Here's how unemployment in Cape May County, New Jersey compares

Cape May County's unemployment rate in December was 9.9%—ranked #1 highest out of 21 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 Cape May County over time, and how it stacks up within New Jersey and across the nation.

The unemployment rate in Cape May County is 6.2 percentage points above the national level, and 5.1 percentage points above the state level. It ranks #1 among counties in New Jersey—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 Cumberland County (6.9%).

In real terms, it means an estimated 4,714 of Cape May County's approximately 47,400 working residents are out of a job at the moment. That's 898 more than last month and 1,163 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.