April 2026

Released May 22, 2026

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United States

Employment snapshot

• In April, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 15, rose in 9, and remained unchanged in 27.

• The highest unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2.2 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in April.

• In April, payroll jobs rose in 42 states and fell in 9. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.6 percent in New Mexico. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.4 percent in North Dakota.

Massachusetts

Employment snapshot

• In April, Massachusetts added 8,500 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.7 percent. In the prior month, Massachusetts added 7,200 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, Massachusetts added 1,500 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points from 4.4 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 in April, or 0.1 percent. Massachusetts is tied for 27th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In April, Massachusetts’s private sector added 7,600 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 1,200 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Massachusetts added 6,500 net private payroll jobs.

• In April, employment in Massachusetts fell by 9,570, and over the past 12 months it fell by 71,176.

• Massachusetts’s labor force participation rate fell to 65.6 percent in April from 65.8 percent and ranks 11th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 1.1 percentage points.

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Massachusetts

Payroll employment

• Massachusetts added 8,500 net payroll jobs, or 0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during April. In the prior month, Massachusetts added 7,200 jobs. Massachusetts nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000 in April, or 0.1 percent. Massachusetts is tied for 27th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• Massachusetts added 7,600 private sector jobs, or 0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during April. In the prior month, Massachusetts added 6,500 jobs. Massachusetts private sector payroll employment has increased in 8 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 123,000 jobs in April, or 0.1 percent. Massachusetts is tied for 32nd in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.

From March 2026 to April 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Construction (+3,100) and Private Education and Health Services (+1,900).
• The worst performing sectors were Information (-500) and Manufacturing (-300).

From April 2025 to April 2026:

• The best performing sectors were Construction (+4,600) and Private Education and Health Services (+4,200).
• The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-4,700) and Federal Government (-3,600).

Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts fell to 65.6 percent in April from 65.8 percent in the prior month.

• Massachusetts ranks 11th in the nation.

• The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Massachusetts was 67.4 percent occurring in July 2018, and the 10-year low was 61.1 percent in April 2020.

• The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.8 percent in April.