August 2026 | Released September 18, 2026
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United States
Employment snapshot
In August, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 28, rose in 4, and remained unchanged in 19.
The highest unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged in August.
In August, payroll jobs rose in 35 states and fell in 16. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.6 percent in New Mexico. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.3 percent in Maryland.
New York
Employment snapshot
In August, New York lost 23,500 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.3 percent. In the prior month, New York lost 13,100 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, New York lost 500 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points from 4.5 percent.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, or 0.1 percent. New York is tied for 38th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In August, New York’s private sector lost 23,400 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it lost 8,800 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, New York lost 17,000 net private payroll jobs.
In August, employment in New York rose by 389, and over the past 12 months it rose by 38,172.
New York’s labor force participation rate remained steady at 61.3 percent in August and is tied for 32nd in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has risen by 0.1 percentage points.
New York
Payroll employment
New York lost 23,500 net payroll jobs, or -0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during August. In the prior month, New York lost 13,100 jobs. New York nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 6 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, or 0.1 percent. New York is tied for 38th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
New York lost 23,400 private sector jobs, or -0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during August. In the prior month, New York lost 17,000 jobs. New York private sector payroll employment has increased in 6 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 127,000 jobs in August, or 0.1 percent. New York is tied for 42nd in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.
From July 2026 to August 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Leisure and Hospitality (+2,900) and State and Local Government (+100).
- The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-6,600) and Information (-5,800).
From August 2025 to August 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+25,000) and State and Local Government (+13,000).
- The worst performing sectors were Leisure and Hospitality (-13,500) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-11,200).
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 remained unchanged at 61.3 percent in August.
New York is tied for 32nd 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 rose by 0.2 percentage points to 61.6 percent in August.