Florida unemployment rate ticks up in November after holding steady since April
TALLAHASSEE — The state’s unemployment rate ticked up to 3.4 percent in November after holding steady at 3.3 percent since April, according to a report released Friday by the Florida Department of Commerce.
The new rate reflects an estimated 376,000 Floridians qualifying as out of work in mid-November — 7,000 more than in October — from a labor force of 11.015 million people. The labor force was down by 14,000 people from October and 46,000 from November 2023.
The national unemployment rate last month was 4.2 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate in November 2023 was 3.1 percent
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan statistical area had the lowest unemployment rate last month at 3 percent. Next lowest were the Panama City and the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin areas at 3.4 percent.
The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area rate was 3.5 percent; the Jacksonville area was 3.6 percent; the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent area was 3.7 percent; and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater was 3.8 percent. The North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area, which took the brunt of Milton at landfall, was 3.9 percent.
