Total nonfarm employment for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, metropolitan area stood at 3,361,300 in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that, while employment levels in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, were little changed over the year, the rate of increase nationally was 1.9 percent. (See chart 1.) (All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the-year analysis is used throughout.)

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, is made up of two metropolitan divisions—separately identifiable employment centers within the greater metropolitan area. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, division, with 82 percent of the metropolitan area’s total nonfarm employment, had an employment level of 2,770,100 in March 2024. The Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD, division accounted for 18 percent of the area’s employment and had an employment level of 591,200.

Industry employment

In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, little changed among the metropolitan area’s private-industry supersectors. (See chart 2). Within the education and health services supersector, the health care and social assistance sector gained 14,100 jobs, with both divisions contributing to the increase. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, division gained 10,100 jobs, or 72 percent of the metropolitan area’s employment rise in this sector. Employment in the Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD, division increased by 4,000 jobs in the health care and social assistance sector.

 

Twelve largest metropolitan areas

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in March 2024. Five of twelve areas gained total nonfarm payroll employment over the year. The largest job gain occurred in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (+118,700). Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ, had the smallest employment increase (+53,600) among the areas with significant changes. (See table 2 and chart 3.)

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, had a 2.3-percent rate of job gain, followed closely by Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ (+2.2 percent), and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (+2.0 percent). Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, reported job gains of 1.5 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively.

The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment release for April 2024 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the CES program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. More information about the CES data is available in the State Employment and Unemployment Summary and the Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary.

Definitions. Employment data refer to persons on establishment payrolls who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. Persons are counted at their place of work rather than at their place of residence; those appearing on more than one payroll are counted on each payroll. Industries are classified on the basis of their principal activity in accordance with the 2022 version of the North American Industry Classification System.

Method of estimation. CES State and Area employment data are produced using several estimation procedures. Where possible these data are produced using a "weighted link relative" estimation technique in which a ratio of current-month weighted employment to that of the previous-month weighted employment is computed from a sample of establishments reporting for both months. The estimates of employment for the current month are then obtained by multiplying these ratios by the previous month's employment estimates. The weighted link relative technique is utilized for data series where the sample size meets certain statistical criteria. For some employment series, the estimates are produced with a model that uses direct sample estimates (described above) combined with other regressors to compensate for smaller sample sizes.

Annual revisions. Employment estimates are adjusted annually to a complete count of jobs, called benchmarks, derived principally from tax reports which are submitted by employers who are covered under state unemployment insurance (UI) laws. The benchmark information is used to adjust the monthly estimates between the new benchmark and the preceding one and also to establish the level of employment for the new benchmark month. Thus, the benchmarking process establishes the level of employment, and the sample is used to measure the month-to-month changes in the level for the subsequent months. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available in the CES State and Area benchmark article.

Reliability of the estimates. The estimates presented in this release are based on sample surveys, administrative data, and modeling and, thus, are subject to sampling and other types of errors. Sampling error is a measure of sampling variability—that is, variation that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed. Survey data also are subject to nonsampling errors, such as those which can be introduced into the data collection and processing operations. Estimates not directly derived from sample surveys are subject to additional errors resulting from the specific estimation processes used. The sums of individual items may not always equal totals shown in the same tables due to rounding.

Employment estimates. Changes in metropolitan area nonfarm payroll employment are cited in the analysis of this release only if they have been determined to be statistically significant at the 90-percent confidence level. Reliability of state and area estimates for the total nonfarm employment series are available for metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions.

Area definitions. The substate area data published in this news release reflect the delineations issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on April 10, 2018. The 12 metropolitan areas discussed in this release are the metropolitan areas with the largest population according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the District of Columbia; Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties, and Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park Cities in Virginia; Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; and Jefferson County in West Virginia.

• The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division includes the District of Columbia; Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties, and Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park Cities in Virginia; Calvert, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; and Jefferson County in West Virginia.
• The Silver Spring-Frederick-Rockville, MD Metropolitan Division includes Frederick and Montgomery Counties in Maryland.

Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, United States and 12 largest metropolitan areas, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)

Area	Mar 2023	Jan 2024	Feb 2024	Mar 2024(p)	Mar 2023 to Mar 2024(p)
					Net change	Percent change
United States(1)
Total nonfarm	154,253	155,432	156,559	157,218	2,965	1.9
Mining and logging	628	628	632	639	11	1.8
Construction	7,701	7,804	7,860	7,976	275	3.6
Manufacturing	12,889	12,881	12,909	12,912	23	0.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	28,553	28,795	28,687	28,703	150	0.5
Information	3,036	2,976	2,997	2,997	-39	-1.3
Financial activities	9,094	9,177	9,169	9,166	72	0.8
Professional and business services	22,552	22,549	22,693	22,718	166	0.7
Education and health services	25,133	25,748	26,119	26,205	1,072	4.3
Leisure and hospitality	16,031	16,076	16,225	16,473	442	2.8
Other services	5,750	5,796	5,821	5,858	108	1.9
Government	22,886	23,002	23,447	23,571	685	3.0
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Total nonfarm	3,038.6	3,047.7	3,057.5	3,068.7	30.1	1.0
Mining and logging	2.0	2.1	2.1	2.1	0.1	5.0
Construction	141.9	142.8	144.6	146.2	4.3	3.0
Manufacturing	179.9	181.4	182.6	182.0	2.1	1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	662.4	656.0	652.7	651.7	-10.7	-1.6
Information	113.9	97.2	98.2	95.8	-18.1	-15.9
Financial activities	203.3	207.6	207.4	206.1	2.8	1.4
Professional and business services	586.0	581.0	581.3	584.6	-1.4	-0.2
Education and health services	399.6	414.4	416.3	420.0	20.4	5.1
Leisure and hospitality	301.6	308.3	310.1	315.8	14.2	4.7
Other services	102.5	102.8	103.9	104.5	2.0	2.0
Government	345.5	354.1	358.3	359.9	14.4	4.2
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (NECTA)
Total nonfarm	2,784.0	2,761.8	2,781.1	2,792.2	8.2	0.3
Mining, logging, and construction	124.2	122.2	120.1	122.6	-1.6	-1.3
Manufacturing	184.0	182.6	182.2	181.7	-2.3	-1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	403.3	401.9	399.6	399.1	-4.2	-1.0
Information	82.7	78.4	78.7	78.2	-4.5	-5.4
Financial activities	184.4	182.8	182.7	183.4	-1.0	-0.5
Professional and business services	528.9	521.4	523.0	520.2	-8.7	-1.6
Education and health services	610.0	609.7	624.8	628.9	18.9	3.1
Leisure and hospitality	250.0	245.7	247.5	253.1	3.1	1.2
Other services	100.5	102.5	101.7	103.1	2.6	2.6
Government	316.0	314.6	320.8	321.9	5.9	1.9
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Total nonfarm	4,723.6	4,675.2	4,701.7	4,728.1	4.5	0.1
Mining and logging	1.4	1.5	1.5	1.5	0.1	7.1
Construction	169.9	162.0	162.7	169.2	-0.7	-0.4
Manufacturing	413.2	416.5	419.1	420.0	6.8	1.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	963.8	962.9	952.3	956.9	-6.9	-0.7
Information	80.1	76.8	77.5	77.9	-2.2	-2.7
Financial activities	317.0	316.2	315.6	315.7	-1.3	-0.4
Professional and business services	839.3	797.8	801.6	801.6	-37.7	-4.5
Education and health services	757.3	761.1	775.8	775.8	18.5	2.4
Leisure and hospitality	450.8	446.1	449.9	459.3	8.5	1.9
Other services	194.2	196.6	199.3	199.7	5.5	2.8
Government	536.6	537.7	546.4	550.5	13.9	2.6
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Total nonfarm	4,183.3	4,227.0	4,250.8	4,247.5	64.2	1.5
