The District of Columbia now holds the unwanted title of having the highest unemployment rate in the country for the third straight month. New Bureau of Labor Statistics figures put the District’s jobless rate at 6% in July, compared with the national average of 4.2%.
Two key factors are driving the surge: mass layoffs of federal workers under President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency and a sharp drop in international tourism.
Since Trump’s second term began, thousands of federal workers have been forced out of their jobs. By June, unemployment payments to former federal workers hit $2.57 million, up half a million from just two months earlier.
And tourism, which is the lifeblood of D.C.’s economy, is shrinking. The World Travel and Tourism Council says international visitor spending is projected to drop to $169 billion this year, down from $181 billion in 2024.
Neighboring states are faring better: Maryland’s unemployment rate is 3.4%, and Virginia’s is 3.6%.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
