Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate

Springfield, MA had the highest unemployment rate of 58 cities in April 2026, at 6.5%. Cambridge, MA had the lowest, at 3.1%. The median was 4.1% and the figure for Massachusetts was 4.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest6.5Springfield, MA
Lowest3.1Cambridge, MA
Median4.158 cities
Massachusetts4.7History

All cities, April 2026

Springfield, MA: 6.5 %Springfield, MA6.5Lawrence, MA: 6.2 %Lawrence, MA6.2New Bedford, MA: 6.2 %New Bedford, MA6.2Fall River, MA: 6.1 %Fall River, MA6.1North Adams, MA: 5.9 %North Adams, MA5.9Fitchburg, MA: 5.6 %Fitchburg, MA5.6Holyoke, MA: 5.6 %Holyoke, MA5.6Southbridge Town, MA: 5.6 %Southbridge Town, MA5.6Gloucester, MA: 5.4 %Gloucester, MA5.4Gardner, MA: 5.1 %Gardner, MA5.1Palmer Town, MA: 5.1 %Palmer Town, MA5.1Brockton, MA: 5 %Brockton, MA5Taunton, MA: 4.9 %Taunton, MA4.9Chicopee, MA: 4.8 %Chicopee, MA4.8Lowell, MA: 4.8 %Lowell, MA4.8Randolph Town, MA: 4.8 %Randolph Town, MA4.8Greenfield, MA: 4.7 %Greenfield, MA4.7Leominster, MA: 4.6 %Leominster, MA4.6Chelsea, MA: 4.5 %Chelsea, MA4.5Haverhill, MA: 4.5 %Haverhill, MA4.5Lynn, MA: 4.5 %Lynn, MA4.5Methuen, MA: 4.5 %Methuen, MA4.5Amherst Town, MA: 4.3 %Amherst Town, MA4.3Pittsfield, MA: 4.3 %Pittsfield, MA4.3Westfield, MA: 4.3 %Westfield, MA4.3Bridgewater Town, MA: 4.2 %Bridgewater Town, MA4.2Revere, MA: 4.2 %Revere, MA4.2Worcester, MA: 4.2 %Worcester, MA4.2Attleboro, MA: 4.1 %Attleboro, MA4.1Barnstable Town, MA: 4.1 %Barnstable Town, MA4.1Marlborough, MA: 4.1 %Marlborough, MA4.1Peabody, MA: 4.1 %Peabody, MA4.1Weymouth Town, MA: 4.1 %Weymouth Town, MA4.1Agawam Town, MA: 4 %Agawam Town, MA4Boston, MA: 4 %Boston, MA4Salem, MA: 4 %Salem, MA4West Springfield Town, MA: 4 %West Springfield Town, MA4Winthrop Town, MA: 4 %Winthrop Town, MA4Woburn, MA: 3.9 %Woburn, MA3.9Beverly, MA: 3.8 %Beverly, MA3.8Franklin Town, MA: 3.8 %Franklin Town, MA3.8Medford, MA: 3.8 %Medford, MA3.8Amesbury, MA: 3.7 %Amesbury, MA3.7Braintree Town, MA: 3.7 %Braintree Town, MA3.7Everett, MA: 3.7 %Everett, MA3.7Malden, MA: 3.7 %Malden, MA3.7Melrose, MA: 3.7 %Melrose, MA3.7Quincy, MA: 3.7 %Quincy, MA3.7Framingham, MA: 3.6 %Framingham, MA3.6North Attleborough Town, MA: 3.6 %North Attleborough Town, MA3.6Waltham, MA: 3.6 %Waltham, MA3.6Newton, MA: 3.5 %Newton, MA3.5Watertown, MA: 3.5 %Watertown, MA3.5Easthampton, MA: 3.4 %Easthampton, MA3.4Northampton, MA: 3.4 %Northampton, MA3.4Newburyport, MA: 3.3 %Newburyport, MA3.3Somerville, MA: 3.3 %Somerville, MA3.3Cambridge, MA: 3.1 %Cambridge, MA3.1Springfield, MA: 6.5 %Springfield, MA6.5Lawrence, MA: 6.2 %Lawrence, MA6.2New Bedford, MA: 6.2 %New Bedford, MA6.2Fall River, MA: 6.1 %Fall River, MA6.1North Adams, MA: 5.9 %North Adams, MA5.9Fitchburg, MA: 5.6 %Fitchburg, MA5.6Holyoke, MA: 5.6 %Holyoke, MA5.6Southbridge Town, MA: 5.6 %Southbridge Town, MA5.6Gloucester, MA: 5.4 %Gloucester, MA5.4Gardner, MA: 5.1 %Gardner, MA5.1Palmer Town, MA: 5.1 %Palmer Town, MA5.1Brockton, MA: 5 %Brockton, MA5Taunton, MA: 4.9 %Taunton, MA4.9Chicopee, MA: 4.8 %Chicopee, MA4.8Lowell, MA: 4.8 %Lowell, MA4.8Randolph Town, MA: 4.8 %Randolph Town, MA4.8Greenfield, MA: 4.7 %Greenfield, MA4.7Leominster, MA: 4.6 %Leominster, MA4.6Chelsea, MA: 4.5 %Chelsea, MA4.5Haverhill, MA: 4.5 %Haverhill, MA4.5Lynn, MA: 4.5 %Lynn, MA4.5Methuen, MA: 4.5 %Methuen, MA4.5Amherst Town, MA: 