The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today published the state employment and unemployment rates for May, 2026.
The May 2026 job market remained largely stable, with a national unemployment rate masking significant state-level disparities ranging from a low in South Dakota to a high in Washington D.C. While regional hiring growth shows localized strength in states like North Carolina, year-over-year data indicates persistent job losses in specific areas, including Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Unemployment rates were lower in May in 6 states, higher in 2 states, and stable in 42 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sixteen states had jobless rate increases from a year earlier, 6 states had decreases, and 28 states and the District had little change. The national unemployment rate, 4.3 percent, was unchanged both over the month and over the year.
In May, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 2 states and was essentially unchanged in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 2 states, decreased in 1 state and the District, and was essentially unchanged in 47 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 May, 2.1 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate, 6.1 percent. The next highest rate was in California, 5.3 percent.
In total, 18 states had unemployment rates lower than the U.S. figure of 4.3 percent, 7 states and the District had higher rates, and 25 states had rates that were not appreciably different from that of the nation.
In May, six states had unemployment rate decreases: Delaware, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, and South Carolina (-0.2 percentage point each) and South Dakota (-0.1 point). Two states had rate increases: Alabama and Kentucky (+0.2 percentage point each). The remaining 42 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.
Sixteen states had unemployment rate increases from May 2025, the largest of which were in Connecticut (+1.3 percentage points) and Florida (+1.1 points). Six states had over-the-year rate decreases, the largest of which was in Ohio (-1.0 percentage point). Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia 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.
Nonfarm Payroll Employment
In May 2026, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 2 states and was essentially unchanged in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The job gains occurred in North Carolina (+17,400, or +0.3 percent) and West Virginia (+9,700, or +1.4 percent).
Over the year, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 2 states, decreased in 1 state and the District of Columbia, and was essentially unchanged in 47 states. Employment increased in North Carolina (+61,800, or +1.2 percent) and Nevada (+29,200, or +1.8 percent). The job losses occurred in Virginia (-52,200, or -1.2 percent) and the District (-40,300, or -5.3 percent).