Tuesday, January 28, 2025
(WASHINGTON, DC) – The District of Columbia’s Department of Employment Services (DOES) reported today that the seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in December 2024, down 0.1 percentage point from the revised November 2024 rate of 5.6 percent.
The District’s preliminary December job estimate shows an increase of 200 jobs, for a total of 782,200 jobs in the District. The private sector increased by 200 jobs. The public sector remained the same. The numbers are drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) through its monthly survey of the District of Columbia’s employers.
"Ensuring Washingtonians in all eight wards have equitable access to meaningful resources and opportunities remains at the heart of our mission," said DOES Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes. "Our continued investment in high-quality training and workforce development is driving progress, as reflected in the steady decline in unemployment and growth in the number of employed DC residents."
The number of employed District residents increased by 1,400 from 383,400 in November 2024 to 384,800 in December 2024. The civilian labor force for the District increased by 1,200 from 406,100 in November 2024 to 407,300 in December 2024. The labor force participation rate increased by 0.1 percentage point from 71.8 percent in November 2024 to 71.9 percent in December 2024.
Employment Overview
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The Manufacturing sector remained the same, after remaining the same in the prior month. With employment at 1,100 jobs, jobs increased by 100 or 10 percent from a year ago.
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The Mining, Logging and Construction sector decreased by 100 jobs, after increasing by 100 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 14,900 jobs, jobs increased by 200 or 1.36 percent from a year ago.
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The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector decreased by 200 jobs, after increasing by 400 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 31,400 jobs, jobs increased by 400 or 1.29 percent from a year ago.
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The Information sector remained the same, after remaining the same in the prior month. With employment at 19,800 jobs, jobs increased by 300 or 1.54 percent from a year ago.
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The Financial Activities sector remained the same, after increasing by 100 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 25,600 jobs, jobs decreased by 700 or 2.66 percent from a year ago.
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The Professional and Business Services sector increased by 900 jobs, after increasing by 200 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 180,200 jobs, jobs increased by 5,600 or 3.21 percent from a year ago.
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The Educational and Health Services sector decreased by 600 jobs, after increasing by 900 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 123,900 jobs, jobs increased by 600 jobs or .49 percent from a year ago.
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The Leisure and Hospitality sector increased by 500 jobs, after increasing by 600 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 79,900 jobs, jobs increased by 3,100 jobs or 4.04 percent from a year ago.
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Other Services sector decreased by 300 jobs, after increasing by 300 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 70,800 jobs, jobs increased by 3,200 jobs or 4.73 percent from a year ago.
Labor Force Overview
The number of employed District residents increased by 1,400 over the month to 384,800. The civilian labor force increased by 1,200 to 407,300. One year ago, total employment was 382,100 and the civilian labor force was 402,000. The number of unemployed was 19,900, and the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent.
NOTES: The December 2024 final and January 2025 preliminary unemployment rates will be released on Monday March 17, 2025. Historical jobs and labor force estimates for the District of Columbia and detailed labor market information is available HERE.
Technical Notes: Estimates of industry employment and unemployment levels are determined using two different monthly surveys.
Industry employment data is derived from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, a monthly survey of business establishments conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labor, which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data broken down by industry for the nation as a whole, all states, and most major metropolitan areas (often referred to as the “establishment” survey).
Resident employment and unemployment data are mainly derived from the District’s portion of the national Current Population Survey (CPS), a household survey conducted each month by the US Census Bureau under contract with BLS, which provides input to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program (often referred to as the “household” survey).
Both industry and household estimates are revised each month based on additional information from updated survey reports compiled by BLS. In addition, these estimates are benchmarked (revised) annually based on actual counts from the District’s Unemployment Compensation Law administrative records and other data.
Data reflects 2023 annual benchmark revisions
