US states, September 2026: regional jobless rates ease; California workforce shrinks

Most regions and several weak states saw unemployment ease in September

The unemployment rate is the share of people who want work but cannot find it. It is a main gauge of how healthy local job markets are. State and metro figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show:

• The South fell to 4.0% from 4.1%, and the West fell to 4.7% from 4.8%.
• The Northeast stayed at 4.1%, and the Midwest stayed at 3.9%.
• Illinois dropped to 4.6%, from 5.1% in the spring.
• Florida dropped to 4.4%, from a 4.8% peak in April–May.
• Nevada dropped to 4.7%, from 5.3% earlier in the year.
• The District of Columbia dropped to 5.6%, from 6.7% at the turn of the year.
• Washington was at 4.8% and New Jersey at 4.2%.
• New York City held at 4.8%, Texas at 4.4% and Michigan at 5.0%.

California's steady rate comes from people leaving the workforce, not from more hiring

California's unemployment rate held at 5.1% for a third month.

• The number of employed people has fallen every month since December 2025. It went from 18.78 million to 18.49 million, about 295 thousand fewer.
• The labour force, meaning people working or looking for work, fell to 19.48 million from 19.72 million in April.
• The participation rate, the share of adults in the labour force, slid to 61.4% from 62.6% late last year.
• The West region's labour force has dropped about 683 thousand since December, to 40.0 million.

State estimates follow a slower trend than the national survey

The national household survey showed September unemployment rising to 4.2% from 4.1%. It also showed the labour force jumping about 485 thousand. The state figures come from smoothed models, which lag and dampen monthly swings. They point to a slow trend. They do not show that the national rise was false.

August figures were revised slightly. County and metro counts moved by tens to a few hundred people. California's August participation rate was revised to 61.4 from 61.5.