The employment market is continuing to move in a positive direction, as the latest jobs report shows that the national unemployment rate has fallen to 11.1%, which is 25% below the peak of 14.7% during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. To provide more context at the city level, WalletHub today released its report on the Cities Whose Unemployment Rates Are Bouncing Back Most, as a follow-up to our report on the States Whose Unemployment Claims Are Recovering the Quickest, along with accompanying videos and audio files.
This report uses new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which recently disclosed that it erroneously didn’t count many workers on temporary layoffs as unemployed. Therefore, the real unemployment rate may be around 11 percent higher than reported, and our report includes both the official rate and an “adjusted” rate based on this error.
Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A.| Most Recovered Cities | |
| 1. Lexington-Fayette, KY | 11. West Valley City, UT |
| 2. Louisville, KY | 12. Augusta, GA |
| 3. Bismarck, ND | 13. Durham, NC |
| 4. Nampa, ID | 14. Tallahassee, FL |
| 5. Cheyenne, WY | 15. Lubbock, TX |
| 6. Las Cruces, NM | 16. Albuquerque, NM |
| 7. Washington, DC | 17. Lewiston, ME |
| 8. Billings, MT | 18. Fort Smith, AR |
| 9. Amarillo, TX | 19. Plano, TX |
| 10. Boise, ID | 20. Raleigh, NC |
