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.
New Jersey
Employment snapshot
In July, New Jersey lost 25,600 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.4 percent. In the prior month, New Jersey lost 4,200 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, New Jersey lost 19,600 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 1.1 percentage points from 5.5 percent.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. New Jersey ranks 46th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In July, New Jersey’s private sector lost 25,900 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it lost 20,000 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, New Jersey lost 5,300 net private payroll jobs.
In July, employment in New Jersey rose by 9,180, and over the past 12 months it rose by 58,422.
New Jersey’s labor force participation rate remained steady at 63.5 percent in July and ranks 16th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.1 percentage points.
New Jersey
Payroll employment
New Jersey lost 25,600 net payroll jobs, or -0.6 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, New Jersey lost 4,200 jobs. New Jersey nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. New Jersey ranks 46th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
New Jersey lost 25,900 private sector jobs, or -0.7 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, New Jersey lost 5,300 jobs. New Jersey private sector payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 30,000 jobs in July, or 0 percent. New Jersey ranks 47th 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 State and Local Government (+700) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+600).
- The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-13,400) and Leisure and Hospitality (-7,300).
From July 2025 to July 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+26,400) and State and Local Government (+3,300).
- The worst performing sectors were Leisure and Hospitality (-12,800) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-8,000).
New Jersey
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 New Jersey remained unchanged at 63.5 percent in July.
New Jersey ranks 16th in the nation.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in New Jersey was 64.7 percent occurring in March 2023, and the 10-year low was 60.7 percent in April 2020.
The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.4 percent in July.