Total nonfarm employment in the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH Metropolitan New England City and Town Area stood at 2,630,300 in May 2021, up 252,900 from one year ago, the U.S. Bureau of LaborStatistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted the local rate of job gain, 10.6 percent, compared to the 9.0-percent national rise. (See table 1 and chart 1; Technical note at the end of this release contains metropolitan area definitions. All data in this release are not seasonally adjusted; accordingly, over-the- year analysis is used throughout.)

The Boston-Cambridge-Nashua area includes 10 metropolitan divisions - separately identifiable employment centers within the larger metropolitan area. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA Metropolitan Division, which made up nearly 68 percent of the workforce, gained 161,600 jobs from May 2020 to May 2021. The other divisions also added jobs over the year.

Industry employment

In the greater Boston area, leisure and hospitality had the largest job gain (+74,800). (See chart 2.) The 56.3-

percent rise in Boston’s leisure and hospitality supersector compared to the 41.7-percent gain on a national level. 

Trade, transportation, and utilities added 57,100 jobs over the year in the local area. The local area had a 16.7- percent gain compared to the 8.8-percent increase for the nation.

Education and health services, the largest supersector in the Boston area, gained 32,900 jobs over the year. The 6.3-percent rise in this supersector compared to a 6.4-percent gain nationally. The Boston- Cambridge-Newton division gained 19,700 jobs, or 60 percent of the local area’s employment gain in this industry.  Within the supersector, employment in the healthcare and social assistance sector was up 25,200 in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton division.

Professional and business services added 30,800 in the area over the year. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton division gained 20,900 jobs, or 68 percent of the local area’s employment gain in this industry. Within the supersector, employment in the administrative and support and waste management and remediation services increased by 12,900 in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton division.

The mining, logging and construction supersector in the Boston area gained 25,200 jobs over the year.  Significant job gains were also recorded in the other services and manufacturing supersectors, up 17,900 and 6,100 jobs, respectively.  

Employment in the twelve largest metropolitan areas

Boston-Cambridge-Nashua was 1 of the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas in May 2021. All 12 areas gained jobs over the year. New York-Newark-Jersey City had the largest increase (+878,700). San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (+131,900) and Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale (+132,900) had the smallest gains among the largest areas. (See table 2 and chart 3.)

New York-Newark-Jersey City had a 10.7-percent rate of job gain, followed by Boston (10.6 percent) and Philadelphia (10.4 percent). The rates of job gain in the remaining nine areas ranged from 8.6 percent in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim to 4.8 percent in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land.

The Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment release for June 2021 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

This release presents nonfarm payroll employment estimates from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative endeavor between State employment security agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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 2017 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 sample of establishments is very small or highly variable. In these cases, a model-based approach is used in estimation. These models use the direct sample estimates (described above), combined with forecasts of historical (benchmarked) data to decrease volatility in estimation. Two different models (Fay-Herriot Model and Small Domain Model) are used depending on the industry level being estimated. For more detailed information about each model, refer to the BLS Handbook of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/ces-20110307.pdf.

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.

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 the totals shown in the same tables because of 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. Measures of sampling error for the total nonfarm employment series are available for metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions at www.bls.gov/web/laus/790stderr.htm. Measures of sampling error for more detailed series at the area and division level are available upon request. Measures of sampling error for states at the supersector level and for the private service-providing, goods-producing, total private and total nonfarm levels are available on the BLS website at https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/790stderr.htm. Information on recent benchmark revisions is available online at www.bls.gov/web/laus/bmrk_article.htm.

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.

Areas in the six New England states are defined as Metropolitan New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs), while areas in other states are county-based and identified as metropolitan areas and metropolitan divisions.  However, for comparative purposes, the Boston NECTA and its divisions have been referred to as a metropolitan area and metropolitan divisions. 

The Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH Metropolitan New England City and Town Area (NECTA) includes 10 NECTA divisions¾subdivisions of the larger NECTA which function as distinct social, economic, and cultural areas within the larger region. The NECTA divisions that compose the Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH NECTA include: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA; Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA; Framingham, MA; Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury town, MA-NH; Lawrence-Methuen town-Salem, MA-NH; Lowell- Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH; Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, MA; Nashua, NH-MA; Peabody-Salem-Beverly, MA; Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, MA; and select cities and towns within. (See https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/msa_def.htm#71650 for full definitions.)

Additional information

Employment data from the CES program are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/sae/.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202)-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800)-877-8339.

