Income

California vs Massachusetts: Unemployment Rate

Massachusetts has a lower unemployment rate than California.

California

CA · West

5.5%

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (BLS, December 2025).

Massachusetts

MA · Northeast

Winner

4.8%

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (BLS, December 2025).

Visual comparison

California5.5%

Massachusetts4.8%

Difference: 0.70 percentage points — Massachusetts leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for unemployment rate.

California #50 · 5.5%

Massachusetts #44 · 4.8%

Best Worst

10 Best States — Unemployment Rate

Lower is better

Hawaii

2.2%

South Dakota

2.2%

North Dakota

2.6%

Vermont

2.6%

Alabama

2.7%

Nebraska

3.0%

New Hampshire

3.1%

Wisconsin

3.1%

Maine

3.2%

#10

Mississippi

3.4%

Selected states

#50

California

5.5%

#44

Massachusetts

4.8%

California ranks 50th and Massachusetts ranks 44th nationally for unemployment rate.

Related context

Jobs Picture

Unemployment is one signal — the employment ratio and job growth round out the full picture.

MetricCaliforniaMassachusetts

Employment / Pop. Ratio 60.2% 64.4% Job Growth -0.1% 0.0% Median Household Income $84,097 $96,505 Poverty Rate 12.0% 10.4%

What this means