Cities Whose Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most

Adam McCann, Financial WriterApr 27, 2022

2020s cities whose september unemployment rates are bouncing back

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Apr 27, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic was disastrous for U.S. employment, but the job market has healed a lot due to the distribution of the vaccine and the loosening of most restrictions. The national unemployment rate is currently at 3.6%, which is 76% lower than the peak of 14.7% during the height of the pandemic, but still slightly above the historic low it experienced prior to the coronavirus crisis. Some cities’ jobs have weathered the storm better than others, though.

In order to identify where workers have been most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub compared 180 cities based on five key metrics. We looked at the change in each city’s unemployment during the latest month for which we have data (March 2022) compared to March 2019, March 2020, March 2021 and January 2020. We also considered each city’s overall unemployment rate.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

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Cities Whose Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most

Overall Rank	City	Unemployment Rate (March 2022)	Change in Unemployment (March 2022 vs March 2019)	Change in Unemployment (March 2022 vs January 2020)	Change in Unemployment (March 2022 vs March 2020)	Change in Unemployment (March 2022 vs March 2021)
1	Scottsdale, AZ	1.90%	-44.89%	-47.40%	-55.41%	-53.77%
2	Tempe, AZ	2.10%	-46.45%	-48.11%	-58.81%	-55.61%
3	Gilbert, AZ	1.90%	-43.88%	-44.50%	-52.06%	-50.99%
4	Burlington, VT	1.50%	-21.43%	-27.54%	-37.20%	-63.88%
5	Chandler, AZ	2.10%	-41.36%	-41.75%	-51.59%	-53.17%
6	Mesa, AZ	2.40%	-40.07%	-43.95%	-51.58%	-54.60%
7	Glendale, AZ	2.60%	-41.33%	-43.12%	-51.40%	-58.36%
8	South Burlington, VT	1.40%	-14.97%	-23.19%	-28.05%	-57.60%
9	Peoria, AZ	2.40%	-39.70%	-42.85%	-50.18%	-52.85%
10	Phoenix, AZ	2.60%	-38.80%	-40.43%	-49.41%	-55.84%
11	Warwick, RI	2.30%	-28.44%	-33.72%	-46.33%	-54.23%
12	Reno, NV	2.50%	-30.20%	-28.23%	-53.89%	-55.38%
13	Seattle, WA	2.10%	-23.40%	-11.19%	-60.43%	-50.88%
14	St. Petersburg, FL	2.40%	-20.56%	-16.86%	-53.56%	-49.98%
15	Tucson, AZ	3.10%	-34.45%	-38.47%	-47.29%	-52.68%
16	Huntsville, AL	2.10%	-33.56%	-31.90%	-38.32%	-32.61%
17	Lincoln, NE	2.10%	-27.48%	-26.88%	-51.85%	-30.06%
18	Billings, MT	2.50%	-33.33%	-36.45%	-40.34%	-36.14%
19	St. Paul, MN	2.60%	-24.39%	-25.77%	-46.55%	-45.02%
20	Minneapolis, MN	2.40%	-22.52%	-18.84%	-44.24%	-44.32%
21	Tampa, FL	2.60%	-17.87%	-13.13%	-52.87%	-48.01%
22	Rapid City, SD	2.20%	-31.05%	-24.03%	-31.83%	-33.39%
23	Fort Wayne, IN	2.70%	-18.50%	-25.31%	-36.69%	-47.46%