Mining, logging, and construction	241.6	246.8	250.1	250.3	8.7	3.6
Manufacturing	304.2	308.4	310.4	309.4	5.2	1.7
Trade, transportation, and utilities	887.7	903.0	896.2	893.3	5.6	0.6
Information	93.0	90.4	90.5	91.2	-1.8	-1.9
Financial activities	364.5	368.2	368.8	367.2	2.7	0.7
Professional and business services	775.0	766.3	777.0	771.2	-3.8	-0.5
Education and health services	496.2	508.0	512.6	512.0	15.8	3.2
Leisure and hospitality	416.0	416.6	418.3	422.5	6.5	1.6
Other services	133.0	140.5	140.4	142.0	9.0	6.8
Government	472.1	478.8	486.5	488.4	16.3	3.5
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Total nonfarm	3,350.9	3,394.2	3,417.6	3,418.7	67.8	2.0
Mining and logging	71.5	71.2	70.6	72.2	0.7	1.0
Construction	232.7	229.5	233.6	235.2	2.5	1.1
Manufacturing	231.0	236.3	237.4	236.3	5.3	2.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	680.7	690.6	686.9	684.9	4.2	0.6
Information	33.2	32.7	32.6	32.2	-1.0	-3.0
Financial activities	186.3	186.0	186.6	185.7	-0.6	-0.3
Professional and business services	552.5	554.6	560.3	558.8	6.3	1.1
Education and health services	441.8	460.2	464.7	465.8	24.0	5.4
Leisure and hospitality	353.0	349.0	353.2	354.1	1.1	0.3
Other services	124.6	129.8	130.7	130.4	5.8	4.7
Government	443.6	454.3	461.0	463.1	19.5	4.4
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Total nonfarm	6,206.7	6,200.2	6,235.0	6,257.0	50.3	0.8
Mining and logging	2.0	1.9	1.9	1.9	-0.1	-5.0
Construction	250.7	252.3	253.0	253.6	2.9	1.2
Manufacturing	477.0	471.5	471.3	470.8	-6.2	-1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,080.1	1,090.4	1,081.7	1,078.2	-1.9	-0.2
Information	237.6	199.4	203.6	205.7	-31.9	-13.4
Financial activities	314.9	312.7	313.0	311.8	-3.1	-1.0
Professional and business services	972.5	956.1	961.6	963.1	-9.4	-1.0
Education and health services	1,163.3	1,203.6	1,217.4	1,227.5	64.2	5.5
Leisure and hospitality	753.4	749.4	758.9	767.1	13.7	1.8
Other services	209.4	212.5	215.4	216.1	6.7	3.2
Government	745.8	750.4	757.2	761.2	15.4	2.1
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Total nonfarm	2,892.0	2,942.7	2,953.6	2,958.5	66.5	2.3
Construction	149.5	155.8	156.3	157.8	8.3	5.6
Manufacturing	96.8	99.0	98.7	98.3	1.5	1.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	644.3	659.0	658.4	654.3	10.0	1.6
Information	56.9	54.7	54.9	54.8	-2.1	-3.7
Financial activities	214.1	217.9	217.1	216.6	2.5	1.2
Professional and business services	518.5	513.6	515.0	514.9	-3.6	-0.7
Education and health services	443.5	458.1	461.3	464.9	21.4	4.8
Leisure and hospitality	343.4	349.8	354.7	357.2	13.8	4.0
Other services	113.2	115.6	116.3	117.4	4.2	3.7
Government	311.0	318.3	320.0	321.4	10.4	3.3
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Total nonfarm	9,969.0	9,967.6	10,008.7	10,087.7	118.7	1.2
Mining, logging, and construction	393.7	379.9	377.7	389.1	-4.6	-1.2
Manufacturing	349.3	343.1	344.5	346.8	-2.5	-0.7
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,661.6	1,668.6	1,650.8	1,648.6	-13.0	-0.8
Information	326.4	306.7	308.9	310.0	-16.4	-5.0
Financial activities	816.1	821.3	821.2	820.4	4.3	0.5
Professional and business services	1,644.0	1,610.0	1,609.9	1,623.1	-20.9	-1.3
