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

Cities in Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024

Cheney, WA had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 91 cities in 2024, at 13.1%. Edgewood, WA had the lowest, at 1.8%. The median was 4.9% and the figure for Washington was 5.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest13.1Cheney, WA
Lowest1.8Edgewood, WA
Median4.991 cities
Washington5.1History

Top 40 cities, 2024

Cheney, WA: 13.1 %Cheney, WA13.1Sunnyside, WA: 12.3 %Sunnyside, WA12.3Snohomish, WA: 10.6 %Snohomish, WA10.6Port Townsend, WA: 10.4 %Port Townsend, WA10.4Aberdeen, WA: 10 %Aberdeen, WA10Ellensburg, WA: 8.9 %Ellensburg, WA8.9Airway Heights, WA: 8.9 %Airway Heights, WA8.9Yakima, WA: 8.4 %Yakima, WA8.4Pullman, WA: 8.3 %Pullman, WA8.3Washougal, WA: 7.7 %Washougal, WA7.7Walla Walla, WA: 7.7 %Walla Walla, WA7.7Des Moines, WA: 7.5 %Des Moines, WA7.5Olympia, WA: 7.3 %Olympia, WA7.3Kent, WA: 7 %Kent, WA7Burien, WA: 7 %Burien, WA7SeaTac, WA: 7 %SeaTac, WA7Ridgefield, WA: 6.9 %Ridgefield, WA6.9Grandview, WA: 6.7 %Grandview, WA6.7Kelso, WA: 6.6 %Kelso, WA6.6Tukwila, WA: 6.4 %Tukwila, WA6.4Mount Vernon, WA: 6 %Mount Vernon, WA6Puyallup, WA: 6 %Puyallup, WA6Longview, WA: 6 %Longview, WA6Auburn, WA: 6 %Auburn, WA6Everett, WA: 5.8 %Everett, WA5.8Bremerton, WA: 5.7 %Bremerton, WA5.7Vancouver, WA: 5.7 %Vancouver, WA5.7Lakewood, WA: 5.7 %Lakewood, WA5.7Spokane, WA: 5.7 %Spokane, WA5.7Centralia, WA: 5.7 %Centralia, WA5.7Monroe, WA: 5.7 %Monroe, WA5.7Richland, WA: 5.6 %Richland, WA5.6Newcastle, WA: 5.6 %Newcastle, WA5.6Bellingham, WA: 5.6 %Bellingham, WA5.6Tacoma, WA: 5.6 %Tacoma, WA5.6Federal Way, WA: 5.4 %Federal Way, WA5.4Oak Harbor, WA: 5.4 %Oak Harbor, WA5.4Tumwater, WA: 5.3 %Tumwater, WA5.3Pasco, WA: 5.3 %Pasco, WA5.3Sumner, WA: 5.3 %Sumner, WA5.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Cheney, WA13.1+0.4 pts
2Sunnyside, WA12.3+2.1 pts
3Snohomish, WA10.6+2.6 pts
4Port Townsend, WA10.4-2.4 pts
5Aberdeen, WA10+1.4 pts
6Ellensburg, WA8.9+1.3 pts
7Airway Heights, WA8.9+0.4 pts
8Yakima, WA8.4+0.4 pts
9Pullman, WA8.3+0.8 pts
10Washougal, WA7.7-0 pts
11Walla Walla, WA7.7+1.1 pts
12Des Moines, WA7.5+0.2 pts
13Olympia, WA7.3+0.3 pts
14Kent, WA7-0.3 pts
15Burien, WA7+1.5 pts
16SeaTac, WA7-1.4 pts
17Ridgefield, WA6.9-0.5 pts
18Grandview, WA6.7+2.1 pts
19Kelso, WA6.6+1.6 pts
20Tukwila, WA6.4-0 pts
21Mount Vernon, WA6+0.9 pts
22Puyallup, WA6+0.7 pts
23Longview, WA6+1.2 pts
24Auburn, WA6+0.7 pts
25Everett, WA5.8+0.4 pts
26Bremerton, WA5.7+0.5 pts
27Vancouver, WA5.7+0.1 pts
28Lakewood, WA5.7+0.2 pts
28Spokane, WA5.7-0.3 pts
30Centralia, WA5.7+0.9 pts
31Monroe, WA5.7+1.3 pts
32Richland, WA5.6+0.6 pts
33Newcastle, WA5.6+0.5 pts
34Bellingham, WA5.6-0 pts
35Tacoma, WA5.6+0.2 pts
36Federal Way, WA5.4-0.5 pts
36Oak Harbor, WA5.4-0.8 pts
38Tumwater, WA5.3+0.4 pts
39Pasco, WA5.3+0.1 pts
40Sumner, WA5.3-0.6 pts
41Spokane Valley, WA5.2-0.7 pts
42Fife, WA5.2-0.2 pts
43University Place, WA5.1+1 pts
44Port Angeles, WA5.1-0.9 pts
45Kennewick, WA5.1+0.2 pts
46Renton, WA4.9+0.5 pts
47Redmond, WA4.9+0.7 pts
48Lacey, WA4.9-0.3 pts
49Maple Valley, WA4.80 pts
50West Richland, WA4.8+0.2 pts
51Lake Stevens, WA4.80 pts
52Sedro-Woolley, WA4.8-1 pts
53Moses Lake, WA4.7-1.5 pts
54East Wenatchee, WA4.6-0.5 pts
54Kirkland, WA4.60 pts
56Shoreline, WA4.6+0.3 pts
57Seattle, WA4.6+0.4 pts
58Mill Creek, WA4.5-0 pts
59Lake Forest Park, WA4.4+0.5 pts
60Woodinville, WA4.3+0.1 pts
61Burlington, WA4.3-2.1 pts
62Lynnwood, WA4.3-0.3 pts
63Bellevue, WA4.2+0.3 pts
64Anacortes, WA4.2+0.4 pts
64Mountlake Terrace, WA4.2-0.7 pts
66Arlington, WA4.2+0.6 pts
67Covington, WA4.1+0.6 pts
67Edmonds, WA4.1-0 pts
69Camas, WA4+0.4 pts
70Bothell, WA3.90 pts
70Marysville, WA3.9+0.1 pts
72Port Orchard, WA3.9-1.4 pts
73Kenmore, WA3.8+0.8 pts
74Yelm, WA3.80 pts
75Shelton, WA3.8-1.6 pts
76Poulsbo, WA3.8+0.5 pts
77Battle Ground, WA3.7-0.5 pts
78Enumclaw, WA3.70 pts
79Lynden, WA3.6-0.6 pts
80Bonney Lake, WA3.6+0.6 pts
81Issaquah, WA3.3+0.2 pts
82Wenatchee, WA3.2-0.5 pts
83Mukilteo, WA3.10 pts
83Sammamish, WA3.1+0.4 pts
85Ferndale, WA3.1-0.9 pts
86Mercer Island, WA3+0.6 pts
87Bainbridge Island, WA2.8-0.4 pts
88Gig Harbor, WA2.7+0.1 pts
88Liberty Lake, WA2.7-0.9 pts
90Snoqualmie, WA2.6+0.1 pts
91Edgewood, WA1.8+0.4 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. 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-cities. 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 Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-cities.

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 Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_washington_by_2024,
  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 Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-cities. 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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 Washington by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/washington-cities.
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/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Cheney, WA, with 13.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Edgewood, WA, with 1.8% in 2024.

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.

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

Cities in Washington: more rankings