July Jobless Rates Were Down in 10 States

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today posted the state employment and unemployment rates for July, 2026.

Unemployment rates were lower in July in 10 states and stable in 40 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Twelve states had jobless rate increases from a year earlier, 10 states and the District had decreases, and 28 states had little change. The national unemployment rate, 4.1 percent, changed little both over the month and over the year.

In July, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 1 state, decreased in 1 state, and was essentially unchanged in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 6 states, decreased in 1 state and the District, and was essentially unchanged in 43 states.

This news release presents statistics from two monthly programs. The civilian labor force and unemployment data are modeled based largely on a survey of households. These data pertain to people by where they reside. The employment data are from an establishment survey that measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. These data pertain to jobs on payrolls defined by where the establishments are located. For more information about the concepts and statistical methodologies used by these two programs, see the Technical Note.

Unemployment

South Dakota had the lowest jobless rate in July, 2.0 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 5.9 percent. In total, 16 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.1 percent, 9 states and the District had higher rates, and 25 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation. (See tables A and 1.)

In July, 10 states had unemployment rate decreases: Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington (-0.2 percentage point each) and Delaware, Florida, and North Dakota (-0.1 point each). Forty states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table B.)

Twelve states had unemployment rate increases from July 2025, the largest of which were in Connecticut (+1.3 percentage points) and Oklahoma (+1.0 point). Ten states and the District of Columbia had over-the-year rate decreases, the largest of which were in New Jersey and Ohio (-1.1 percentage points each). Twenty-eight states had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a year earlier, though some had changes that were at least as large numerically as the significant changes. (See table C.)

Nonfarm Payroll Employment

In July 2026, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 1 state, decreased in 1 state, and was essentially unchanged in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The only job gain occurred in Maryland (+11,700, or +0.4 percent). Employment decreased in New Jersey (-25,600, or -0.6 percent). (See tables D and 3.)

Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 6 states, decreased in 1 state and the District of Columbia, and was essentially unchanged in 43 states. The largest job gains occurred in Texas (+165,600), California (+112,700), and North Carolina (+51,600). The largest percentage increase occurred in Minnesota (+1.4 percent), followed by Louisiana and South Carolina (+1.3 percent each). The job losses occurred in Virginia (-47,900, or -1.1 percent) and the District (-31,500, or -4.2 percent). (See table E.)