Education and health services	2,201.9	2,258.6	2,296.8	2,319.1	117.2	5.3
Leisure and hospitality	874.7	872.8	882.5	902.3	27.6	3.2
Other services	401.3	406.3	403.2	408.4	7.1	1.8
Government	1,300.0	1,300.3	1,313.2	1,319.9	19.9	1.5
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Total nonfarm	3,052.6	3,047.0	3,065.2	3,084.1	31.5	1.0
Mining, logging, and construction	122.4	117.4	117.6	120.0	-2.4	-2.0
Manufacturing	180.9	181.8	182.0	181.4	0.5	0.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	543.6	541.2	534.6	535.2	-8.4	-1.5
Information	54.2	52.3	52.8	52.9	-1.3	-2.4
Financial activities	228.9	229.3	229.6	229.9	1.0	0.4
Professional and business services	498.0	487.2	487.7	490.2	-7.8	-1.6
Education and health services	701.0	713.8	730.2	734.5	33.5	4.8
Leisure and hospitality	262.0	259.1	259.8	267.4	5.4	2.1
Other services	121.8	123.3	122.4	123.0	1.2	1.0
Government	339.8	341.6	348.5	349.6	9.8	2.9
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Total nonfarm	2,393.1	2,433.1	2,445.5	2,446.7	53.6	2.2
Mining and logging	3.2	3.7	3.8	3.9	0.7	21.9
Construction	165.0	170.5	170.4	170.2	5.2	3.2
Manufacturing	149.0	148.1	148.1	147.6	-1.4	-0.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	463.6	476.2	475.8	477.2	13.6	2.9
Information	43.0	41.2	40.8	40.6	-2.4	-5.6
Financial activities	213.0	210.6	210.9	209.5	-3.5	-1.6
Professional and business services	390.2	391.5	395.3	395.2	5.0	1.3
Education and health services	382.7	406.7	408.7	410.2	27.5	7.2
Leisure and hospitality	255.8	249.1	250.9	251.5	-4.3	-1.7
Other services	76.3	77.0	77.8	77.6	1.3	1.7
Government	251.3	258.5	263.0	263.2	11.9	4.7
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Total nonfarm	2,457.4	2,446.0	2,453.3	2,460.2	2.8	0.1
Mining and logging	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.0	0.0
Construction	120.2	117.8	118.4	120.4	0.2	0.2
Manufacturing	153.6	148.2	148.6	149.0	-4.6	-3.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	347.4	350.1	347.1	345.5	-1.9	-0.5
Information	148.2	136.6	135.2	133.5	-14.7	-9.9
Financial activities	139.0	135.0	134.3	133.9	-5.1	-3.7
Professional and business services	509.1	496.4	499.4	498.5	-10.6	-2.1
Education and health services	389.3	404.6	408.7	410.8	21.5	5.5
Leisure and hospitality	245.3	247.5	250.1	252.3	7.0	2.9
Other services	84.4	85.3	85.8	86.9	2.5	3.0
Government	320.5	324.1	325.3	329.0	8.5	2.7
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Total nonfarm	3,337.4	3,338.4	3,348.8	3,361.3	23.9	0.7
Mining, logging, and construction	162.8	160.2	157.9	160.3	-2.5	-1.5
Manufacturing	56.7	57.1	57.3	57.9	1.2	2.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	398.8	405.7	401.6	400.6	1.8	0.5
Information	81.8	78.3	79.0	79.6	-2.2	-2.7
Financial activities	154.6	150.4	150.3	150.8	-3.8	-2.5
Professional and business services	810.9	802.9	803.6	804.9	-6.0	-0.7
Education and health services	452.5	461.2	465.6	464.7	12.2	2.7
Leisure and hospitality	310.3	304.4	306.1	310.9	0.6	0.2
Other services	192.0	193.3	193.2	194.3	2.3	1.2
Government	717.0	724.9	734.2	737.3	20.3	2.8
Footnotes (1) U.S. data are preliminary for two months after they are first published. (p) Preliminary