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 Dakota
Employment snapshot
In August, North Dakota added 800 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 2.2 percent. In the prior month, North Dakota added 100 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, North Dakota added 2,200 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points from 2.6 percent.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, or 0.1 percent. North Dakota is tied for 22nd in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In August, North Dakota’s private sector added 1,000 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 1,700 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, North Dakota added 500 net private payroll jobs.
In August, employment in North Dakota fell by 771, and over the past 12 months it rose by 727.
North Dakota’s labor force participation rate fell to 69 percent in August from 69.2 percent and ranks 3rd in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.7 percentage points.
North Dakota
Payroll employment
North Dakota added 800 net payroll jobs, or 0.2 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during August. In the prior month, North Dakota added 100 jobs. North Dakota nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 162,000 in August, or 0.1 percent. North Dakota is tied for 22nd in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
North Dakota added 1,000 private sector jobs, or 0.3 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during August. In the prior month, North Dakota added 500 jobs. North Dakota private sector payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 127,000 jobs in August, or 0.1 percent. North Dakota is tied for 26th 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 Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+300) and Manufacturing (+200).
- The worst performing sectors were Professional and Business Services (-200) and State and Local Government (-100).
From August 2025 to August 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+1,400) and Leisure and Hospitality (+1,200).
- The worst performing sectors were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-1,600) and Federal Government (-600).
North Dakota
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 Dakota fell to 69 percent in August from 69.2 percent in the prior month.
North Dakota ranks 3rd in the nation.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in North Dakota was 70.9 percent occurring in April 2017, and the 10-year low was 68.3 percent occurring in January 2021.
The national labor force participation rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 61.6 percent in August.