Here's how unemployment in Kent County, Rhode Island compares

Kent County's unemployment rate in December was 2.9%—ranked #3 highest out of 5 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 Kent County over time, and how it stacks up within Rhode Island and across the nation.

The unemployment rate in Kent County is 0.8 percentage points below the national level, and 0.3 percentage points below the state level. It ranks #3 among counties in Rhode Island—ranked first by the preliminary December 2023 unemployment rate, then breaking ties by the number of unemployed people. It trails behind Newport County, with an unemployment rate of 3.1%, but surpasses Bristol County (2.7%).

In real terms, it means an estimated 2,700 of Kent County's approximately 94,192 working residents are out of a job at the moment. That's 36 fewer than last month and 799 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.