24	San Jose, CA	2.60%	-9.02%	-7.90%	-34.61%	-56.71%
25	Port St. Lucie, FL	2.70%	-18.82%	-17.16%	-46.68%	-44.81%
26	Missoula, MT	2.70%	-25.56%	-36.33%	-41.31%	-35.08%
27	Salt Lake City, UT	2.10%	-19.60%	-17.12%	-30.90%	-34.64%
28	Cape Coral, FL	2.60%	-18.66%	-17.13%	-43.99%	-43.23%
29	Manchester, NH	2.60%	-16.25%	-19.54%	-26.57%	-50.09%
30	Pembroke Pines, FL	2.50%	-13.40%	-7.73%	-52.47%	-43.35%
31	Gulfport, MS	3.60%	-26.47%	-27.75%	-58.21%	-52.21%
32	Knoxville, TN	2.50%	-19.43%	-20.72%	-26.31%	-41.68%
33	Jacksonville, FL	2.70%	-16.16%	-12.76%	-44.63%	-44.50%
34	Charleston, WV	3.30%	-28.23%	-25.05%	-34.74%	-50.07%
35	Fort Lauderdale, FL	3.00%	-7.76%	-2.47%	-55.30%	-53.62%
36	Fremont, CA	2.70%	-6.03%	-3.91%	-31.90%	-53.27%
37	Tallahassee, FL	2.80%	-13.50%	-13.70%	-42.87%	-43.34%
38	Nashua, NH	2.90%	-17.50%	-24.02%	-31.71%	-43.25%
39	Las Cruces, NM	3.50%	-24.55%	-38.08%	-46.74%	-42.72%
40	Omaha, NE	2.70%	-25.97%	-25.69%	-51.34%	-23.86%
41	San Francisco, CA	2.50%	2.42%	5.99%	-28.10%	-55.38%
42	Madison, WI	2.00%	-10.36%	-2.71%	-6.49%	-38.09%
43	Jackson, MS	3.90%	-28.39%	-22.74%	-53.91%	-50.58%
44	Juneau, AK	3.30%	-30.32%	-18.41%	-28.64%	-42.90%
45	Providence, RI	3.70%	-26.63%	-22.58%	-38.79%	-49.44%
46	Virginia Beach, VA	2.60%	-16.48%	-10.96%	-11.82%	-39.64%
47	Indianapolis, IN	3.00%	-12.69%	-11.21%	-24.64%	-47.10%
48	Sioux Falls, SD	2.40%	-14.44%	-10.62%	-17.06%	-30.41%
49	West Valley City, UT	2.60%	-14.50%	-13.12%	-19.84%	-33.01%
50	Chesapeake, VA	2.70%	-15.81%	-9.61%	-11.47%	-38.86%
51	Fresno, CA	4.30%	-29.36%	-27.41%	-47.75%	-50.26%
52	Irvine, CA	2.90%	1.77%	2.53%	-25.33%	-49.89%
53	Boise, ID	2.50%	-3.38%	-12.36%	-10.85%	-35.16%
54	Plano, TX	2.80%	-2.49%	-1.34%	-32.53%	-39.61%
55	Fort Smith, AR	3.10%	-7.61%	-22.21%	-39.74%	-32.25%
56	Oxnard, CA	4.00%	-13.95%	-21.46%	-39.92%	-51.87%
57	Santa Rosa, CA	3.20%	-0.99%	1.92%	-26.75%	-52.52%
58	Santa Ana, CA	3.20%	1.30%	6.97%	-22.44%	-56.63%
59	Bakersfield, CA	4.40%	-24.13%	-27.94%	-46.61%	-49.58%
60	Columbus, OH	3.40%	-0.28%	-18.84%	-21.31%	-49.70%
61	Oceanside, CA	3.50%	-4.75%	0.83%	-27.26%	-54.93%
62	Austin, TX	2.60%	9.48%	8.89%	-28.08%	-41.69%
63	Orlando, FL	3.00%	8.83%	12.80%	-34.84%	-50.21%
64	San Diego, CA	3.30%	0.90%	2.42%	-26.20%	-52.22%
65	Cheyenne, WY	3.40%	-8.77%	-28.11%	-45.51%	-28.44%
66	Garden Grove, CA	3.50%	3.40%	6.83%	-25.99%	-59.42%
67	Nashville, TN	2.70%	3.27%	2.25%	-8.18%	-43.31%
68	Huntington Beach, CA	3.20%	4.42%	6.52%	-23.49%	-52.12%
69	Overland Park, KS	2.40%	-14.09%	-6.13%	-22.50%	-14.85%
70	Mobile, AL	3.70%	-20.49%	-21.45%	-32.39%	-35.17%
71	Birmingham, AL	3.40%	-16.53%	-19.45%	-26.77%	-32.46%
72	Anaheim, CA	3.40%	3.90%	9.58%	-23.16%	-57.28%
73	Huntington, WV	3.70%	-20.04%	-16.05%	-25.57%	-39.93%
74	Chattanooga, TN	3.30%	-8.13%	-14.98%	-18.62%	-39.22%
75	Oklahoma City, OK	2.80%	-0.12%	-1.04%	-10.26%	-38.75%
