BLS September Metro Data: Jobless Rates Down Over the Year in 226 Metro Areas, Payrolls Up in Just 11
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on October 28 in its Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment release for September 2026 that unemployment rates were lower than a year earlier in 226 of the 387 metropolitan areas, higher in 138 areas, and unchanged in 23 areas. Nonfarm payroll employment increased over the year in 11 metropolitan areas, decreased in 3 areas, and was essentially unchanged in 373 areas. The figures are not seasonally adjusted.
BLS's metropolitan area unemployment rate table released the same day showed that El Centro, California, had the highest jobless rate in September, at 20.8 percent, ranking last among the 387 metropolitan areas.
The release presents statistics from two monthly BLS programs: the civilian labor force and unemployment data, which are based on the same concepts and definitions as the national household survey and pertain to people by where they reside; and the nonfarm employment data, which come from an establishment survey measuring employment, hours, and earnings by industry, by where establishments are located. September figures are preliminary and subject to revision.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿的 Postal Square 大楼，美国劳工统计局总部所在地。AgnosticPreachersKid 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Postal Square Building in Washington, D.C., headquarters of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
