California unemployment statistics
The following is a list of California unemployment statistics.
Many of the counties with the lowest unemployment rates had relatively high levels of income. They were also located in Northern California, with two exceptions: Orange and San Luis Obispo counties. The counties with the highest unemployment rates were generally located in inland areas and had lower levels of income.
California has had an average unemployment rate of 7.5 percent for each year since 1976. Since that year, it has reached 10.0 percent or more on two occasions: 1982 and during the Great Recession. In 2013, unemployment fell below 10.0 percent to 8.9 percent. Unemployment rates in California reached historic lows in 2000 and 2006. Unemployment rates in California were relatively low during the early 2000s.
Statewide unemployment
Data released December 13, 2017 for November 2017.| Population in labor force | 19,393,427 |
| Population employed | 18,509,133 |
| Population unemployed | 884,294 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% |
Unemployment by county
Data released March 7, 2014 for January 2014, except population data.| County | Population | Labor force | Employed | Unemployed | Unemp. rate |
| Alameda | 1,494,876 | 779,100 | 726,500 | 52,600 | 6.7 |
| Alpine | 1,167 | 390 | 350 | 40 | 10.7 |
| Amador | 38,244 | 15,700 | 14,170 | 1,530 | 9.8 |
| Butte | 219,309 | 104,500 | 94,100 | 10,500 | 10.0 |
| Calaveras | 45,794 | 19,030 | 17,090 | 1,940 | 10.2 |
| Colusa | 21,297 | 11,040 | 8,180 | 2,860 | 25.9 |
| Contra Costa | 1,037,817 | 537,700 | 500,100 | 37,600 | 7.0 |
| Del Norte | 28,561 | 10,920 | 9,670 | 1,260 | 11.5 |
| El Dorado | 179,878 | 89,100 | 81,900 | 7,200 | 8.1 |
| Fresno | 920,623 | 446,800 | 386,000 | 60,800 | 13.6 |
| Glenn | 28,027 | 12,880 | 11,210 | 1,670 | 13.0 |
| Humboldt | 133,585 | 57,600 | 52,700 | 4,900 | 8.5 |
| Imperial | 171,343 | 80,500 | 62,800 | 17,700 | 22.0 |
| Inyo | 18,457 | 8,930 | 8,190 | 740 | 8.3 |
| Kern | 829,254 | 393,700 | 345,400 | 48,300 | 12.3 |
| Kings | 152,335 | 59,000 | 50,200 | 8,800 | 14.9 |
| Lake | 64,392 | 26,710 | 23,550 | 3,160 | 11.8 |
| Lassen | 35,001 | 12,690 | 11,240 | 1,450 | 11.4 |
| Los Angeles | 9,787,747 | 4,930,500 | 4,487,800 | 442,700 | 9.0 |
| Madera | 149,611 | 68,500 | 60,300 | 8,200 | 12.0 |
| Marin | 250,666 | 142,400 | 135,700 | 6,700 | 4.7 |
| Mariposa | 18,290 | 9,230 | 8,270 | 970 | 10.5 |
| Mendocino | 87,525 | 43,080 | 39,730 | 3,340 | 7.8 |
| Merced | 253,606 | 112,900 | 94,900 | 18,000 | 15.9 |
| Modoc | 9,587 | 3,560 | 3,100 | 460 | 13.0 |
| Mono | 14,016 | 8,410 | 7,770 | 640 | 7.6 |
| Monterey | 411,385 | 215,400 | 187,000 | 28,300 | 13.2 |
| Napa | 135,377 | 77,300 | 72,300 | 5,000 | 6.4 |
| Nevada | 98,392 | 49,870 | 46,240 | 3,630 | 7.3 |
| Orange | 2,989,948 | 1,615,400 | 1,521,900 | 93,500 | 5.8 |
| Placer | 343,554 | 178,500 | 165,900 | 12,500 | 7.0 |
| Plumas | 20,192 | 9,040 | 7,760 | 1,290 | 14.2 |
| Riverside | 2,154,844 | 957,000 | 866,300 | 90,700 | 9.5 |
| Sacramento | 1,408,480 | 677,300 | 621,400 | 55,900 | 8.2 |
| San Benito | 54,873 | 27,300 | 23,900 | 3,400 | 12.6 |
| San Bernardino | 2,023,452 | 870,200 | 788,100 | 82,200 | 9.4 |
| San Diego | 3,060,849 | 1,588,400 | 1,477,400 | 111,000 | 7.0 |
| San Francisco | 797,983 | 488,300 | 462,600 | 25,700 | 5.3 |
| San Joaquin | 680,277 | 295,800 | 256,800 | 39,000 | 13.2 |
| San Luis Obispo | 267,871 | 140,500 | 131,800 | 8,700 | 6.2 |