4.3 %Amherst Town, MA4.3Pittsfield, MA: 4.3 %Pittsfield, MA4.3Westfield, MA: 4.3 %Westfield, MA4.3Bridgewater Town, MA: 4.2 %Bridgewater Town, MA4.2Revere, MA: 4.2 %Revere, MA4.2Worcester, MA: 4.2 %Worcester, MA4.2Attleboro, MA: 4.1 %Attleboro, MA4.1Barnstable Town, MA: 4.1 %Barnstable Town, MA4.1Marlborough, MA: 4.1 %Marlborough, MA4.1Peabody, MA: 4.1 %Peabody, MA4.1Weymouth Town, MA: 4.1 %Weymouth Town, MA4.1Agawam Town, MA: 4 %Agawam Town, MA4Boston, MA: 4 %Boston, MA4Salem, MA: 4 %Salem, MA4West Springfield Town, MA: 4 %West Springfield Town, MA4Winthrop Town, MA: 4 %Winthrop Town, MA4Woburn, MA: 3.9 %Woburn, MA3.9Beverly, MA: 3.8 %Beverly, MA3.8Franklin Town, MA: 3.8 %Franklin Town, MA3.8Medford, MA: 3.8 %Medford, MA3.8Amesbury, MA: 3.7 %Amesbury, MA3.7Braintree Town, MA: 3.7 %Braintree Town, MA3.7Everett, MA: 3.7 %Everett, MA3.7Malden, MA: 3.7 %Malden, MA3.7Melrose, MA: 3.7 %Melrose, MA3.7Quincy, MA: 3.7 %Quincy, MA3.7Framingham, MA: 3.6 %Framingham, MA3.6North Attleborough Town, MA: 3.6 %North Attleborough Town, MA3.6Waltham, MA: 3.6 %Waltham, MA3.6Newton, MA: 3.5 %Newton, MA3.5Watertown, MA: 3.5 %Watertown, MA3.5Easthampton, MA: 3.4 %Easthampton, MA3.4Northampton, MA: 3.4 %Northampton, MA3.4Newburyport, MA: 3.3 %Newburyport, MA3.3Somerville, MA: 3.3 %Somerville, MA3.3Cambridge, MA: 3.1 %Cambridge, MA3.1
%. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCitiesApril 2026 (%)Change on April 2025
1Springfield, MA6.5+0.3 pts
2Lawrence, MA6.20 pts
2New Bedford, MA6.2+0.3 pts
4Fall River, MA6.10 pts
5North Adams, MA5.9+0.9 pts
6Fitchburg, MA5.6+0.1 pts
6Holyoke, MA5.6+0.3 pts
6Southbridge Town, MA5.60 pts
9Gloucester, MA5.4-0.1 pts
10Gardner, MA5.1+0.2 pts
10Palmer Town, MA5.1+0.8 pts
12Brockton, MA50 pts
13Taunton, MA4.9+0.3 pts
14Chicopee, MA4.8+0.1 pts
14Lowell, MA4.8+0.3 pts
14Randolph Town, MA4.8+0.3 pts
17Greenfield, MA4.7+0.8 pts
18Leominster, MA4.60 pts
19Chelsea, MA4.5+0.3 pts
19Haverhill, MA4.5+0.2 pts
19Lynn, MA4.5+0.1 pts
19Methuen, MA4.5+0.1 pts
23Amherst Town, MA4.3+0.2 pts
23Pittsfield, MA4.3+0.2 pts
23Westfield, MA4.3-0.1 pts
26Bridgewater Town, MA4.2+0.3 pts
26Revere, MA4.2+0.2 pts
26Worcester, MA4.2+0.2 pts
29Attleboro, MA4.1-0.2 pts
29Barnstable Town, MA4.1-0.2 pts
29Marlborough, MA4.10 pts
29Peabody, MA4.1+0.4 pts
29Weymouth Town, MA4.1+0.1 pts
34Agawam Town, MA4-0.1 pts
34Boston, MA4+0.2 pts
34Salem, MA4+0.1 pts
34West Springfield Town, MA4-0.1 pts
34Winthrop Town, MA4+0.1 pts
39Woburn, MA3.9+0.4 pts
40Beverly, MA3.8+0.3 pts
40Franklin Town, MA3.8+0.1 pts
40Medford, MA3.8+0.3 pts
43Amesbury, MA3.7+0.5 pts
43Braintree Town, MA3.70 pts
43Everett, MA3.7+0.3 pts
43Malden, MA3.7+0.2 pts
43Melrose, MA3.7+0.4 pts
43Quincy, MA3.70 pts
49Framingham, MA3.6+0.2 pts
49North Attleborough Town, MA3.6+0.1 pts
49Waltham, MA3.6+0.1 pts
52Newton, MA3.50 pts
52Watertown, MA3.5-0.1 pts
54Easthampton, MA3.4-0.1 pts
54Northampton, MA3.4+0.2 pts
56Newburyport, MA3.30 pts
56Somerville, MA3.3+0.3 pts
58Cambridge, MA3.1-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over.
  • EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74.
  • United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states, counties and cities.
  • United Kingdom regions: Labour Force Survey, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted.
  • Canada: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the country and the provinces.
