West region · state data

Arizona unemployment rate and jobs

Arizona's unemployment rate was 4.9% in Sep 2026, 0.7 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was up from 4.4% a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics) via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT.

Unemployment rate (Sep 2026)

4.9%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

+0.7 pt

A year earlier

4.4%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

46th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

3.28 million

Job growth, 12 months

+0.6%

Record low rate

3.4% (Mar 2024)

Unemployment rate: Arizona vs. the U.S.

4.9% Sep 2026 · Percent

Arizona unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. Arizona data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).

How Arizona compares

In Sep 2026, Arizona had the 6th highest rate of the 51 states and DC. Across the 13 states in the West region, the simple average was 4.1%, so Arizona was 0.8 points above it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Arizona's rate has ranged from a low of 3.4% in Mar 2024 to a high of 13.8% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 4.8%, 0.1 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 4.7% and was above the national rate in 9 of them.

Jobs in Arizona

Employers in Arizona reported 3.28 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 18,800 more than a year earlier (+0.6%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 22nd of 51. The record high was 3.28 million in Jul 2026. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 9.5%.

3,277.8K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.

Last 12 months in Arizona
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	4.9%	4.2%	3.28 million	-300
Aug 2026	4.9%	4.1%	3.28 million	-5,500
Jul 2026	4.9%	4.1%	3.28 million	+100
Jun 2026	4.9%	4.2%	3.28 million	+2,700
May 2026	4.8%	4.3%	3.28 million	-1,600
Apr 2026	4.7%	4.3%	3.28 million	+8,100
Mar 2026	4.7%	4.3%	3.27 million	+1,900
Feb 2026	4.6%	4.4%	3.27 million	+10,100
Jan 2026	4.5%	4.3%	3.26 million	+6,800
Dec 2025	4.4%	4.4%	3.26 million	+2,500
Nov 2025	4.4%	4.5%	3.25 million	-6,000
Sep 2025	4.4%	4.4%	3.26 million	+500

Record high unemployment rate: 13.8% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Nevada · 4.7%Washington · 4.8%Michigan · 5.0%Oregon · 5.0%

Other West states

Alaska California Colorado Hawaii Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming All 50 states and DC U.S. unemployment rate

This page shows public labor market data for general information. It is not financial or career advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate in Arizona [AZUR], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AZUR, Oct 27, 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in Arizona [AZNA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AZNA, Oct 27, 2026.
View AZUR on FRED® · View AZNA on FRED® · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · BLS State and Metro Area Employment

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