Jobless in the USA: 20 High-Unemployment Cities

In this era of economic uncertainty — with cost-affecting tariffs, high prices at grocery stores and hefty rents — the prospect of unemployment is all the more frightening. Some cities, though, are far more beset with employment issues than others.

GOBankingRates recently conducted a study, compiling a large list of cities with high unemployment rates (with populations over 5,000 people and at least 1,000 households) and then researching such factors as household incomes, cost of living and rental prices. From that vantage, 20 cities were found with particularly high unemployment conditions compared to other U.S. cities of similar size and economic strata.

Worried your city is being overtaken by high unemployment numbers? Curious whether your dream town is defined by rough economic numbers? Check out the list.

Also check out the salary needed to afford the American Dream in the 50 largest cities in the country.

• Unemployment rate: 24.5%
• Median income: $35,582
• % households with income under $10K: 11.1%
• Annual cost of living: $25,978

• Unemployment rate: 23.4%
• Median income: $51,343
• % households with income under $10K: 13.6%
• Annual cost of living: $44,506

• Unemployment rate: 23.4%
• Median income: $50,330
• % households with income under $10K: 9.6%
• Annual cost of living: $44,281

• Unemployment rate: 21.0%
• Median income: $28,874
• % households with income under $10K: 11.8%
• Annual cost of living: $32,618

• Unemployment rate: 20.8%
• Median income: $29,652
• % households with income under $10K: 12.1%
• Annual cost of living: $32,535

• Unemployment rate: 19.3%
• Median income: $58,321
• % households with income under $10K: 2.4%
• Annual cost of living: $56,813

• Unemployment rate: 19.2%
• Median income: $19,106
• % households with income under $10K: 37.5%
• Annual cost of living: $38,843

• Unemployment rate: 18.5%
• Median income: $55,271
• % households with income under $10K: 6.8%
• Annual cost of living: $46,069

• Unemployment rate: 18.3%
• Median income: $50,021
• % households with income under $10K: 5.6%
• Annual cost of living: $51,017

• Unemployment rate: 18.3%
• Median income: $32,466
• % households with income under $10K: 12.5%
• Annual cost of living: $23,843

• Unemployment rate: 18.1%
• Median income: $49,279
• % households with income under $10K: 3.5%
• Annual cost of living: $46,849

• Unemployment rate: 18.0%
• Median income: $33,780
• % households with income under $10K: 13.5%
• Annual cost of living: $27,483

• Unemployment rate: 18.0%
• Median income: $50,464
• % households with income under $10K: 2.3%
• Annual cost of living: $40,259

• Unemployment rate: 17.7%
• Median income: $22,883
• % households with income under $10K: 19.6%
• Annual cost of living: $26,641

• Unemployment rate: 17.5%
• Median income: $43,073
• % households with income under $10K: 10.7%
• Annual cost of living: $28,457

• Unemployment rate: 17.4%
• Median income: $36,194
• % households with income under $10K: 14.4%
• Annual cost of living: $27,801

• Unemployment rate: 17.2%
• Median income: $57,389
• % households with income under $10K: 6.7%
• Annual cost of living: $36,162

• Unemployment rate: 17.1%
• Median income: $24,428
• % households with income under $10K: 27.0%
• Annual cost of living: $139,122

• Unemployment rate: 16.9%
• Median income: $41,580
• % households with income under $10K: 9.6%
• Annual cost of living: $41,321

• Unemployment rate: 16.6%
• Median income: $45,038
• % households with income under $10K: 9.7%
• Annual cost of living: $31,619

Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.

Methodology: Data for this gallery was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. To qualify, the city had to have a population of at least 5,000 and at least 1,000 households. The 50 cities with the highest unemployment rate and all data points available were kept for this study. The cost of living was sourced from Sperling’s BestPlaces and included mortgage data sourced from Zillow Home Value Index for January 2025 and the Federal Reserve Economic Data. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Feb. 25, 2025.