December 2024

Released January 28, 2025

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United States Employment Snapshot

• In December, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 7, rose in 25, and remained unchanged in 19.

• The highest unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in Nevada, and the lowest was 1.9 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.1 percent.

• In December, payroll jobs rose in 43 states and fell in 7. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.4 percent in Missouri. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.2 percent in Vermont.

Massachusetts Employment Snapshot

• In December, Massachusetts added 6,000 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point to 4.1 percent. In the prior month, Massachusetts lost 1,500 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, Massachusetts added 26,200 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.9 percentage points from 3.2 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 256,000 in December, or 0.2 percent. Massachusetts is tied for 43rd in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In December, Massachusetts’s private sector added 6,100 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 20,200 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Massachusetts lost 2,400 net private payroll jobs.

• In December, employment in Massachusetts rose by 1,027, and over the past 12 months it rose by 73,643.

• Massachusetts’s labor force participation rate rose to 66.5 percent in December from 66.4 percent and ranks 9th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has risen by 1.6 percentage points.

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Massachusetts Payroll Employment

• Massachusetts added 6,000 net payroll jobs, or 0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during December. In the prior month, Massachusetts lost 1,500 jobs. Massachusetts nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 5 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 256,000 in December, or 0.2 percent. Massachusetts is tied for 43rd in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• Massachusetts added 6,100 private sector jobs, or 0.2 percent. on a seasonally adjusted basis during December. In the prior month, Massachusetts lost 2,400 jobs. Massachusetts private sector payroll employment has increased in 6 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 223,000 jobs in December, or 0.2 percent. Massachusetts is tied for 40th in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• The best performing sectors on a seasonally adjusted basis during December were Education and Health Services (4,200) and Professional and Business Services (1,800).

• The poorest performing sectors during the month were Construction (-500) and Financial Activities (-600).

• The best performing sectors during the last 12 months were Education and Health Services (18,900) and Leisure and Hospitality (6,700).

• The poorest performing sectors during the last 12 months were Manufacturing (-4,700) and Information (-5,400).

Massachusetts Labor Force

The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.

• The labor force participation rate in Massachusetts rose to 66.5 percent in December from 66.4 percent in the prior month.

• Massachusetts ranks 9th in the nation.

• The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Massachusetts was 67.4 percent in January 2019, and the 10-year low was 60.8 percent in April 2020.

• The national labor force participation rate remained steady at 62.5 percent in December.