Table 1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry supersector, U.S. and Boston metropolitan area, not seasonally adjusted (numbers in thousands)

Area and Industry	May 2020	Mar 2021	Apr 2021	May 2021(p)	Change from May 2020 to May 2021
					Net change	Percent change
U.S.
Total nonfarm	133,419	143,315	144,397	145,369	11,950	9.0
Mining and logging	602	610	612	618	16	2.7
Construction	7,070	7,203	7,365	7,477	407	5.8
Manufacturing	11,629	12,267	12,226	12,282	653	5.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	24,830	26,897	26,845	27,019	2,189	8.8
Information	2,585	2,675	2,695	2,716	131	5.1
Financial activities	8,593	8,750	8,770	8,781	188	2.2
Professional and business services	19,238	20,549	20,710	20,765	1,527	7.9
Educational and health services	22,153	23,518	23,597	23,538	1,385	6.3
Leisure and hospitality	10,303	13,448	14,020	14,611	4,308	41.8
Other services	4,797	5,504	5,567	5,604	807	16.8
Government	21,619	21,894	21,990	21,958	339	1.6
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
Total nonfarm	2,377.4	2,572.3	2,611.5	2,630.3	252.9	10.6
Mining, logging, and construction	96.9	113.2	117.4	122.1	25.2	26.0
Manufacturing	172.2	177.9	178.2	178.3	6.1	3.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	342.4	396.2	397.3	399.5	57.1	16.7
Information	78.2	78.7	79.6	79.4	1.2	1.5
Financial activities	178.6	181.6	182.7	183.0	4.4	2.5
Professional and business services	487.2	502.8	514.8	518.0	30.8	6.3
Educational and health services	521.0	558.5	560.4	553.9	32.9	6.3
Leisure and hospitality	132.9	178.6	193.2	207.7	74.8	56.3
Other services	68.0	83.6	85.2	85.9	17.9	26.3
Government	300.0	301.2	302.7	302.5	2.5	0.8
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA division
Total nonfarm	1,614.8	1,735.9	1,763.9	1,776.4	161.6	10.0
Mining, logging, and construction	56.2	68.1	68.9	72.7	16.5	29.4
Manufacturing	70.5	73.3	73.6	74.0	3.5	5.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	198.3	231.6	232.4	233.5	35.2	17.8
Information	59.7	61.1	61.8	61.5	1.8	3.0
Financial activities	149.1	151.9	152.7	152.9	3.8	2.5
Professional and business services	376.8	386.7	395.9	397.7	20.9	5.5
Educational and health services	380.8	404.5	406.4	400.5	19.7	5.2
Leisure and hospitality	87.3	112.6	124.6	135.5	48.2	55.2
Other services	45.7	54.8	55.7	56.1	10.4	22.8
Government	190.4	191.3	191.9	192.0	1.6	0.8

