The Merrimack Valley Unemployment numbers have been released for August and there is good news as we enter into fall. Unemployment has hit its lowest rate since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, the economic recovery from COVID-19 continues to have a long tail, especially as the region confronts a surge in cases due to the delta variant.
| Community | March ’20 Unemployment % | August ’21 Unemployment % |
| Amesbury | 2.7 | 4.3 |
| Andover | 2.2 | 4.1 |
| Boxford | 1.9 | 3.5 |
| Georgetown | 2.2 | 4.0 |
| Groveland | 2.5 | 3.9 |
| Haverhill | 2.2 | 5.8 |
| Lawrence | 5.1 | 11.1 |
| Merrimac | 2.5 | 3.9 |
| Methuen | 3.2 | 7.0 |
| Newbury | 2.6 | 4.8 |
| Newburyport | 2.4 | 3.6 |
| North Andover | 2.3 | 4.6 |
| Rowley | 3.3 | 4.4 |
| Salisbury | 3.4 | 4.8 |
| West Newbury | 2.1 | 3.6 |
About this data: The Merrimack Valley August ’21 unemployment snapshot contains the state-reported municipal-level data as non-seasonally adjusted. This means that fluctuations in unemployment may be due to changes in seasonal work and may not be a complete picture of the workforce. Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers actually suggest a continued decrease in unemployment throughout Massachusetts since June 2020, as shown in the bold green line on the graph above.