May 2026 | Released June 23, 2026

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United States

Employment snapshot

• In May, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 20, rose in 9, and remained unchanged in 22.

• The highest unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2.1 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in May.

• In May, payroll jobs rose in 38 states and fell in 13. The largest payroll job percent increase was 1.4 percent in West Virginia. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.5 percent in Montana.

California

Employment snapshot

• In May, California added 3,100 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.3 percent. In the prior month, California remained unchanged with 0 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, California added 102,900 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points from 5.5 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, or 0.1 percent. California is tied for 10th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In May, California’s private sector added 1,000 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 129,100 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, California lost 2,200 net private payroll jobs.

• In May, employment in California fell by 44,058, and over the past 12 months it fell by 95,947.

• California’s labor force participation rate fell to 62 percent in May from 62.1 percent and is tied for 28th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.4 percentage points.

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California

Payroll employment

• California added 3,100 net payroll jobs, or 0 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during May. In the prior month, California remained unchanged with 0 jobs. California nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 172,000 in May, or 0.1 percent. California is tied for 10th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• California added 1,000 private sector jobs, or 0 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during May. In the prior month, California lost 2,200 jobs. California private sector payroll employment has increased in 6 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 120,000 jobs in May, or 0.1 percent. California is tied for 9th in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.

From April 2026 to May 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+6,200) and Leisure and Hospitality (+5,900).
• The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-6,900) and Other Services (-5,000).

From May 2025 to May 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+141,000) and Leisure and Hospitality (+36,000).
• The worst performing sectors were Federal Government (-22,300) and Information (-15,100).

California

Labor force

The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 16 and older who are employed or actively looking for work.

• The labor force participation rate in California fell to 62 percent in May from 62.1 percent in the prior month.

• California is tied for 28th in the nation.

• The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in California was 63 percent in February 2020, and the 10-year low was 59.6 percent in May 2020.

• The national labor force participation rate remained steady at 61.8 percent in May.