Southbridge Has Highest Unemployment In Worcester County

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) released preliminary February 2015 estimates that show the Massachusetts total unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent from the January rate of 5.1 percent, a 0.2 of a percentage point decrease. Over the year, the unemployment rate fell by 1.1 percent from 6.0 percent in February 2014.

Southbridge, however, experienced little of the good news in the report. Compared to its immediate neighbors, Southbridge experienced chronically high unemployment.

Despite gains for the state as a whole, South-Central Massachusetts remains a trouble spot. However, no single location in all of Worcester County had a higher unemployment rate than the town of Southbridge.

The town’s unemployment rate stood at 8.5%. This marked a decline of only 1% since March of 2014. While Sturbridge and Brookfield had lesser declines, they started from significantly better positions at 6.3% and 7.1% compared to Southbridge’s March 2014 position of 9.5%.

Southbridge's standing among all communities in Worcester County can be gauged from the following chart.

City or Town	Labor Force	Employed	Unemployed	Rate
Ashburnham	3,600	3,404	196	5.4
Athol	5,746	5,318	428	7.4
Auburn	9,439	8,929	510	5.4
Barre	3,015	2,791	224	7.4
Berlin	1,769	1,695	74	4.2
Blackstone	5,280	4,957	323	6.1
Bolton	2,856	2,761	95	3.3
Boylston	2,683	2,554	129	4.8
Brookfield	1,905	1,786	119	6.2
Charlton	7,877	7,478	399	5.1
Clinton	8,371	7,819	552	6.6
Douglas	5,163	4,921	242	4.7
Dudley	6,440	6,057	383	5.9
East Brookfield	1,223	1,150	73	6.0
Fitchburg	19,669	18,220	1,449	7.4
Gardner	9,722	9,032	690	7.1
Grafton	10,078	9,605	473	4.7
Hardwick	1,637	1,531	106	6.5
Harvard	2,677	2,580	97	3.6
Holden	10,076	9,656	420	4.2
Hopedale	3,153	3,005	148	4.7
Hubbardston	2,516	2,386	130	5.2
Lancaster	3,992	3,822	170	4.3
Leicester	6,810	6,439	371	5.4
Leominster	22,171	20,715	1,456	6.6
Lunenburg	6,252	5,952	300	4.8
Mendon	3,235	3,091	144	4.5
Milford	15,503	14,661	842	5.4
Millbury	8,079	7,639	440	5.4
Millville	1,773	1,668	105	5.9
New Braintree	570	525	45	7.9
North Brookfield	2,700	2,541	159	5.9
Northborough	7,950	7,612	338	4.3
Northbridge	9,077	8,552	525	5.8
Oakham	1,125	1,039	86	7.6
Oxford	8,386	7,962	424	5.1
Paxton	2,671	2,562	109	4.1
Petersham	692	654	38	5.5
Phillipston	967	907	60	6.2
Princeton	1,955	1,871	84	4.3
Royalston	728	682	46	6.3
Rutland	4,528	4,303	225	5.0
Shrewsbury	20,012	19,211	801	4.0
Southborough	5,350	5,171	179	3.3
Southbridge	8,316	7,613	703	8.5
Spencer	6,160	5,735	425	6.9
Sterling	4,346	4,126	220	5.1
Sturbridge	5,137	4,856	281	5.5
Sutton	5,351	5,076	275	5.1
Templeton	4,361	4,106	255	5.8
Upton	4,243	4,056	187	4.4
Uxbridge	7,990	7,553	437	5.5
Warren	2,499	2,328	171	6.8
Webster	8,886	8,242	644	7.2
West Boylston	3,183	2,993	190	6.0
West Brookfield	2,135	2,003	132	6.2
Westborough	10,346	10,004	342	3.3
Westminster	4,414	4,179	235	5.3
Winchendon	5,604	5,253	351	6.3
Worcester	92,501	86,938	5,563	6.0

                      Source: Massachusetts Office of Labor and Workforce Development

As one can see, the nearest community to Southbridge is Oakham. Their unemployment rate is 7.6%, almost a full percentage point lower. In absolute terms, their total number of unemployed individuals is less than a tenth of Southbridge.

For the state as a whole, the share of working age residents employed or unemployed, also known as the labor participation rate, was 65.9, an increase of 0.3 of a percentage point since January. Compared with February 2014, the labor participation rate increased a full percentage point over the year.

February 2015 estimates show that 3,430,500 residents were employed and 177,300 were unemployed. Compared with February 2014, February 2015 has 34,400 fewer unemployed persons which is the largest annual decrease in the number of unemployed since October 2011.

Over the month, jobs were up 800 with a private sector loss of 800. Since February 2014, jobs grew by 58,100 with 46,300 private sector job gains. Education and Health Services and Professional, Scientific, and Business Services had the largest job gains over the year. All sector details are listed below.

BLS also revised its January job estimate to a 900 over the month job gain from the 2,600 gain previously reported for the month. 

The February estimates show 3,430,500 Massachusetts residents were employed and 177,300 were unemployed, for a total labor force of 3,607,700. The unemployment rate was 4.9 percent. The February labor force increased by 16,600 from 3,591,100 in January, as 21,100 more residents were employed and 4,400 fewer residents were unemployed over the month. The labor force participation rate, the share of working age population employed or unemployed, was 65.9, an increase of 0.4 of a percentage point over the month. The labor force was 74,200 above the 3,533,500 February 2014 estimate, with 108,800 more residents employed and 34,400 fewer residents unemployed.