76	Springfield, MO	2.90%	-0.55%	-9.63%	-13.45%	-35.60%
77	Amarillo, TX	2.70%	5.92%	9.86%	-23.39%	-37.98%
78	Durham, NC	3.00%	-7.46%	-5.31%	-17.30%	-33.03%
79	Lexington-Fayette, KY	3.10%	-15.45%	-5.00%	-20.85%	-29.82%
80	Pittsburgh, PA	4.00%	-14.34%	-18.99%	-30.66%	-43.29%
81	Modesto, CA	4.60%	-23.14%	-20.16%	-43.00%	-48.50%
82	Lubbock, TX	3.00%	2.56%	11.70%	-21.49%	-41.67%
83	Raleigh, NC	3.20%	-10.34%	-5.15%	-18.49%	-32.90%
84	Bismarck, ND	2.80%	-7.02%	3.78%	-4.85%	-29.51%
85	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	3.20%	7.94%	10.84%	-20.01%	-45.37%
86	Riverside, CA	3.80%	-0.42%	1.00%	-26.03%	-49.04%
87	Oakland, CA	3.90%	3.25%	4.10%	-26.67%	-54.08%
88	Nampa, ID	3.10%	1.26%	-16.70%	-14.13%	-27.89%
89	Montgomery, AL	3.50%	-6.91%	-9.06%	-19.17%	-34.90%
90	Anchorage, AK	4.00%	-17.31%	-6.43%	-22.94%	-41.37%
91	Tulsa, OK	3.20%	1.43%	-1.99%	-13.55%	-36.05%
92	Cedar Rapids, IA	3.60%	2.99%	-5.27%	-14.06%	-45.77%
93	Chula Vista, CA	3.90%	7.18%	2.04%	-25.32%	-53.48%
94	Cincinnati, OH	3.80%	-2.45%	-22.34%	-24.51%	-34.81%
95	Boston, MA	3.10%	14.52%	9.04%	5.74%	-49.65%
96	Baton Rouge, LA	4.00%	4.19%	-23.11%	-47.44%	-32.09%
97	Toledo, OH	4.60%	-11.42%	-28.32%	-31.67%	-42.28%
98	Colorado Springs, CO	3.60%	16.29%	13.22%	-40.75%	-44.24%
99	Albuquerque, NM	4.00%	-5.54%	-14.07%	-29.80%	-34.85%
100	Fort Worth, TX	3.60%	9.22%	12.08%	-27.81%	-43.86%
101	Garland, TX	3.40%	9.57%	10.80%	-25.03%	-39.29%
102	Grand Prairie, TX	3.60%	9.17%	9.20%	-22.21%	-44.51%
103	Dallas, TX	3.60%	10.38%	13.82%	-25.75%	-44.41%
104	Arlington, TX	3.50%	13.51%	12.57%	-23.31%	-43.08%
105	Little Rock, AR	3.70%	12.45%	1.71%	-33.91%	-38.59%
106	Akron, OH	4.80%	-11.33%	-23.59%	-30.03%	-43.38%
107	San Antonio, TX	3.50%	15.75%	14.09%	-23.93%	-41.59%
108	Irving, TX	3.40%	14.09%	17.20%	-20.56%	-40.31%
109	Portland, ME	3.00%	20.88%	26.75%	-5.95%	-41.81%
110	Sacramento, CA	4.20%	3.64%	6.63%	-21.51%	-48.93%
111	Newport News, VA	3.80%	-1.69%	-0.30%	-0.24%	-40.48%
112	Norfolk, VA	3.80%	-2.09%	4.57%	2.18%	-42.42%
113	Fontana, CA	4.00%	11.41%	14.36%	-21.54%	-49.95%
114	Fargo, ND	2.70%	11.09%	14.29%	6.56%	-26.04%
115	Miami, FL	2.80%	-13.32%	82.35%	42.04%	-56.47%
116	Moreno Valley, CA	4.60%	0.46%	5.77%	-25.47%	-53.28%
117	Richmond, VA	3.70%	1.18%	6.32%	3.49%	-41.25%
118	Atlanta, GA	3.90%	-0.37%	-0.84%	-21.39%	-30.70%
119	Casper, WY	4.50%	5.17%	-16.48%	-33.37%	-37.04%
120	New Haven, CT	4.40%	1.35%	-2.89%	-6.97%	-47.96%
121	Aurora, IL	4.30%	-15.64%	3.76%	-18.35%	-33.90%
122	Winston-Salem, NC	3.90%	0.39%	-0.37%	-10.81%	-32.76%
123	Henderson, NV	4.40%	11.33%	14.93%	-33.39%	-48.33%
124	Columbia, SC	3.50%	-1.53%	5.99%	1.73%	-26.79%
125	Salem, OR	4.00%	-4.82%	8.24%	-8.88%	-33.74%
126	Worcester, MA	4.10%	10.23%	4.05%	3.65%	-47.66%
127	Santa Clarita, CA	4.60%	11.85%	4.10%	-24.45%	-49.38%
