Where the fewest people are out of work.
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Rankings · Highest Unemployment by City
Bakersfield, California Has the Highest Unemployment of Any Big City in America (2026)
Bakersfield, California has the highest unemployment of the 106 US cities we rank, at 7.9% (BLS, September 2026). Fresno, California is next, at 7.3%.
By The Honest Local · 106 cities · every value links to its public source
7.9%Bakersfield, California leads on the list, the highest reading of 106 citiesThe share of people who want work and can't find it, straight from the tape.
The top five cities
- No. 1Bakersfield, California7.9%unemployment rate
No. 2Fresno, California7.3%unemployment rate
No. 3Stockton, California6.2%unemployment rate
No. 4Riverside, California5.7%unemployment rate
No. 5Detroit, Michigan5.6%unemployment rate
Highest Unemployment by City on the map
Jobless Rate, cities
Loading the numbers…
Highest Unemployment by City, all 106
The full ranking
| Place | unemployment rate | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bakersfield, Californiabig city | 7.9% |
| 2 | Fresno, Californiabig city | 7.3% |
| 3 | Stockton, Californiabig city | 6.2% |
| 4 | Riverside, Californiabig city | 5.7% |
| 5 | Detroit, Michiganbig city | 5.6% |
| 5 | McAllen, Texas | 5.6% |
| 7 | Lakeland, Florida | 5.2% |
| 7 | New Haven, Connecticut | 5.2% |
| 9 | Hartford, Connecticut | 5.0% |
| 9 | Sacramento, Californiabig city | 5.0% |
| 11 | Bridgeport, Connecticut | 4.9% |
| 11 | Daytona Beach, Florida | 4.9% |
| 11 | Oxnard, California | 4.9% |
| 11 | Seattle, Washingtonbig city | 4.9% |
| 15 | Cape Coral, Florida | 4.8% |
| 15 | Las Vegas, Nevadabig city | 4.8% |
| 15 | Tucson, Arizonabig city | 4.8% |
| 18 | Albuquerque, New Mexicobig city | 4.7% |
| 18 | San Diego, Californiabig city | 4.7% |
| 18 | Sarasota, Florida | 4.7% |
| 21 | Houston, Texasbig city | 4.6% |
| 21 | Melbourne, Florida | 4.6% |
| 23 | Colorado Springs, Coloradobig city | 4.5% |
| 23 | Jacksonville, Floridabig city | 4.5% |
| 23 | Minneapolis, Minnesotabig city | 4.5% |
| 23 | New York, New Yorkbig city | 4.5% |
| 27 | Chicago, Illinoisbig city | 4.4% |
| 27 | Los Angeles, Californiabig city | 4.4% |
| 27 | Louisville, Kentuckybig city | 4.4% |
| 27 | San Francisco, Californiabig city | 4.4% |
| 31 | Denver, Coloradobig city | 4.3% |
| 31 | El Paso, Texasbig city | 4.3% |
| 31 | San Antonio, Texasbig city | 4.3% |
| 31 | Tampa, Floridabig city | 4.3% |
| 35 | Buffalo, New Yorkbig city | 4.2% |
| 35 | Orlando, Floridabig city | 4.2% |
| 35 | Phoenix, Arizonabig city | 4.2% |
| 35 | San Jose, Californiabig city | 4.2% |
| 35 | Worcester, Massachusetts | 4.2% |
| 40 | Dallas, Texasbig city | 4.1% |
| 40 | Memphis, Tennesseebig city | 4.1% |
| 40 | Portland, Oregonbig city | 4.1% |
| 40 | Rochester, New York | 4.1% |
| 40 | Vancouver, Washington | 4.1% |
| 40 | Wichita, Kansasbig city | 4.1% |
| 46 | Augusta, Georgia | 4.0% |
| 46 | Poughkeepsie, New York | 4.0% |
| 46 | Syracuse, New York | 4.0% |
| 49 | Boston, Massachusettsbig city | 3.9% |
| 49 | New Orleans, Louisianabig city | 3.9% |
| 49 | Toledo, Ohiobig city | 3.9% |
| 49 | Tulsa, Oklahomabig city | 3.9% |
| 53 | Richmond, Virginia | 3.8% |
| 53 | Virginia Beach, Virginiabig city | 3.8% |
| 55 | Albany, New York | 3.7% |
| 55 | Austin, Texasbig city | 3.7% |
| 55 | Dayton, Ohio | 3.7% |
| 55 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 3.7% |
| 55 | Oklahoma City, Oklahomabig city | 3.7% |
| 55 | Washington, DCbig city | 3.7% |
| 61 | Akron, Ohio | 3.6% |
| 61 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 3.6% |
| 61 | Cincinnati, Ohiobig city | 3.6% |
| 61 | Columbia, South Carolina | 3.6% |
| 61 | Little Rock, Arkansas | 3.6% |
| 61 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniabig city | 3.6% |
| 67 | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 3.5% |
| 67 | Atlanta, Georgiabig city | 3.5% |
| 67 | Baltimore, Marylandbig city | 3.5% |
| 67 | Birmingham, Alabama | 3.5% |
| 67 | Providence, Rhode Island | 3.5% |
| 67 | Reno, Nevadabig city | 3.5% |
| 73 | Greensboro, North Carolinabig city | 3.4% |
| 73 | Indianapolis, Indianabig city | 3.4% |
| 73 | Kansas City, Missouribig city | 3.4% |
| 73 | St. Louis, Missouribig city | 3.4% |
| 77 | Charlotte, North Carolinabig city | 3.3% |
| 77 | Columbus, Ohiobig city | 3.3% |
| 77 | Des Moines, Iowa | 3.3% |
| 77 | Greenville, South Carolina | 3.3% |
| 77 | Provo, Utah | 3.3% |
| 77 | Spokane, Washington | 3.3% |
| 83 | Charleston, South Carolina | 3.2% |
| 83 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | 3.2% |
| 83 | Miami, Floridabig city | 3.2% |
| 83 | Milwaukee, Wisconsinbig city | 3.2% |
| 83 | Salt Lake City, Utah | 3.2% |
| 83 | Winston-Salem, North Carolinabig city | 3.2% |
| 89 | Boise, Idaho | 3.1% |
| 89 | Fayetteville, Arkansas | 3.1% |
| 89 | Huntsville, Alabama | 3.1% |
| 89 | Savannah, Georgia | 3.1% |
| 93 | Honolulu, Hawaiibig city | 3.0% |
| 93 | Jackson, Mississippi | 3.0% |
| 93 | Ogden, Utah | 3.0% |
| 93 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniabig city | 3.0% |
| 97 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | 2.9% |
| 97 | Knoxville, Tennessee | 2.9% |
| 99 | Asheville, North Carolina | 2.8% |
| 99 | Durham, North Carolinabig city | 2.8% |
| 99 | Nashville, Tennesseebig city | 2.8% |
| 102 | Portland, Maine | 2.7% |
| 102 | Raleigh, North Carolinabig city | 2.7% |
| 104 | Omaha, Nebraskabig city | 2.6% |
| 105 | Madison, Wisconsinbig city | 2.5% |
| 106 | Cleveland, Ohiobig city | 1.9% |
Sources and method
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · 2026-09
How we got this. The jobless rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' metro rate for cities and its state rate for states, refreshed monthly. Cities and states each rank on their own list, lowest rate first, and places tied at the same rate share a rank. The US Virgin Islands has no series, so it's left off. It refreshes monthly, when the BLS publishes.
Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.
Photos More Than Just Parks · Shutterstock.