Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, Stacker compiled a list of parishes with the highest unemployment rate in Louisiana using data from the BLS. Parishes are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.
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1 / 50
#50. Lafourche Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.0%
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 40,507 (1,230 unemployed)
2 / 50
#49. Sabine Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.0%
--- 1 month change: +0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 9,216 (274 unemployed)
3 / 50
#48. St. Charles Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.0%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 25,081 (753 unemployed)
4 / 50
#47. West Baton Rouge Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.0%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 13,826 (421 unemployed)
5 / 50
#46. Jefferson Davis Parish
6 / 50
#45. Red River Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.1%
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 3,776 (118 unemployed)
7 / 50
#44. Vermilion Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 24,342 (774 unemployed)
8 / 50
#43. Acadia Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 24,157 (806 unemployed)
9 / 50
#42. Calcasieu Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 98,621 (3,214 unemployed)
10 / 50
#41. East Baton Rouge Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 230,651 (7,622 unemployed)
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11 / 50
#40. Caldwell Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 3,657 (126 unemployed)
12 / 50
#39. Claiborne Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 5,312 (183 unemployed)
13 / 50
#38. Lincoln Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
- Total labor force: 20,173 (677 unemployed)
14 / 50
#37. Ouachita Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 69,440 (2,361 unemployed)
15 / 50
#36. DeSoto Parish
16 / 50
#35. St. Martin Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 22,378 (781 unemployed)
17 / 50
#34. Vernon Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.5%
--- 1 month change: +0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.4%
- Total labor force: 15,660 (551 unemployed)
18 / 50
#33. Jefferson Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 213,504 (7,587 unemployed)
19 / 50
#32. Natchitoches Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.4%
- Total labor force: 16,314 (588 unemployed)
21 / 50
#30. Winn Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 4,523 (161 unemployed)
22 / 50
#29. Catahoula Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 3,481 (130 unemployed)
23 / 50
#28. Pointe Coupee Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 9,676 (354 unemployed)
24 / 50
#27. Terrebonne Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -3.3%
- Total labor force: 44,619 (1,635 unemployed)
25 / 50
#26. Avoyelles Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 14,198 (534 unemployed)
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26 / 50
#25. Bienville Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 5,313 (203 unemployed)
27 / 50
#24. Evangeline Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 11,790 (450 unemployed)
28 / 50
#23. Richland Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 8,237 (313 unemployed)
29 / 50
#22. Allen Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 7,856 (303 unemployed)
30 / 50
#21. Webster Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 14,283 (561 unemployed)
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31 / 50
#20. Caddo Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 102,824 (4,200 unemployed)
32 / 50
#19. Washington Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 16,680 (676 unemployed)
33 / 50
#18. Concordia Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 7,017 (298 unemployed)
34 / 50
#17. St. Bernard Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 20,314 (849 unemployed)
35 / 50
#16. Iberia Parish
36 / 50
#15. Tangipahoa Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 56,753 (2,443 unemployed)
37 / 50
#14. St. Landry Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 31,783 (1,404 unemployed)
38 / 50
#13. St. Mary Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 19,266 (841 unemployed)
39 / 50
#12. Tensas Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
- Total labor force: 1,325 (61 unemployed)
40 / 50
#11. Franklin Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.7%
--- 1 month change: +0.1%
--- 1 year change: -0.1%
- Total labor force: 7,412 (345 unemployed)
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41 / 50
#10. Iberville Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 13,804 (655 unemployed)
42 / 50
#9. St. James Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -2.9%
- Total labor force: 9,052 (424 unemployed)
43 / 50
#8. West Carroll Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 4.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 3,561 (171 unemployed)
44 / 50
#7. New Orleans
- Current unemployment rate: 4.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -3.2%
- Total labor force: 179,834 (8,729 unemployed)
45 / 50
#6. Assumption Parish
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#5. Madison Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 5.0%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 3,354 (167 unemployed)
47 / 50
#4. St. John the Baptist Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -4.0%
- Total labor force: 19,418 (994 unemployed)
48 / 50
#3. Morehouse Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 5.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 9,887 (525 unemployed)
49 / 50
#2. St. Helena Parish
- Current unemployment rate: 5.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -2.3%
- Total labor force: 4,248 (245 unemployed)
50 / 50
#1. East Carroll Parish