128	Charlotte, NC	3.80%	6.71%	7.18%	-7.39%	-30.93%
129	Grand Rapids, MI	4.30%	-5.13%	12.51%	-6.33%	-38.09%
130	El Paso, TX	4.10%	14.30%	13.10%	-20.18%	-38.29%
131	Long Beach, CA	5.00%	11.14%	4.40%	-25.06%	-54.21%
132	Houston, TX	4.30%	15.22%	12.02%	-25.30%	-40.81%
133	Des Moines, IA	4.30%	-0.04%	-0.46%	-2.54%	-33.02%
134	Laredo, TX	4.30%	16.85%	9.75%	-22.85%	-38.14%
135	Ontario, CA	4.10%	20.99%	24.06%	-11.83%	-44.76%
136	Yonkers, NY	4.60%	9.73%	-5.53%	-18.16%	-36.15%
137	Shreveport, LA	4.70%	9.17%	-14.00%	-37.20%	-27.57%
138	Portland, OR	3.90%	12.26%	30.69%	5.36%	-41.39%
139	Los Angeles, CA	5.00%	12.13%	7.89%	-23.94%	-49.32%
140	Charleston, SC	2.90%	15.73%	25.37%	14.60%	-18.15%
141	Buffalo, NY	5.30%	1.49%	-11.84%	-23.01%	-42.51%
142	Wichita, KS	4.00%	10.02%	6.39%	-7.95%	-24.98%
143	Hialeah, FL	3.00%	-11.16%	89.07%	85.35%	-56.44%
144	Augusta, GA	4.60%	-5.21%	-12.56%	-7.43%	-22.01%
145	Kansas City, MO	4.10%	14.44%	17.57%	-0.93%	-33.77%
146	Jersey City, NJ	4.20%	29.82%	15.80%	5.17%	-46.39%
147	Glendale, CA	4.90%	19.57%	14.98%	-18.21%	-49.25%
148	Columbus, GA	4.60%	-5.83%	-5.65%	-7.44%	-21.38%
149	Denver, CO	3.80%	47.59%	40.82%	-26.39%	-41.69%
150	Las Vegas, NV	5.20%	15.96%	21.30%	-31.37%	-50.17%
151	Greensboro, NC	4.40%	7.38%	8.30%	-4.70%	-29.18%
152	Stockton, CA	6.40%	-16.08%	-15.66%	-40.21%	-43.98%
153	Rochester, NY	5.70%	2.89%	-11.10%	-23.16%	-39.59%
154	San Bernardino, CA	5.50%	10.73%	15.57%	-18.60%	-51.29%
155	Memphis, TN	5.10%	13.90%	6.41%	0.73%	-43.01%
156	Honolulu, HI	3.20%	25.25%	42.77%	65.69%	-38.51%
157	Chicago, IL	5.00%	15.93%	21.53%	-25.94%	-35.51%
158	Corpus Christi, TX	5.00%	18.93%	15.22%	-17.17%	-34.53%
159	Spokane, WA	5.40%	-16.72%	-5.54%	-8.74%	-16.28%
160	Aurora, CO	4.30%	53.05%	45.41%	-24.82%	-41.02%
161	Lewiston, ME	4.20%	20.69%	32.33%	19.45%	-28.06%
162	St. Louis, MO	4.80%	19.78%	26.29%	5.60%	-32.51%
163	Vancouver, WA	5.10%	-1.39%	9.40%	4.42%	-18.78%
164	Milwaukee, WI	5.00%	19.47%	29.38%	10.04%	-33.24%
165	Baltimore, MD	5.80%	19.13%	-2.23%	-21.96%	-25.88%
166	Brownsville, TX	6.10%	18.80%	-3.04%	-25.16%	-30.97%
167	Louisville, KY	4.60%	8.89%	23.32%	3.10%	-7.33%
168	Newark, NJ	6.60%	14.12%	-0.43%	-7.75%	-48.28%
169	Philadelphia, PA	6.30%	11.72%	3.18%	-11.33%	-38.87%
170	Washington, DC	5.70%	-3.10%	-1.89%	-10.43%	-11.57%
171	Wilmington, DE	6.20%	10.38%	11.01%	-16.49%	-33.94%
172	Tacoma, WA	5.80%	-0.59%	8.36%	-3.26%	-20.10%
173	Bridgeport, CT	6.60%	9.03%	6.74%	-2.71%	-43.30%
174	Fayetteville, NC	5.90%	13.12%	10.89%	-2.10%	-24.57%
175	North Las Vegas, NV	6.30%	33.23%	35.72%	-23.38%	-45.56%
176	New Orleans, LA	5.90%	50.43%	17.85%	-15.24%	-25.52%
177	New York, NY	6.10%	40.07%	46.03%	25.50%	-47.96%
178	Dover, DE	6.80%	39.82%	28.17%	-19.05%	-26.22%
179	Cleveland, OH	8.20%	33.25%	21.43%	3.85%	-10.62%
180	Detroit, MI	10.00%	3.63%	15.91%	1.61%	-30.07%

