Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Amherst Town, MA had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 54 cities in 2023, at 9%. Somerville, MA had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 5.7% and the figure for Massachusetts was 5.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest9Amherst Town, MA
Lowest2.9Somerville, MA
Median5.754 cities
Massachusetts5.1History

All cities, 2023

Amherst Town, MA: 9 %Amherst Town, MA9Chelsea, MA: 8.8 %Chelsea, MA8.8Lawrence, MA: 8.7 %Lawrence, MA8.7Brockton, MA: 8.3 %Brockton, MA8.3Springfield, MA: 8.2 %Springfield, MA8.2Fall River, MA: 8.1 %Fall River, MA8.1Randolph Town, MA: 7.9 %Randolph Town, MA7.9New Bedford, MA: 7.6 %New Bedford, MA7.6Pittsfield, MA: 7.6 %Pittsfield, MA7.6Southbridge Town, MA: 7.5 %Southbridge Town, MA7.5Woburn, MA: 7.4 %Woburn, MA7.4Revere, MA: 7.2 %Revere, MA7.2Quincy, MA: 7.1 %Quincy, MA7.1Holyoke, MA: 6.9 %Holyoke, MA6.9Fitchburg, MA: 6.9 %Fitchburg, MA6.9Chicopee, MA: 6.5 %Chicopee, MA6.5Greenfield, MA: 6.5 %Greenfield, MA6.5Worcester, MA: 6.4 %Worcester, MA6.4Gloucester, MA: 6.4 %Gloucester, MA6.4North Adams, MA: 6.1 %North Adams, MA6.1Boston, MA: 6 %Boston, MA6Winthrop Town, MA: 5.9 %Winthrop Town, MA5.9Haverhill, MA: 5.9 %Haverhill, MA5.9Newburyport, MA: 5.9 %Newburyport, MA5.9North Attleborough Town, MA: 5.8 %North Attleborough Town, MA5.8Leominster, MA: 5.7 %Leominster, MA5.7Gardner, MA: 5.7 %Gardner, MA5.7Malden, MA: 5.6 %Malden, MA5.6Taunton, MA: 5.6 %Taunton, MA5.6Marlborough, MA: 5.6 %Marlborough, MA5.6West Springfield Town, MA: 5.6 %West Springfield Town, MA5.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 5.5 %Bridgewater Town, MA5.5Everett, MA: 5.4 %Everett, MA5.4Lowell, MA: 5.4 %Lowell, MA5.4Northampton, MA: 5.3 %Northampton, MA5.3Salem, MA: 5.2 %Salem, MA5.2Franklin Town, MA: 5.1 %Franklin Town, MA5.1Weymouth Town, MA: 4.9 %Weymouth Town, MA4.9Peabody, MA: 4.8 %Peabody, MA4.8Lynn, MA: 4.6 %Lynn, MA4.6Agawam Town, MA: 4.5 %Agawam Town, MA4.5Attleboro, MA: 4.5 %Attleboro, MA4.5Medford, MA: 4.4 %Medford, MA4.4Framingham, MA: 4.4 %Framingham, MA4.4Melrose, MA: 4.1 %Melrose, MA4.1Westfield, MA: 4 %Westfield, MA4Braintree Town, MA: 3.7 %Braintree Town, MA3.7Beverly, MA: 3.7 %Beverly, MA3.7Palmer Town, MA: 3.6 %Palmer Town, MA3.6Waltham, MA: 3.5 %Waltham, MA3.5Cambridge, MA: 3.4 %Cambridge, MA3.4Newton, MA: 3.3 %Newton, MA3.3Barnstable Town, MA: 3.3 %Barnstable Town, MA3.3Somerville, MA: 2.9 %Somerville, MA2.9Amherst Town, MA: 9 %Amherst Town, MA9Chelsea, MA: 8.8 %Chelsea, MA8.8Lawrence, MA: 8.7 %Lawrence, MA8.7Brockton, MA: 8.3 %Brockton, MA8.3Springfield, MA: 8.2 %Springfield, MA8.2Fall River, MA: 8.1 %Fall River, MA8.1Randolph Town, MA: 7.9 %Randolph Town, MA7.9New Bedford, MA: 7.6 %New Bedford, MA7.6Pittsfield, MA: 7.6 %Pittsfield, MA7.6Southbridge Town, MA: 7.5 %Southbridge Town, MA7.5Woburn, MA: 7.4 %Woburn, MA7.4Revere, MA: 7.2 %Revere, MA7.2Quincy, MA: 7.1 %Quincy, MA7.1Holyoke, MA: 6.9 %Holyoke, MA6.9Fitchburg, MA: 6.9 %Fitchburg, MA6.9Chicopee, MA: 6.5 %Chicopee, MA6.5Greenfield, MA: 6.5 %Greenfield, MA6.5Worcester, MA: 6.4 %Worcester, MA6.4Gloucester, MA: 6.4 %Gloucester, MA6.4North Adams, MA: 6.1 %North Adams, MA6.1Boston, MA: 6 %Boston, MA6Winthrop Town, MA: 5.9 %Winthrop Town, MA5.9Haverhill, MA: 5.9 %Haverhill, MA5.9Newburyport, MA: 5.9 %Newburyport, MA5.9North Attleborough Town, MA: 5.8 %North Attleborough Town, MA5.8Leominster, MA: 5.7 %Leominster, MA5.7Gardner, MA: 5.7 %Gardner, MA5.7Malden, MA: 5.6 %Malden, MA5.6Taunton, MA: 5.6 %Taunton, MA5.6Marlborough, MA: 5.6 %Marlborough, MA5.6West Springfield Town, MA: 5.6 %West Springfield Town, MA5.6Bridgewater Town, MA: 5.5 %Bridgewater Town, MA5.5Everett, MA: 5.4 %Everett, MA5.4Lowell, MA: 5.4 %Lowell, MA5.4Northampton, MA: 5.3 %Northampton, MA5.3Salem, MA: 5.2 %Salem, MA5.2Franklin Town, MA: 5.1 %Franklin Town, MA5.1Weymouth Town, MA: 4.9 %Weymouth Town, MA4.9Peabody, MA: 4.8 %Peabody, MA4.8Lynn, MA: 4.6 %Lynn, MA4.6Agawam Town, MA: 4.5 %Agawam Town, MA4.5Attleboro, MA: 4.5 %Attleboro, MA4.5Medford, MA: 4.4 %Medford, MA4.4Framingham, MA: 4.4 %Framingham, MA4.4Melrose, MA: 4.1 %Melrose, MA4.1Westfield, MA: 4 %Westfield, MA4Braintree Town, MA: 3.7 %Braintree Town, MA3.7Beverly, MA: 3.7 %Beverly, MA3.7Palmer Town, MA: 3.6 %Palmer Town, MA3.6Waltham, MA: 3.5 %Waltham, MA3.5Cambridge, MA: 3.4 %Cambridge, MA3.4Newton, MA: 3.3 %Newton, MA3.3Barnstable Town, MA: 3.3 %Barnstable Town, MA3.3Somerville, MA: 2.9 %Somerville, MA2.9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Amherst Town, MA9-0.3 pts
2Chelsea, MA8.8-0.1 pts
3Lawrence, MA8.7-1.7 pts
4Brockton, MA8.3+0.1 pts
5Springfield, MA8.2-0.6 pts
6Fall River, MA8.1-0.3 pts
7Randolph Town, MA7.9-0.3 pts
8New Bedford, MA7.6+0.4 pts
9Pittsfield, MA7.6+0.5 pts
10Southbridge Town, MA7.5-1.7 pts
11Woburn, MA7.4-0 pts
12Revere, MA7.2-0.2 pts
13Quincy, MA7.1+0.5 pts
14Holyoke, MA6.9+0.1 pts
15Fitchburg, MA6.9-0.8 pts
16Chicopee, MA6.5+0.4 pts
17Greenfield, MA6.5+1.1 pts
18Worcester, MA6.4-0.2 pts
19Gloucester, MA6.4+0.6 pts
20North Adams, MA6.1+1.1 pts
21Boston, MA6-0.6 pts
22Winthrop Town, MA5.9+0.7 pts
23Haverhill, MA5.9-0.1 pts
24Newburyport, MA5.9+0.1 pts
25North Attleborough Town, MA5.8-0.1 pts
26Leominster, MA5.7-0.3 pts
27Gardner, MA5.7-0.8 pts
28Malden, MA5.6-1 pts
29Taunton, MA5.6+0.1 pts
30Marlborough, MA5.6+0.2 pts
31West Springfield Town, MA5.6-0.3 pts
32Bridgewater Town, MA5.5+0.7 pts
33Everett, MA5.4-1.2 pts
33Lowell, MA5.4-0.3 pts
35Northampton, MA5.3-0.3 pts
36Salem, MA5.2+0.2 pts
37Franklin Town, MA5.1-0.3 pts
38Weymouth Town, MA4.9+0.1 pts
39Peabody, MA4.8+0.4 pts
40Lynn, MA4.6-1.1 pts
41Agawam Town, MA4.5-0.7 pts
42Attleboro, MA4.5+0.1 pts
43Medford, MA4.4+0.2 pts
44Framingham, MA4.4-0.6 pts
45Melrose, MA4.1+0.2 pts
46Westfield, MA4-0.4 pts
47Braintree Town, MA3.7-0.2 pts
48Beverly, MA3.7+0.4 pts
49Palmer Town, MA3.6-0.6 pts
50Waltham, MA3.5+0.5 pts
51Cambridge, MA3.40 pts
52Newton, MA3.3-0.2 pts
53Barnstable Town, MA3.3+0.2 pts
54Somerville, MA2.9+0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed civilians aged 16 and over as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

An average over five years of survey responses, so it moves slowly. The official monthly and annual rates for states and counties are unemployment_rate, from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. 4 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2023 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2023. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/massachusetts-cities?period=2023.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Amherst Town, MA, with 9% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Somerville, MA, with 2.9% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 cities have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.

Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings