Our Weaknesses

Higher unemployment

The region has persistently higher unemployment rates when compared to the state. This structural issue has been well documented in prior CEDS reports and persists even through the post-COVID-19 recovery. In October 2021, the Massachusetts unemployment rate was 4.6% compared to 5.2% in Bristol County and 4.9% in Plymouth County; one-year later, in October 2022, the Massachusetts unemployment rate was 3% compared to 3.6% in Bristol County and 3.1% in Plymouth County.13 Our levels of advanced education are lower than in Massachusetts.

Workforce development efforts are not keeping pace with competitors and the modern economy

In Bristol County, 18.3% of residents have a college degree while 10.4% have a post-graduate degree; in Plymouth County, those percentages are slightly higher, at 23.7% and 13.9%, respectively. However, both counties lag behind Massachusetts as a whole, where 24% of the population has a college degree and 19% has a post-graduate degree.