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

Area	May 2020	Mar 2021	Apr 2021	May 2021(p)	May 2020 to May 2021(p)
					Net change	Percent change
United States(1)
Total nonfarm	133,419	143,315	144,397	145,369	11,950	9.0
Mining and logging	602	610	612	618	16	2.7
Construction	7,070	7,203	7,365	7,477	407	5.8
Manufacturing	11,629	12,267	12,226	12,282	653	5.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities	24,830	26,897	26,845	27,019	2,189	8.8
Information	2,585	2,675	2,695	2,716	131	5.1
Financial activities	8,593	8,750	8,770	8,781	188	2.2
Professional and business services	19,238	20,549	20,710	20,765	1,527	7.9
Education and health services	22,153	23,518	23,597	23,538	1,385	6.3
Leisure and hospitality	10,303	13,448	14,020	14,611	4,308	41.8
Other services	4,797	5,504	5,567	5,604	807	16.8
Government	21,619	21,894	21,990	21,958	339	1.6
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Total nonfarm	2,561.2	2,730.1	2,733.3	2,748.7	187.5	7.3
Mining and logging	1.6	1.7	1.6	1.6	0.0	0.0
Construction	126.2	130.4	130.8	128.7	2.5	2.0
Manufacturing	157.8	163.1	165.5	168.0	10.2	6.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	550.9	590.2	582.4	582.3	31.4	5.7
Information	89.6	99.7	100.9	101.3	11.7	13.1
Financial activities	175.8	180.4	179.4	178.8	3.0	1.7
Professional and business services	502.5	534.3	537.7	539.9	37.4	7.4
Education and health services	341.1	362.7	365.1	368.5	27.4	8.0
Leisure and hospitality	200.9	247.1	246.7	254.9	54.0	26.9
Other services	86.5	91.6	93.6	96.4	9.9	11.4
Government	328.3	328.9	329.6	328.3	0.0	0.0
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH (NECTA)
Total nonfarm	2,377.4	2,572.3	2,611.5	2,630.3	252.9	10.6
Mining, logging, and construction	96.9	113.2	117.4	122.1	25.2	26.0
Manufacturing	172.2	177.9	178.2	178.3	6.1	3.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	342.4	396.2	397.3	399.5	57.1	16.7
Information	78.2	78.7	79.6	79.4	1.2	1.5
Financial activities	178.6	181.6	182.7	183.0	4.4	2.5
Professional and business services	487.2	502.8	514.8	518.0	30.8	6.3
Education and health services	521.0	558.5	560.4	553.9	32.9	6.3
Leisure and hospitality	132.9	178.6	193.2	207.7	74.8	56.3
Other services	68.0	83.6	85.2	85.9	17.9	26.3
Government	300.0	301.2	302.7	302.5	2.5	0.8
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Total nonfarm	4,136.1	4,345.9	4,401.6	4,439.8	303.7	7.3
Mining and logging	1.8	1.5	1.6	1.7	-0.1	-5.6
Construction	165.3	155.2	168.5	172.7	7.4	4.5
Manufacturing	387.7	392.5	389.9	390.9	3.2	0.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	840.4	907.7	909.7	916.6	76.2	9.1
Information	72.2	70.3	70.2	70.3	-1.9	-2.6
Financial activities	310.5	313.8	314.7	314.9	4.4	1.4
Professional and business services	750.2	772.0	784.8	788.1	37.9	5.1
Education and health services	668.8	703.8	704.9	704.5	35.7	5.3
Leisure and hospitality	269.0	331.4	352.7	370.7	101.7	37.8
Other services	158.5	176.8	178.6	179.5	21.0	13.2
Government	511.7	520.9	526.0	529.9	18.2	3.6
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Total nonfarm	3,499.1	3,728.1	3,736.6	3,759.3	260.2	7.4
Mining, logging, and construction	218.6	218.5	215.2	215.7	-2.9	-1.3
Manufacturing	272.4	281.6	279.8	280.9	8.5	3.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	758.3	812.5	810.6	813.2	54.9	7.2
Information	76.7	79.2	78.8	79.7	3.0	3.9
Financial activities	320.0	328.2	326.5	328.4	8.4	2.6
Professional and business services	603.0	642.8	647.9	651.3	48.3	8.0
Education and health services	431.2	452.7	450.8	453.5	22.3	5.2
Leisure and hospitality	280.2	341.9	352.9	361.2	81.0	28.9
Other services	100.2	115.5	115.8	119.0	18.8	18.8
Government	438.5	455.2	458.3	456.4	17.9	4.1
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Total nonfarm	2,898.0	3,000.2	3,018.0	3,037.7	139.7	4.8
Mining and logging	67.7	69.5	69.5	69.8	2.1	3.1
Construction	215.5	208.1	207.5	206.9	-8.6	-4.0
Manufacturing	220.2	208.5	207.7	207.0	-13.2	-6.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	587.7	624.3	623.1	624.2	36.5	6.2
Information	28.4	28.6	28.5	28.5	0.1	0.4
Financial activities	161.9	163.4	162.5	163.7	1.8	1.1
Professional and business services	474.0	485.3	490.8	493.4	19.4	4.1
Education and health services	384.2	396.7	396.8	402.6	18.4	4.8
Leisure and hospitality	248.7	292.4	305.2	312.7	64.0	25.7
Other services	93.2	107.2	109.6	111.3	18.1	19.4
Government	416.5	416.2	416.8	417.6	1.1	0.3
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Total nonfarm	5,300.4	5,632.9	5,695.8	5,755.9	455.5	8.6
Mining and logging	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	0.0	0.0
Construction	242.6	248.7	251.1	249.6	7.0	2.9
Manufacturing	446.4	449.7	450.8	455.2	8.8	2.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	928.8	1,045.8	1,040.1	1,044.5	115.7	12.5
