March 2026 | Released May 06, 2026
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United States
Employment snapshot
In March, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 14, rose in 10, and remained unchanged in 27.
The highest unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2.3 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.3 percent.
In March, payroll jobs rose in 35 states and fell in 15. The largest payroll job percent increase was 0.4 percent in Tennessee. The largest payroll job percent decline was 0.2 percent in Hawaii, Montana, and Oregon.
Tennessee
Employment snapshot
In March, Tennessee added 12,100 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6 percent. In the prior month, Tennessee lost 9,100 net payroll jobs.
Over the past 12 months, Tennessee added 9,200 net payroll jobs and the unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point from 3.5 percent.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, or 0.1 percent. Tennessee is tied for 13th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
In March, Tennessee’s private sector added 12,800 net private payroll jobs, and over the past 12 months it added 6,900 private payroll jobs. In the prior month, Tennessee lost 10,300 net private payroll jobs.
In March, employment in Tennessee fell by 14,727, and over the past 12 months it fell by 5,130.
Tennessee’s labor force participation rate fell to 60 percent in March from 60.3 percent and ranks 39th in the nation. In the past 12 months, the labor force participation rate has fallen by 0.5 percentage points.
Tennessee
Payroll employment
Tennessee added 12,100 net payroll jobs, or 0.4 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during March. In the prior month, Tennessee lost 9,100 jobs. Tennessee nonfarm payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, nonfarm payrolls rose by 178,000 in March, or 0.1 percent. Tennessee is tied for 13th in the nation for percentage gain in nonfarm payroll employment over the past 12 months.
Tennessee added 12,800 private sector jobs, or 0.4 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis during March. In the prior month, Tennessee lost 10,300 jobs. Tennessee private sector payroll employment has increased in 7 of the past 12 months.
Nationally, private sector payroll jobs rose by 186,000 jobs in March, or 0.1 percent. Tennessee is tied for 20th in the nation for percentage gain in private sector payroll employment over the past 12 months.
From February 2026 to March 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+5,400) and Leisure and Hospitality (+3,300).
- The worst performing sectors were State and Local Government (-500) and Federal Government (-200).
From March 2025 to March 2026:
- The best performing sectors were Private Education and Health Services (+12,500) and State and Local Government (+6,600).
- The worst performing sectors were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-7,100) and Manufacturing (-6,000).
Tennessee
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 Tennessee fell to 60 percent in March from 60.3 percent in the prior month.
Tennessee ranks 39th in the nation.
The 10-year high for the labor force participation rate in Tennessee was 61.9 percent occurring in April 2019, and the 10-year low was 58.8 percent in April 2020.
The national labor force participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.9 percent in March.