.3% |
| 155 | Pasadena, TX | 7,143 | +115% |
| 156 | Jackson, MS | 7,104 | +85.8% |
| 157 | Cape Coral, FL | 7,081 | +138.3% |
| 158 | Lincoln, NE | 7,011 | +54.5% |
| 159 | Corona, CA | 6,984 | +175.1% |
| 160 | Lawrence, MA | 6,968 | +246% |
| 161 | Brockton, MA | 6,915 | +248.4% |
| 162 | McKinney, TX | 6,872 | +115% |
| 163 | Tallahassee, FL | 6,840 | +97.7% |
| 164 | Elk Grove, CA | 6,783 | +156.4% |
| 165 | Knoxville, TN | 6,778 | +126.2% |
| 166 | Salt Lake City, UT | 6,770 | +145.9% |
| 167 | Downey, CA | 6,743 | +177.6% |
| 168 | Miramar, FL | 6,737 | +195.2% |
| 169 | El Monte, CA | 6,705 | +207.6% |
| 170 | Fullerton, CA | 6,695 | +217.3% |
| 171 | Syracuse, NY | 6,655 | +120.3% |
| 172 | Lakewood, CO | 6,640 | +187.7% |
| 173 | Quincy, MA | 6,588 | +317.5% |
| 174 | New Bedford, MA | 6,582 | +154.6% |
| 175 | Dayton, OH | 6,536 | +120.4% |
| 175 | Peoria, AZ | 6,536 | +68.5% |
| 177 | Eugene, OR | 6,471 | +105% |
| 177 | West Covina, CA | 6,471 | +168.3% |
| 179 | Lynn, MA | 6,458 | +288.1% |
| 180 | Hawthorne, CA | 6,423 | +216.2% |
| 180 | Vallejo, CA | 6,423 | +164.3% |
| 182 | Everett, WA | 6,367 | +227% |
| 183 | Norwalk, CA | 6,359 | +178.8% |
| 184 | Calexico, CA | 6,254 | -22.8% |
| 185 | Visalia, CA | 6,234 | +94.9% |
| 186 | Daly City, CA | 6,211 | +350.4% |
| 187 | Antioch, CA | 6,170 | +198.5% |
| 188 | Alexandria, VA | 6,165 | +192.6% |
| 189 | Savannah, GA | 6,163 | +135.1% |
| 190 | Midland, TX | 6,154 | +258.8% |
| 191 | Lowell, MA | 6,149 | +195.3% |
| 192 | Compton, CA | 6,142 | +153.2% |
| 193 | Columbus, GA | 6,141 | +59.8% |
| 194 | Frisco, TX | 6,117 | +101.7% |
| 195 | McAllen, TX | 6,099 | +117.2% |
| 196 | Escondido, CA | 6,087 | +181.5% |
| 197 | Kissimmee, FL | 6,073 | +362.2% |
| 198 | Odessa, TX | 6,072 | +284.1% |
| 199 | Yuma, AZ | 6,043 | +20.3% |
| 200 | Waterbury, CT | 6,026 | +106.3% |
| 201 | Huntsville, AL | 5,995 | +100.9% |
| 202 | Richmond, CA | 5,976 | +210.9% |
| 203 | Victorville, CA | 5,971 | +125.6% |
| 204 | Lansing, MI | 5,953 | +114.4% |
| 205 | Murfreesboro, TN | 5,922 | +170.5% |
| 206 | Carson, CA | 5,904 | +153.1% |
| 207 | Elgin, IL | 5,903 | +100% |
| 208 | Coral Springs, FL | 5,847 | +167% |
| 209 | Fort Collins, CO | 5,837 | +160% |
| 209 | Mesquite, TX | 5,837 | +111.6% |
| 211 | Pontiac, MI | 5,827 | +158.4% |
| 212 | New Haven, CT | 5,818 | +108.6% |
| 213 | Renton, WA | 5,785 | +216.3% |
| 214 | Naperville, IL | 5,762 | +149.9% |
| 215 | Salem, OR | 5,754 | +81.1% |
| 216 | Orange, CA | 5,748 | +183.9% |
| 217 | Reading, PA | 5,722 | +128.9% |
| 218 | Baytown, TX | 5,720 | +119.3% |
| 219 | Hampton, VA | 5,695 | +136.3% |
| 220 | Overland Park, KS | 5,689 | +83.6% |
| 221 | Stamford, CT | 5,687 | +152.1% |
| 222 | Kansas City, KS | 5,683 | +81.2% |
| 223 | Alhambra, CA | 5,652 | +219% |
| 224 | Federal Way, WA | 5,630 | +213.8% |
| 225 | Concord, CA | 5,591 | +197.6% |
| 226 | Fall River, MA | 5,568 | +142.9% |
| 227 | Simi Valley, CA | 5,547 | +176.4% |
| 228 | Peoria, IL | 5,538 | +106.1% |
| 229 | Beaumont, TX | 5,535 | +110.9% |
| 230 | Pompano Beach, FL | 5,528 | +191.4% |
| 231 | El Cajon, CA | 5,520 | +229.9% |
| 232 | South Gate, CA | 5,450 | +167.3% |
| 233 | Clarksville, TN | 5,448 | +111.9% |
| 234 | Santa Monica, CA | 5,433 | +117.6% |
| 235 | Delano, CA | 5,361 | +5% |
| 236 | Thornton, CO | 5,359 | +155.7% |
| 237 | Miami Gardens, FL | 5,358 | +167.2% |
| 238 | San Luis, AZ | 5,328 | -18.2% |
| 239 | Bellevue, WA | 5,320 | +150.1% |
| 240 | Carrollton, TX | 5,275 | +122.2% |
| 241 | Denton, TX | 5,264 | +143.3% |
| 242 | Roseville, CA | 5,235 | +146.8% |
| 243 | South Bend, IN | 5,217 | +168% |
| 244 | Costa Mesa, CA | 5,201 | +207.4% |
| 245 | West Palm Beach, FL | 5,179 | +164.4% |
| 246 | Manchester, NH | 5,175 | +194.9% |
| 247 | Santa Maria, CA | 5,170 | +71.2% |
| 248 | Springfield, MO | 5,138 | +111.9% |
| 249 | Macon, GA | 5,078 | +79.6% |
| 250 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 5,074 | +123.8% |
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. 26 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2020 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.CurrentU20-24. 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, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24
MLA 9
Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment (measure 04), annual average, US cities by unemployed people, 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2020. 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, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2020.
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, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_unemployed_2020,
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, 2020}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2020. 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.CurrentU20-24. 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, 2020
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.CurrentU20-24
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2020
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployed-people/us-cities?period=2020.
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.CurrentU20-24. 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 499,386 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which city has the lowest unemployed people?
Paradise, CA, with 161 in 2020.
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. 26 cities have no value for 2020 and are not ranked.