Information	186.8	204.8	204.8	205.2	18.4	9.9
Financial activities	320.8	323.2	323.6	323.7	2.9	0.9
Professional and business services	859.8	903.0	909.7	917.4	57.6	6.7
Education and health services	1,008.3	1,054.6	1,063.7	1,071.4	63.1	6.3
Leisure and hospitality	425.9	536.7	574.7	603.6	177.7	41.7
Other services	149.7	160.4	167.1	168.6	18.9	12.6
Government	729.4	704.1	708.3	714.8	-14.6	-2.0
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Total nonfarm	2,389.9	2,573.3	2,575.4	2,583.3	193.4	8.1
Mining and logging	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.0	0.0
Construction	137.7	139.9	138.0	139.6	1.9	1.4
Manufacturing	85.0	87.8	87.7	87.5	2.5	2.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	535.2	578.9	574.7	576.6	41.4	7.7
Information	45.4	46.1	46.3	46.6	1.2	2.6
Financial activities	183.0	188.1	189.2	189.4	6.4	3.5
Professional and business services	414.5	444.3	447.0	447.7	33.2	8.0
Education and health services	384.4	401.2	401.1	401.2	16.8	4.4
Leisure and hospitality	198.7	274.1	277.8	280.0	81.3	40.9
Other services	96.3	108.4	110.2	110.7	14.4	15.0
Government	308.9	303.7	302.6	303.2	-5.7	-1.8
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Total nonfarm	8,216.6	8,922.3	9,003.1	9,095.3	878.7	10.7
Mining, logging, and construction	321.2	354.2	366.9	371.2	50.0	15.6
Manufacturing	302.0	331.0	331.0	333.2	31.2	10.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,339.3	1,538.6	1,538.8	1,557.2	217.9	16.3
Information	278.9	290.1	289.3	294.2	15.3	5.5
Financial activities	751.2	754.2	754.0	753.3	2.1	0.3
Professional and business services	1,404.9	1,471.5	1,490.3	1,497.8	92.9	6.6
Education and health services	1,818.4	1,978.1	1,983.0	1,986.7	168.3	9.3
Leisure and hospitality	426.6	569.9	609.0	656.5	229.9	53.9
Other services	287.0	345.5	348.1	352.5	65.5	22.8
Government	1,287.1	1,289.2	1,292.7	1,292.7	5.6	0.4
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Total nonfarm	2,557.0	2,774.6	2,802.1	2,822.9	265.9	10.4
Mining, logging, and construction	107.0	112.1	114.9	117.9	10.9	10.2
Manufacturing	167.1	172.1	173.3	172.8	5.7	3.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	445.8	506.7	508.1	510.1	64.3	14.4
Information	49.0	49.7	50.6	50.7	1.7	3.5
Financial activities	212.3	213.6	215.2	216.4	4.1	1.9
Professional and business services	432.1	453.2	458.2	461.2	29.1	6.7
Education and health services	602.8	641.4	643.3	640.6	37.8	6.3
Leisure and hospitality	133.1	191.7	203.1	218.9	85.8	64.5
Other services	78.9	103.6	105.0	105.3	26.4	33.5
Government	328.9	330.5	330.4	329.0	0.1	0.0
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Total nonfarm	2,039.3	2,165.6	2,171.7	2,172.2	132.9	6.5
Mining and logging	3.2	2.8	2.8	2.8	-0.4	-12.5
Construction	134.3	133.1	133.5	134.5	0.2	0.1
Manufacturing	131.5	135.4	135.4	136.0	4.5	3.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	388.9	429.5	427.9	429.2	40.3	10.4
Information	36.2	37.0	36.6	36.6	0.4	1.1
Financial activities	202.2	202.9	204.1	204.8	2.6	1.3
Professional and business services	349.6	360.3	362.3	364.2	14.6	4.2
Education and health services	324.5	348.0	349.2	348.2	23.7	7.3
Leisure and hospitality	165.4	205.8	209.2	209.9	44.5	26.9
Other services	60.2	67.8	67.1	65.9	5.7	9.5
Government	243.3	243.0	243.6	240.1	-3.2	-1.3
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Total nonfarm	2,148.0	2,248.0	2,264.8	2,279.9	131.9	6.1
Mining and logging	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0
Construction	113.7	122.9	122.8	126.9	13.2	11.6
Manufacturing	133.7	141.6	140.2	140.9	7.2	5.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	309.3	333.9	333.2	333.0	23.7	7.7
Information	131.8	134.6	135.2	134.7	2.9	2.2
Financial activities	139.3	138.0	138.7	139.6	0.3	0.2
Professional and business services	470.1	486.6	490.1	488.1	18.0	3.8
Education and health services	335.8	358.9	358.5	358.3	22.5	6.7
Leisure and hospitality	145.2	160.3	173.0	187.3	42.1	29.0
Other services	62.2	68.2	68.9	67.6	5.4	8.7
Government	306.6	302.7	303.9	303.2	-3.4	-1.1
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Total nonfarm	2,979.9	3,144.3	3,175.3	3,187.0	207.1	6.9
Mining, logging, and construction	156.7	158.7	159.8	160.7	4.0	2.6
Manufacturing	51.9	55.1	55.3	55.5	3.6	6.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	344.4	386.8	387.7	388.8	44.4	12.9
Information	73.1	72.6	73.8	73.5	0.4	0.5
Financial activities	154.0	151.6	152.8	151.9	-2.1	-1.4
Professional and business services	754.5	765.8	773.0	775.5	21.0	2.8
Education and health services	396.7	429.8	433.0	433.5	36.8	9.3
Leisure and hospitality	170.6	228.7	242.1	247.9	77.3	45.3
Other services	180.1	188.2	188.9	190.1	10.0	5.6
Government	697.9	707.0	708.9	709.6	11.7	1.7
Footnotes (1) U.S. data are preliminary for two months after they are first published. (p) Preliminary