West region · state data

California unemployment rate and jobs

California's unemployment rate was 5.1% in Sep 2026, 0.9 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down from 5.5% 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)

5.1%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

+0.9 pt

A year earlier

5.5%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

49th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

18.15 million

Job growth, 12 months

+0.7%

Record low rate

3.8% (Aug 2022)

Unemployment rate: California vs. the U.S.

5.1% Sep 2026 · Percent

California unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

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

How California compares

In Sep 2026, California had the 2nd highest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with Connecticut). Across the 13 states in the West region, the simple average was 4.1%, so California was 1.0 points above it.

Since the state series began in 1976, California's rate has ranged from a low of 3.8% in Aug 2022 to a high of 16.1% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 4.4%, 0.7 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 5.3% and was above the national rate in 12 of them.

Jobs in California

Employers in California reported 18.15 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 129,300 more than a year earlier (+0.7%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 19th of 51. The record high was 18.16 million in Apr 2026. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 2.8%.

18,151.6K 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 California
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	5.1%	4.2%	18.15 million	-9,300
Aug 2026	5.1%	4.1%	18.16 million	+23,100
Jul 2026	5.1%	4.1%	18.14 million	-15,700
Jun 2026	5.2%	4.2%	18.15 million	+6,100
May 2026	5.3%	4.3%	18.15 million	-15,600
Apr 2026	5.3%	4.3%	18.16 million	+0
Mar 2026	5.3%	4.3%	18.16 million	+37,500
Feb 2026	5.4%	4.4%	18.13 million	-18,800
Jan 2026	5.4%	4.3%	18.14 million	+81,800
Dec 2025	5.5%	4.4%	18.06 million	+3,500
Nov 2025	5.5%	4.5%	18.06 million	+36,700
Sep 2025	5.5%	4.4%	18.02 million	-16,400

Record high unemployment rate: 16.1% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Michigan · 5.0%Oregon · 5.0%Connecticut · 5.1%District of Columbia · 5.6%

Other West states

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

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