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 York
Employment snapshot
In July, New York lost 21,900 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage point to 4.4 percent. In the prior month, New York lost 11,600 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, New York added 20,600 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, or 0 percent. New York is tied for 29th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In July, New York’s private sector lost 24,800 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 14,200 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, New York lost 15,500 net private payroll jobs.
In July, employment in New York fell by 9,895, and over the past 12 months it rose by 50,998.
New York’s labor force participation rate fell to 61.3 percent in July from 61.5 percent and ranks 33rd in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has risen by 0.3 percentage points.
New York
Payroll employment
New York lost 21,900 net payroll jobs, or -0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, New York lost 11,600 jobs. New York 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 York is tied for 29th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
New York lost 24,800 private sector jobs, or -0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during July. In the prior month, New York lost 15,500 jobs. New York 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 York 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 State and Local Government (+3,100) and Information (+2,400).
- The worst performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (-22,400) and Leisure and Hospitality (-4,600).
From July 2025 to July 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+25,000) and State and Local Government (+12,300).
- The worst performing sectors were Leisure and Hospitality (-11,800) and Manufacturing (-7,100).
New York
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 York fell to 61.3 percent in July from 61.5 percent in the prior month.
New York ranks 33rd in the nation.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in New York was 61.8 percent occurring in February 2026, and the 10-year low was 56.1 percent in April 2020.
The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.4 percent in July.