artwork 2020 covid 19 unemployment city v14

Ask the Experts

The high national rate of unemployment has left many Americans wondering how they will make it through the pandemic. In order to provide insight on how to help the unemployed during this crisis, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the experts below to see their bios and responses to the following key questions:

What are some measures local authorities can take to assist the unemployed?
Given the current state of the economy how long will it take for unemployment rates to return to pre-crisis levels?
What can those that are newly unemployed be doing right now?
How has unemployment impacted the current shift in the supply and demand chain of the labor market?

Ask the Experts

Jonathan H. Westover
Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Organizational Leadership in the Woodbury School of Business; Academic Director of the UVU Center for Social Impact and the UVU SIMLab – Utah Valley University
Read More

Geoffrey Carliner
Ph.D., Lecturer, Department of Economics – Boston University
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Ernie Goss
Ph.D. – MacAllister Chair & Professor of Economics – Creighton University
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the cities where unemployment is most impacted by COVID-19, WalletHub compared 180 of the largest cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least one of the most populated cities in each state — across two categories. In the first category, we compared the change in unemployment for the latest month for which we had data (March 2022) to March 2019, March 2020, March 2021 and January 2020, in order to show the impact since 2019 and since the beginning of the pandemic. In the second category, we looked at each city’s overall unemployment rate. We then used the average of those categories to rank-order the cities.

Change in Unemployment - Total Points: 50

Change in Unemployment in March 2022 vs. March 2019: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)
Change in Unemployment in March 2022 vs. January 2020: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)
Change in Unemployment in March 2022 vs. March 2020: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)
Change in Unemployment in March 2022 vs. March 2021: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)

Unemployment Rate - Total Points: 50

Unemployment Rate (March 2022): Full Weight (~50.00 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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