  • Australia: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the nation and the six states; the ABS publishes no seasonally adjusted series for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
  • New Zealand: Household Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted for the country and not seasonally adjusted for regional council areas.
  • Norway: Statistics Norway Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted monthly figures.
  • Sweden: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted and smoothed (the series Statistics Sweden gives in its monthly release), national.
  • Switzerland: Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS), ILO definition, permanent resident population aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted quarterly averages, national.
  • For other countries, the source may be OECD survey-based rates, annual survey-based rates compiled by the ILO in ILOSTAT, or annual ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank.
  • ILO modelled estimates cover ages 15 and over.
  • The World series uses those ILO modelled estimates.

Survey-based for national and Eurostat series. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states, US counties, US cities (those of 25,000 or more and smaller New England cities), United Kingdom regions, Canadian provinces, Australia and its six states, New Zealand with 10 of its regions, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (national), not Spanish municipalities. For Spanish municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. 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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03) (Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate, 2026-04) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate, 2026-04. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/massachusetts-cities?period=2026-04. 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 rate (measure 03). Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate, 2026-04. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/massachusetts-cities?period=2026-04.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate, 2026-04 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/massachusetts-cities?period=2026-04 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_cities_in_massachusetts_by_2026,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate, 2026-04}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/massachusetts-cities?period=2026-04. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. 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 rate (measure 03): Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate, 2026-04
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.CurrentU25-29
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/massachusetts-cities?period=2026-04
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/massachusetts-cities?period=2026-04.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate?

Springfield, MA, with 6.5% in April 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate?

Cambridge, MA, with 3.1% in April 2026.

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 rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Cities in Massachusetts: more rankings