The unemployment rate in the City of Fall River for January rose 2.1% to 7.7%, up from 5.6% in December.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reports that the labor force in Fall River in January totaled 47,122 employees. 3,614 people were recorded as unemployed. A spokesperson for the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development says Fall River’s labor force increased dramatically with more people reported being unemployed, increasing the rate. The 7.7% unemployment rate for January compared to 6.4% in January of 2024.
Here are the rates of communities surrounding Fall River:
Somerset, 3.9% (4.0% in December)
Swansea, 3.5% (3.2% in December)
Westport, 3.8% (3.7% in December)
Freetown, 5.8% (4.4% in December)
Here are the rates in select Gateway Cities across Eastern Massachusetts last month:
New Bedford, 5.6% (5.1% in December)
Taunton, 4.4% (4.3% in December)
Brockton, 5.3% (4.8% in December)
Lowell, 5.0% (4.6% in December)
Lawrence, 6.7% (6.0% in December)
The state unemployment rate for January rose one-tenth of a percent to 4.2%. Here is more information from the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development:
From the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
BOSTON, MA March 11, 2025 — Local unemployment rates increased in all twelve labor market areas in the state during the month of January 2025 compared to December 2024, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported.
Compared to January 2024, rates were up in all twelve labor market areas
Of the seven areas for which employment estimates are published, all MSA areas lost jobs compared to the previous month. The largest percentage decreases occurred in the Barnstable Town, MA (-3.4%), Amherst Town-Northampton, MA (-3%), and Springfield, MA (-2.1%) areas.
From January 2024 to January 2025, four areas gained jobs with the largest percentage increases seen in the Barnstable Town, MA (+6.1%), Amherst Town-Northampton, MA (+1.9%), and Springfield, MA (+0.5%) areas.
The statewide seasonally adjusted preliminary jobs estimate showed an increase of 3,200 jobs in January, and an over-the-year gain of 400 jobs.
In order to compare the statewide rate to local unemployment rates, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the statewide unadjusted unemployment rate for January 2025 was 4.7%, up 0.6 percentage points from the revised December 2024 estimate and was 0.3 percentage points above the nation’s unadjusted unemployment rate of 4.4%.
Last week, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported the statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the month of January 2025 was 4.2%, up 0.1 percentage point compared to the revised December 2024 estimate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the nation’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2025 decreased 0.1 percentage point to 4.0%.
The unadjusted unemployment rates and job estimates for the labor market areas reflect seasonal fluctuations and therefore may show different levels and trends than the statewide seasonally adjusted estimates.
The estimates for labor force, unemployment rates, and jobs for Massachusetts are based on different statistical methodologies specified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
