Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Division of Unemployment Assistance

Labor Force, Employment and Unemployment

Massachusetts and Workforce Investment Areas

(Data not seasonally adjusted)
Excel of this data
Location Labor Force Employment Unemployment Rate
  Oct
2008
Sep
2008
Oct
2007
Oct
2008
Sep
2008
Oct
2007
Oct
2008
Sep
2008
Oct
2007
Oct
2008
Sep
2008
Oct
2007
Massachusetts 3,411,800 3,396,400 3,389,100 3,241,700 3,215,900 3,258,400 170,100 180,500 130,700 5.0 % 5.3 % 3.9 %
Berkshire WIA 71,745 71,363 71,347 68,559 67,931 68,833 3,186 3,432 2,514 4.4 % 4.8 % 3.5 %
Boston WIA 306,027 304,218 302,303 290,644 287,587 290,274 15,383 16,631 12,029 5.0 % 5.5 % 4.0 %
Bristol WIA 195,140 193,717 195,362 182,671 181,039 186,517 12,469 12,678 8,845 6.4 % 6.5 % 4.5 %
Brockton WIA 122,773 121,904 122,041 116,007 114,729 116,794 6,766 7,175 5,247 5.5 % 5.9 % 4.3 %
Cape Cod and Islands WIA 138,556 144,971 138,286 132,060 138,508 133,593 6,496 6,463 4,693 4.7 % 4.5 % 3.4 %
Franklin/Hampshire WIA 134,511 132,184 134,920 128,953 126,234 130,296 5,558 5,950 4,624 4.1 % 4.5 % 3.4 %
Hampden WIA 221,911 220,224 221,204 208,402 206,325 210,574 13,509 13,899 10,630 6.1 % 6.3 % 4.8 %
Lower Merrimack Valley WIA 161,298 160,809 159,448 151,409 150,353 152,343 9,889 10,456 7,105 6.1 % 6.5 % 4.5 %
Metropolitan North WIA 410,161 407,605 406,087 392,889 388,755 392,387 17,272 18,850 13,700 4.2 % 4.6 % 3.4 %
Metropolitan South/West WIA 489,684 486,451 485,876 471,532 466,615 471,369 18,152 19,836 14,507 3.7 % 4.1 % 3.0 %
New Bedford WIA 104,862 104,986 104,415 97,591 97,508 99,190 7,271 7,478 5,225 6.9 % 7.1 % 5.0 %
Northern Middlesex WIA 145,382 144,381 143,904 137,850 136,339 138,213 7,532 8,042 5,691 5.2 % 5.6 % 4.0 %
Northern Worcester WIA 125,034 124,005 124,513 118,055 116,703 119,225 6,979 7,302 5,288 5.6 % 5.9 % 4.2 %
South Coastal WIA 283,932 282,017 280,626 270,104 267,256 269,912 13,828 14,761 10,714 4.9 % 5.2 % 3.8 %
South Essex WIA 215,412 214,031 213,254 204,720 202,707 205,139 10,692 11,324 8,115 5.0 % 5.3 % 3.8 %
Southern Worcester WIA 285,393 283,551 285,490 270,289 267,299 273,762 15,104 16,252 11,728 5.3 % 5.7 % 4.1 %