States: work

Unemployment rate, August 2026

Percent of the civilian labor force, seasonally adjusted. Select a state on the map or in the table for its profile.

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Unemployment rate, August 2026, by state

Percent of the labor force. Shaded in five groups of about ten states each. Rank 1 is the highest value.

Percent of the labor force

United States (BLS Current Population Survey, FRED UNRATE): 4.1%

Data table

All 50 states and DC, A to Z. The source publishes no margin of error for this measure.

State	August 2026	Rank (1 = highest)
Alabama	3.4%	35
Alaska	4.3%	16
Arizona	4.9%	6
Arkansas	3.9%	26
California	5.1%	2
Colorado	4.0%	24
Connecticut	5.1%	2
Delaware	4.7%	9
District of Columbia	5.7%	1
Florida	4.5%	13
Georgia	3.2%	40
Hawaii	2.7%	48
Idaho	3.6%	30
Illinois	4.7%	9
Indiana	3.3%	38
Iowa	3.2%	40
Kansas	3.8%	27
Kentucky	4.7%	9
Louisiana	4.2%	21
Maine	3.2%	40
Maryland	4.1%	22
Massachusetts	4.3%	16
Michigan	5.0%	5
Minnesota	4.4%	14
Mississippi	3.4%	35
Missouri	3.5%	32
Montana	3.2%	40
Nebraska	2.9%	46
Nevada	4.8%	8
New Hampshire	2.8%	47
New Jersey	4.3%	16
New Mexico	4.7%	9
New York	4.3%	16
North Carolina	3.5%	32
North Dakota	2.2%	50
Ohio	3.3%	38
Oklahoma	4.3%	16
Oregon	5.1%	2
Pennsylvania	3.7%	28
Rhode Island	3.7%	28
South Carolina	4.1%	22
South Dakota	2.0%	51
Tennessee	3.4%	35
Texas	4.4%	14
Utah	3.5%	32
Vermont	2.6%	49
Virginia	3.6%	30
Washington	4.9%	6
West Virginia	4.0%	24
Wisconsin	3.2%	40
Wyoming	3.0%	45

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS). LASST<FIPS>0000000000003 (unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted), for example LASST060000000000003 · retrieved Oct. 2, 2026 · 51 rows · as of August 2026 · monthly. File: LASST<FIPS>0000000000003 (unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted), for example LASST060000000000003. Download CSV

Highest to lowest

The source publishes no margin of error for this measure, so the ranks carry no test of whether neighbors really differ. Small gaps between states may be within the estimate’s ordinary error and revisions.

Unemployment rate, August 2026, highest to lowest
Rank	State	Value
1	District of Columbia	5.7%
2	California	5.1%
2	Connecticut	5.1%
2	Oregon	5.1%
5	Michigan	5.0%
6	Arizona	4.9%
6	Washington	4.9%
8	Nevada	4.8%
9	Delaware	4.7%
9	Illinois	4.7%
9	Kentucky	4.7%
9	New Mexico	4.7%
13	Florida	4.5%
14	Minnesota	4.4%
14	Texas	4.4%
16	Alaska	4.3%
16	Massachusetts	4.3%
16	New Jersey	4.3%
16	New York	4.3%
16	Oklahoma	4.3%
21	Louisiana	4.2%
22	Maryland	4.1%
22	South Carolina	4.1%
24	Colorado	4.0%
24	West Virginia	4.0%
26	Arkansas	3.9%
27	Kansas	3.8%
28	Pennsylvania	3.7%
28	Rhode Island	3.7%
30	Idaho	3.6%
30	Virginia	3.6%
32	Missouri	3.5%
32	North Carolina	3.5%
32	Utah	3.5%
35	Alabama	3.4%
35	Mississippi	3.4%
35	Tennessee	3.4%
38	Indiana	3.3%
38	Ohio	3.3%
40	Georgia	3.2%
40	Iowa	3.2%
40	Maine	3.2%
40	Montana	3.2%
40	Wisconsin	3.2%
45	Wyoming	3.0%
46	Nebraska	2.9%
47	New Hampshire	2.8%
48	Hawaii	2.7%
49	Vermont	2.6%
50	North Dakota	2.2%
51	South Dakota	2.0%
Not ranked	United States For reference, not ranked	4.1%

About this measure

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
Period: August 2026
As of: August 2026, retrieved Oct. 2, 2026
Units: Percent of the civilian labor force, seasonally adjusted
Uncertainty: None published. BLS’s state figures come from statistical models and BLS publishes no state standard errors, so ranks carry no test. A missing margin does not mean the figure is exact.
Data: Download the CSV (all 50 states and DC, with the rank, the test and every input column)

BLS marks August 2026 preliminary for every state; it is revised the next month.
BLS published no state figures for October 2025, so each state’s monthly history has a gap there. BLS’s note: “Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.”
U.S. value: The national rate comes from the CPS directly; state rates are LAUS model estimates.