July 2026
Released August 21, 2026
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United States
Employment snapshot
In July, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 29, rose in 4, and remained unchanged in 18.
The highest unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.1 percent.
In July, payroll jobs rose in 27 states and fell in 24. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.4 percent in Maryland. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.6 percent in New Jersey.
Georgia
Employment snapshot
In July, Georgia lost 9,200 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 3.3 percent. In the prior month, Georgia lost 12,300 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, Georgia lost 15,700 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. Georgia is tied for 44th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In July, Georgia’s private sector lost 6,000 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it lost 4,000 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Georgia lost 7,300 net private payroll jobs.
In July, employment in Georgia rose by 7,556, and over the past 12 months it rose by 68,807.
Georgia’s labor force participation rate remained steady at 60.9 percent in July and ranks 35th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has risen by 0.2 percentage points.
Georgia
Payroll employment
Georgia lost 9,200 net payroll jobs, or -0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, Georgia lost 12,300 jobs. Georgia nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 5 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. Georgia is tied for 44th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
Georgia lost 6,000 private sector jobs, or -0.1 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, Georgia lost 7,300 jobs. Georgia private sector payroll employment has increased in 6 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 30,000 jobs in July, or 0 percent. Georgia is tied for 40th in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.
From June 2026 to July 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+2,200) and Construction (+1,100).
- The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-4,200) and State and Local Government (-2,800).
From July 2025 to July 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+22,600) and Manufacturing (+1,900).
- The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-13,000) and Federal Government (-9,800).
Georgia
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 Georgia remained unchanged at 60.9 percent in July.
Georgia ranks 35th in the nation.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Georgia was 63.9 percent occurring in June 2017, and the 10-year low was 59.6 percent occurring in August 2020.
The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.4 percent in July.