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.
North Carolina
Employment snapshot
In August, North Carolina added 10,000 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 3.5 percent. In the prior month, North Carolina added 5,700 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, North Carolina added 65,600 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points from 3.9 percent.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, or 0.1 percent. North Carolina is tied for 5th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In August, North Carolina’s private sector added 8,800 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 61,000 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, North Carolina added 6,000 net private payroll jobs.
In August, employment in North Carolina fell by 3,085, and over the past 12 months it fell by 47,152.
North Carolina’s labor force participation rate fell to 57.8 percent in August from 58 percent and is tied for 45th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 1.6 percentage points.
North Carolina
Payroll employment
North Carolina added 10,000 net payroll jobs, or 0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during August. In the prior month, North Carolina added 5,700 jobs. North Carolina nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 8 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, or 0.1 percent. North Carolina is tied for 5th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
North Carolina added 8,800 private sector jobs, or 0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during August. In the prior month, North Carolina added 6,000 jobs. North Carolina private sector payroll employment has increased in 8 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 127,000 jobs in August, or 0.1 percent. North Carolina is tied for 7th 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 (+3,200) and Construction (+2,100).
- The worst performing sectors were Information (-700) and Financial Activities (-600).
From August 2025 to August 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (+23,300) and Construction (+17,500).
- The worst performing sectors were Manufacturing (-8,900) and Information (-4,300).
North Carolina
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 North Carolina fell to 57.8 percent in August from 58 percent in the prior month.
North Carolina is tied for 45th in the nation.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in North Carolina was 61.6 percent occurring in August 2019, and the 10-year low was 56.6 percent in April 2020.
The national labor force participation rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 61.6 percent in August.