Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Cities in Massachusetts

Cities in Massachusetts by unemployment rate

Springfield, MA had the highest unemployment rate of 58 cities in May 2026, at 6.4%. Cambridge, MA had the lowest, at 3.3%. The median was 4.2% and the figure for Massachusetts was 4.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest6.4Springfield, MA
Lowest3.3Cambridge, MA
Median4.258 cities
Massachusetts4.5History

All cities, May 2026

Springfield, MA: 6.4 %Springfield, MA6.4Lawrence, MA: 6 %Lawrence, MA6New Bedford, MA: 5.7 %New Bedford, MA5.7Holyoke, MA: 5.6 %Holyoke, MA5.6Fall River, MA: 5.4 %Fall River, MA5.4Southbridge Town, MA: 5.3 %Southbridge Town, MA5.3Fitchburg, MA: 5.2 %Fitchburg, MA5.2North Adams, MA: 5.1 %North Adams, MA5.1Brockton, MA: 5 %Brockton, MA5Gardner, MA: 5 %Gardner, MA5Gloucester, MA: 4.9 %Gloucester, MA4.9Taunton, MA: 4.9 %Taunton, MA4.9Chicopee, MA: 4.8 %Chicopee, MA4.8Randolph Town, MA: 4.8 %Randolph Town, MA4.8Greenfield, MA: 4.6 %Greenfield, MA4.6Lowell, MA: 4.6 %Lowell, MA4.6Palmer Town, MA: 4.6 %Palmer Town, MA4.6Chelsea, MA: 4.5 %Chelsea, MA4.5Lynn, MA: 4.5 %Lynn, MA4.5Methuen, MA: 4.5 %Methuen, MA4.5Bridgewater Town, MA: 4.3 %Bridgewater Town, MA4.3Haverhill, MA: 4.3 %Haverhill, MA4.3Leominster, MA: 4.3 %Leominster, MA4.3Peabody, MA: 4.3 %Peabody, MA4.3Winthrop Town, MA: 4.3 %Winthrop Town, MA4.3Worcester, MA: 4.3 %Worcester, MA4.3Amherst Town, MA: 4.2 %Amherst Town, MA4.2Attleboro, MA: 4.2 %Attleboro, MA4.2Pittsfield, MA: 4.2 %Pittsfield, MA4.2Revere, MA: 4.2 %Revere, MA4.2Salem, MA: 4.2 %Salem, MA4.2Boston, MA: 4.1 %Boston, MA4.1Westfield, MA: 4.1 %Westfield, MA4.1Weymouth Town, MA: 4.1 %Weymouth Town, MA4.1Marlborough, MA: 4 %Marlborough, MA4Medford, MA: 4 %Medford, MA4West Springfield Town, MA: 4 %West Springfield Town, MA4Woburn, MA: 4 %Woburn, MA4Amesbury, MA: 3.9 %Amesbury, MA3.9Malden, MA: 3.9 %Malden, MA3.9Quincy, MA: 3.9 %Quincy, MA3.9Agawam Town, MA: 3.8 %Agawam Town, MA3.8Barnstable Town, MA: 3.8 %Barnstable Town, MA3.8Beverly, MA: 3.8 %Beverly, MA3.8Franklin Town, MA: 3.8 %Franklin Town, MA3.8Melrose, MA: 3.8 %Melrose, MA3.8Easthampton, MA: 3.7 %Easthampton, MA3.7Everett, MA: 3.7 %Everett, MA3.7Framingham, MA: 3.7 %Framingham, MA3.7Newburyport, MA: 3.7 %Newburyport, MA3.7Newton, MA: 3.7 %Newton, MA3.7North Attleborough Town, MA: 3.7 %North Attleborough Town, MA3.7Waltham, MA: 3.7 %Waltham, MA3.7Braintree Town, MA: 3.6 %Braintree Town, MA3.6Watertown, MA: 3.6 %Watertown, MA3.6Northampton, MA: 3.5 %Northampton, MA3.5Somerville, MA: 3.4 %Somerville, MA3.4Cambridge, MA: 3.3 %Cambridge, MA3.3Springfield, MA: 6.4 %Springfield, MA6.4Lawrence, MA: 6 %Lawrence, MA6New Bedford, MA: 5.7 %New Bedford, MA5.7Holyoke, MA: 5.6 %Holyoke, MA5.6Fall River, MA: 5.4 %Fall River, MA5.4Southbridge Town, MA: 5.3 %Southbridge Town, MA5.3Fitchburg, MA: 5.2 %Fitchburg, MA5.2North Adams, MA: 5.1 %North Adams, MA5.1Brockton, MA: 5 %Brockton, MA5Gardner, MA: 5 %Gardner, MA5Gloucester, MA: 4.9 %Gloucester, MA4.9Taunton, MA: 4.9 %Taunton, MA4.9Chicopee, MA: 4.8 %Chicopee, MA4.8Randolph Town, MA: 4.8 %Randolph Town, MA4.8Greenfield, MA: 4.6 %Greenfield, MA4.6Lowell, MA: 4.6 %Lowell, MA4.6Palmer Town, MA: 4.6 %Palmer Town, MA4.6Chelsea, MA: 4.5 %Chelsea, MA4.5Lynn, MA: 4.5 %Lynn, MA4.5Methuen, MA: 4.5 %Methuen, MA4.5Bridgewater Town, MA: 4.3 %Bridgewater Town, MA4.3Haverhill, MA: 4.3 %Haverhill, MA4.3Leominster, MA: 4.3 %Leominster, MA4.3Peabody, MA: 4.3 %Peabody, MA4.3Winthrop Town, MA: 4.3 %Winthrop Town, MA4.3Worcester, MA: 4.3 %Worcester, MA4.3Amherst Town, MA: 4.2 %Amherst Town, MA4.2Attleboro, MA: 4.2 %Attleboro, MA4.2Pittsfield, MA: 4.2 %Pittsfield, MA4.2Revere, MA: 4.2 %Revere, MA4.2Salem, MA: 