| San Mateo | 711,622 | 404,500 | 384,500 | 19,900 | 4.9 |
| Santa Barbara | 419,793 | 220,400 | 204,500 | 16,000 | 7.2 |
| Santa Clara | 1,762,754 | 928,200 | 871,300 | 57,000 | 6.1 |
| Santa Cruz | 259,402 | 148,100 | 131,600 | 16,400 | 11.1 |
| Shasta | 177,231 | 81,000 | 72,300 | 8,700 | 10.7 |
| Sierra | 3,277 | 1,420 | 1,240 | 190 | 13.1 |
| Siskiyou | 44,687 | 17,970 | 15,290 | 2,680 | 14.9 |
| Solano | 411,620 | 216,400 | 198,900 | 17,500 | 8.1 |
| Sonoma | 478,551 | 260,600 | 244,400 | 16,100 | 6.2 |
| Stanislaus | 512,469 | 238,200 | 206,600 | 31,600 | 13.3 |
| Sutter | 94,192 | 41,200 | 34,500 | 6,700 | 16.2 |
| Tehama | 62,985 | 25,270 | 22,430 | 2,840 | 11.3 |
| Trinity | 13,711 | 4,930 | 4,320 | 610 | 12.4 |
| Tulare | 436,234 | 205,300 | 174,100 | 31,100 | 15.2 |
| Tuolumne | 55,736 | 23,940 | 21,620 | 2,320 | 9.7 |
| Ventura | 815,745 | 432,100 | 399,700 | 32,400 | 7.5 |
| Yolo | 198,889 | 99,700 | 89,100 | 10,600 | 10.6 |
| Yuba | 71,817 | 26,500 | 22,600 | 3,900 | 14.5 |
Historical statewide unemployment rates
The unemployment rates in this table are annual averages without seasonal adjustment. The 1976-1989 rates are based on the March 2004 benchmark and were last updated April 26, 2005. The 1990-2012 rates are based on the March 2006 benchmark.| Year | Labor force | Employed | Unemployed | U3 unemp. rate | U6 unemp. rate |
| 2013 | 18,596,800 | 16,933,300 | 1,663,500 | 8.9 | 17.3 |
| 2012 | 18,494,900 | 16,560,300 | 1,934,500 | 10.5 | 19.3 |
| 2011 | 18,103,800 | 15,974,800 | 2,129,000 | 11.8 | 21.1 |
| 2010 | 18,176,200 | 15,916,300 | 2,259,900 | 12.4 | 22.1 |
| 2009 | 18,204,200 | 16,141,500 | 2,062,700 | 11.3 | 21.1 |
| 2008 | 18,191,000 | 16,883,400 | 1,307,600 | 7.2 | 13.4 |
| 2007 | 17,928,700 | 16,970,200 | 958,500 | 5.3 | 9.9 |
| 2006 | 17,686,700 | 16,821,300 | 865,400 | 4.9 | 9.1 |
| 2005 | 17,544,800 | 16,592,200 | 952,600 | 5.4 | 9.7 |
| 2004 | 17,444,400 | 16,354,800 | 1,089,700 | 6.2 | 11.0 |
| 2003 | 17,390,700 | 16,200,100 | 1,190,600 | 6.8 | 11.7 |
| 2002 | 17,343,600 | 16,180,800 | 1,162,800 | 6.7 | |
| 2001 | 17,152,100 | 16,220,000 | 932,100 | 5.4 | |
| 2000 | 16,857,600 | 16,024,300 | 833,200 | 4.9 | |
| 1999 | 16,430,600 | 15,566,900 | 863,700 | 5.3 | |
| 1998 | 16,166,900 | 15,203,700 | 963,200 | 6.0 | |
| 1997 | 15,792,500 | 14,780,800 | 1,011,700 | 6.4 | |
| 1996 | 15,435,900 | 14,303,500 | 1,132,400 | 7.3 | |
| 1995 | 15,263,600 | 14,062,400 | 1,201,200 | 7.9 | |
| 1994 | 15,271,000 | 13,953,900 | 1,317,200 | 8.6 | |
| 1993 | 15,264,500 | 13,808,300 | 1,456,200 | 9.5 | |
| 1992 | 15,309,800 | 13,874,200 | 1,435,600 | 9.4 | |
| 1991 | 15,105,400 | 13,931,700 | 1,173,700 | 7.8 | |
| 1990 | 15,168,500 | 14,294,100 | 874,400 | 5.8 | |
| 1989 | 14,517,400 | 13,770,600 | 746,800 | 5.2 | |
| 1988 | 14,134,900 | 13,388,300 | 746,600 | 5.3 | |
| 1987 | 13,744,000 | 12,943,400 | 800,700 | 5.8 | |
| 1986 | 13,334,500 | 12,434,200 | 900,300 | 6.8 | |
| 1985 | 12,964,400 | 12,030,500 | 933,900 | 7.2 | |
| 1984 | 12,626,500 | 11,643,400 | 983,100 | 7.8 | |
| 1983 | 12,292,500 | 11,083,700 | 1,208,800 | 9.8 | |
| 1982 | 12,150,300 | 10,931,100 | 1,219,200 | 10.0 | |
| 1981 | 11,827,700 | 10,947,700 | 880,000 | 7.4 | |
| 1980 | 11,587,800 | 10,791,400 | 796,400 | 6.9 | |
| 1979 | 11,278,900 | 10,573,500 | 705,400 | 6.3 | |
| 1978 | 10,913,900 | 10,132,800 | 781,200 | 7.2 | |
| 1977 | 10,383,400 | 9,518,000 | 865,400 | 8.4 | |
| 1976 | 9,888,100 | 8,979,800 | 908,400 | 9.2 |