California Unemployment Soars To 15.5%, New Statistics Show

CALIFORNIA — Preliminary data indicate that 15.5 percent of Californians are unemployed, with more than 2.3 million residents losing work from March to April.

California's employment rate increased 10 percentage points since March and 11.3 percentage points since last April, which saw 4.2 percent unemployment. The unemployment rate has dipped lower than the 12.6 percent unemployment rate that California saw during the peak of the Great Recession in April 2010.

Nationwide 14.7 percent of Americans are unemployed, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday. The states with the highest unemployment rates were Nevada (28.2 percent), Michigan (22.7 percent) and Hawaii (22.3 percent). The states with the lowest unemployment rates were Nebraska (8.3 percent), North Dakota (8.5 percent) and Utah (9.7 percent).

California's largest county, Los Angeles County, saw even higher unemployment numbers than the state average. Nearly one in five residents, or 19.6 percent, were unemployed in April, according to a newly released California Employment Development Department report.

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April data for other California counties was not seasonally adjusted — meaning the statistics do not take into account seasonal employment patterns — but here's how the most populous counties in the Golden State fared:

• San Diego County: 15 percent
• Orange County: 13.8 percent
• Riverside County: 15.3 percent
• San Bernardino County: 13.4 percent
• Santa Clara County: 11.7 percent
• Alameda County: 14.1 percent
• Sacramento County: 14.7 percent
• Contra Costa County: 14.5 percent
• Fresno County: 16.7 percent

See non-seasonally adjusted county-level data for all of California here.

Though the statistics are sobering, they don't reflect recent changes to California's economy.

Earlier this month California moved into the second stage of its four-part plan to restart the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Retailers in most counties were allowed to begin serving customers curbside and companies that comprise retail supply chains began to reopen. The state also set criteria for counties to allow dine-in restaurants and other services.

This week the state approved San Diego County's request to allow dining at restaurants and in-store shopping. Tesla's Alameda County factory, which employs some 10,000 people, was allowed to reopen last week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that the state could be weeks away from entering into the third phase, which would allow for the reopening of hair salons, in-store retail, places of worship and sports venues without audiences.

As of May 20, the most recent data immediately available, more than 86,000 Californians had contracted the coronavirus. More than 3,000 were hospitalized and 3,500 deaths were linked to COVID-19.

Statewide coverage: California Coronavirus: Latest Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures