BLS Releases September State Jobs Data: Jobless Rates Fall in Five States, National Rate Little Changed at 4.2%
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), part of the Department of Labor, released its September 2026 state employment and unemployment data in Washington at 10:00 a.m. ET on October 20 (release USDL-26-1603). Unemployment rates were lower in September in five states and stable in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, little changed both over the month and over the year.
The five states with lower rates were Florida, down to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent; Maryland, down to 3.9 percent from 4.1 percent; Nevada, down to 4.7 percent from 4.8 percent; New Hampshire, down to 2.6 percent from 2.8 percent; and Pennsylvania, down to 3.6 percent from 3.7 percent. South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in September at 2.0 percent, followed by North Dakota at 2.2 percent, while the District of Columbia had the highest rate at 5.6 percent. Twenty states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.2 percent; California, at 5.1 percent, and Michigan, at 5.0 percent, were in the group significantly above the national rate along with the District. From a year earlier, 20 states and the District had rate decreases, seven states had increases, and 23 states had little change.
On payrolls, nonfarm employment increased significantly in two states in September, decreased in one state, and was essentially unchanged in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in seven states, decreased in the District, and was essentially unchanged in 43 states. The BLS notes that the release combines two monthly programs: the unemployment data are modeled largely on a household survey and pertain to people by where they reside, while the employment data come from an establishment survey and pertain to jobs by where the establishments are located. California's unemployment rate held at 5.1 percent in September, unchanged from August.
Related: California's Jobless Rate Holds at 5.1% in September as Nonfarm Payrolls Fall by 9,300
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的美国劳工部总部 Frances Perkins Building 门前标识（资料图）。该建筑为劳工部总部，劳工统计局（BLS）为其下属机构。维基共享资源，公共领域／Photo: Sign at the Frances Perkins Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. (file photo). Wikimedia Commons, public domain
