Unemployment Rate in California

ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates

Unemployment Rate
6.6% +23.6% vs nat'l
Rank #50 of 52
4th %ile

How California Compares

California
6.6%
National
5.3%
23.6% above

State Ranking

Rank State Value
#47 District of Columbia 6.3%
#48 New Jersey 6.3%
#49 New York 6.4%
#50 California 6.6%
#51 Nevada 6.9%
#52 Puerto Rico 10.7%
View full state ranking →

Highest Unemployment Counties in California

# County Unemployment
1 Inyo County 2.5%
2 Mono County 3.0%
3 Alpine County 4.4%
4 El Dorado County 4.5%
5 Calaveras County 4.5%
6 San Mateo County 4.8%
7 Placer County 4.8%
8 Santa Clara County 4.9%
9 Monterey County 5.0%
10 Napa County 5.2%

Lowest Unemployment Counties in California

# County Unemployment
58 Sierra County 12.6%
57 Imperial County 12.5%
56 Lake County 11.1%
55 Merced County 10.5%
54 Madera County 10.1%
53 Kings County 9.9%
52 Colusa County 9.8%
51 Tulare County 9.3%
50 Plumas County 9.1%
49 Mendocino County 9.0%

Unemployment Rate in California

California has a unemployment rate of 6.6%, ranking #50 of 52 among all 52 states and territories. This is 23.6% above the national value of 5.3%.

Across California's 58 counties, unemployment rate ranges from 12.6% to 2.5%. The county with the highest value is Inyo County at 2.5%.

Percentage of the civilian labor force that is unemployed.

About this data

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). All values are estimates derived from survey samples and are subject to margin of error. For more information, see our methodology.