Here's how unemployment in Imperial County, California compares

Imperial County's unemployment rate in December was 18.3%—ranked #1 highest out of 58 in the state.

Nationally, unemployment has leveled with pre-COVID rates, measuring between 3.5% and 4% for most of the past two years. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed a 3.7% unemployment rate in January. Previously, unemployment skyrocketed to 14.7% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, and those rates remained elevated through late 2021.

Though national unemployment has mostly normalized, local economies vary widely. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to analyze unemployment in Imperial County over time, and how it stacks up within California and across the nation.

The unemployment rate in Imperial County is 14.6 percentage points above the national level, and 13.2 percentage points above the state level. It ranks #1 among counties in California—ranked first by the preliminary December 2023 unemployment rate, then breaking ties by the number of unemployed people. It has the highest unemployment in the state, followed by Colusa County (16.2%).

In real terms, it means an estimated 13,543 of Imperial County's approximately 73,987 working residents are out of a job at the moment. That's 622 fewer than last month and 2,558 more than a year ago. Some economists fret another recession may be on the horizon, which would drive unemployment up with business closures and layoffs.

This story was produced using automation across 3,100 counties, boroughs, and parishes, based on writing and data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.