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 Mexico

Employment snapshot

• In July, New Mexico lost 600 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.8 percent. In the prior month, New Mexico lost 700 net payroll jobs.

• Over the past 12 months, New Mexico added 4,100 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.8 percentage points from 4 percent.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. New Mexico is tied for 16th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• In July, New Mexico’s private sector lost 500 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 1,500 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, New Mexico remained unchanged with 0 net private payroll jobs.

• In July, employment in New Mexico fell by 1,201, and over the past 12 months it fell by 19,956.

• New Mexico’s labor force participation rate fell to 56.7 percent in July from 56.9 percent and ranks 49th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.9 percentage points.

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New Mexico

Payroll employment

• New Mexico lost 600 net payroll jobs, or -0.1 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, New Mexico lost 700 jobs. New Mexico nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 5 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. New Mexico is tied for 16th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.

• New Mexico lost 500 private sector jobs, or -0.1 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, New Mexico remained unchanged with 0 jobs. New Mexico private sector payroll employment has increased in 5 of the past 12 months.

• Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 30,000 jobs in July, or 0 percent. New Mexico is tied for 31st 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 Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+500) and Construction (+300).
• The worst performing sectors were Leisure and Hospitality (-1,000) and Professional and Business Services (-900).

From July 2025 to July 2026:

• The best performing sectors were State and Local Government (+4,800) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+3,000).
• The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-2,900) and Federal Government (-2,200).

New Mexico

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 Mexico fell to 56.7 percent in July from 56.9 percent in the prior month.

• New Mexico ranks 49th in the nation.

• The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in New Mexico was 58.3 percent occurring in July 2016, and the 10-year low was 54.1 percent in April 2020.

• The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.4 percent in July.