4.2 %Salem, MA4.2Boston, MA: 4.1 %Boston, MA4.1Westfield, MA: 4.1 %Westfield, MA4.1Weymouth Town, MA: 4.1 %Weymouth Town, MA4.1Marlborough, MA: 4 %Marlborough, MA4Medford, MA: 4 %Medford, MA4West Springfield Town, MA: 4 %West Springfield Town, MA4Woburn, MA: 4 %Woburn, MA4Amesbury, MA: 3.9 %Amesbury, MA3.9Malden, MA: 3.9 %Malden, MA3.9Quincy, MA: 3.9 %Quincy, MA3.9Agawam Town, MA: 3.8 %Agawam Town, MA3.8Barnstable Town, MA: 3.8 %Barnstable Town, MA3.8Beverly, MA: 3.8 %Beverly, MA3.8Franklin Town, MA: 3.8 %Franklin Town, MA3.8Melrose, MA: 3.8 %Melrose, MA3.8Easthampton, MA: 3.7 %Easthampton, MA3.7Everett, MA: 3.7 %Everett, MA3.7Framingham, MA: 3.7 %Framingham, MA3.7Newburyport, MA: 3.7 %Newburyport, MA3.7Newton, MA: 3.7 %Newton, MA3.7North Attleborough Town, MA: 3.7 %North Attleborough Town, MA3.7Waltham, MA: 3.7 %Waltham, MA3.7Braintree Town, MA: 3.6 %Braintree Town, MA3.6Watertown, MA: 3.6 %Watertown, MA3.6Northampton, MA: 3.5 %Northampton, MA3.5Somerville, MA: 3.4 %Somerville, MA3.4Cambridge, MA: 3.3 %Cambridge, MA3.3
%. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCitiesMay 2026 (%)Change on May 2025
1Springfield, MA6.4-0.2 pts
2Lawrence, MA6-0.3 pts
3New Bedford, MA5.7-0.2 pts
4Holyoke, MA5.6-0.1 pts
5Fall River, MA5.4-0.3 pts
6Southbridge Town, MA5.3-0.2 pts
7Fitchburg, MA5.2-0.1 pts
8North Adams, MA5.1-0.1 pts
9Brockton, MA5-0.3 pts
9Gardner, MA5+0.1 pts
11Gloucester, MA4.9-0.1 pts
11Taunton, MA4.9+0.1 pts
13Chicopee, MA4.8-0.4 pts
13Randolph Town, MA4.8-0.3 pts
15Greenfield, MA4.60 pts
15Lowell, MA4.6-0.3 pts
15Palmer Town, MA4.6+0.1 pts
18Chelsea, MA4.5-0.1 pts
18Lynn, MA4.5-0.3 pts
18Methuen, MA4.5-0.2 pts
21Bridgewater Town, MA4.3-0.3 pts
21Haverhill, MA4.3-0.2 pts
21Leominster, MA4.3-0.1 pts
21Peabody, MA4.30 pts
21Winthrop Town, MA4.3+0.1 pts
21Worcester, MA4.3-0.3 pts
27Amherst Town, MA4.2-0.5 pts
27Attleboro, MA4.2-0.4 pts
27Pittsfield, MA4.20 pts
27Revere, MA4.2-0.3 pts
27Salem, MA4.2-0.3 pts
32Boston, MA4.1-0.3 pts
32Westfield, MA4.1-0.8 pts
32Weymouth Town, MA4.1-0.3 pts
35Marlborough, MA4-0.1 pts
35Medford, MA4-0.1 pts
35West Springfield Town, MA4-0.6 pts
35Woburn, MA4-0.1 pts
39Amesbury, MA3.9+0.2 pts
39Malden, MA3.9-0.2 pts
39Quincy, MA3.9-0.3 pts
42Agawam Town, MA3.8-0.5 pts
42Barnstable Town, MA3.8-0.1 pts
42Beverly, MA3.8-0.4 pts
42Franklin Town, MA3.8-0.2 pts
42Melrose, MA3.80 pts
47Easthampton, MA3.7-0.3 pts
47Everett, MA3.7-0.2 pts
47Framingham, MA3.7-0.2 pts
47Newburyport, MA3.7-0.4 pts
47Newton, MA3.7-0.5 pts
47North Attleborough Town, MA3.7-0.3 pts
47Waltham, MA3.7-0.1 pts
54Braintree Town, MA3.6-0.6 pts
54Watertown, MA3.6-0.4 pts
56Northampton, MA3.5-0.4 pts
57Somerville, MA3.4-0.2 pts
58Cambridge, MA3.3-0.5 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, 2026-05) [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, 2026-05. 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=2026-05. 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, 2026-05. 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=2026-05.

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, 2026-05 [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=2026-05 (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, 2026-05}},
  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=2026-05. 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, 2026-05
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=2026-05
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/massachusetts-cities?period=2026-05.
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 6.4% in May 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate?

Cambridge, MA, with 3.3% in May 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