25 Cities with the Lowest Employment Rates in the US

1. El Centro, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area

April 2024 Unemployment Rate: 15.7%

The US city with the lowest employment rates as of July 1st, 2023 is the El Centro metropolitan statistical area. Also known as Imperial County, El Centro City is its county seat and the largest city. The county was historically a part of San Diego County, and it has a population of 179,702 as of 2020.

El Centro is quite infamous when it comes to low employment or high unemployment. By April 2009, after the Great Recession had made its mark on the American economy, El Centro MSA’s unemployment rate shot up to 25%, which was the highest in America at the time. Like several other California cities on our list, El Centro’s economy is also heavily dependent on agriculture which leaves it vulnerable to seasonal variations.

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