South region · state data

District of Columbia unemployment rate and jobs

The District of Columbia's unemployment rate was 5.6% in Sep 2026, 1.4 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down from 6.6% 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)

5.6%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

+1.4 pt

A year earlier

6.6%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

51st of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

719,900

Job growth, 12 months

-3.5%

Record low rate

4.0% (Aug 2022)

Unemployment rate: District of Columbia vs. the U.S.

5.6% Sep 2026 · Percent

3%4%5%6%7%20222023202420252026

District of Columbia unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

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

How District of Columbia compares

In Sep 2026, the District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate of the 51 states and DC. Across the 16 states and DC in the South region, the simple average was 4.0%, so the District of Columbia was 1.6 points above it.

Since the state series began in 1976, the District of Columbia's rate has ranged from a low of 4.0% in Aug 2022 to a high of 11.3% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 5.7%, 0.1 points higher than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 6.3% and was above the national rate in 12 of them.

Jobs in District of Columbia

Employers in the District reported 719,900 nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 25,800 fewer than a year earlier (-3.5%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 51st of 51. The record high was 805,400 in Feb 2020. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are down 10.6%.

719.9K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

700K720K740K760K780K20222023202420252026

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

Last 12 months in District of Columbia
MonthUnemployment rateU.S. rateNonfarm jobsMonthly job change
Sep 20265.6%4.2%719,900+100
Aug 20265.7%4.1%719,800-1,300
Jul 20265.9%4.1%721,100+400
Jun 20266.0%4.2%720,700+2,200
May 20266.1%4.3%718,500-2,200
Apr 20266.2%4.3%720,700-100
Mar 20266.3%4.3%720,800+700
Feb 20266.5%4.4%720,100+0
Jan 20266.7%4.3%720,100-5,500
Dec 20256.7%4.4%725,600-1,300
Nov 20256.7%4.5%726,900-18,800
Sep 20256.6%4.4%745,700-1,200

Record high unemployment rate: 11.3% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

California · 5.1%Connecticut · 5.1%

Other South states

AlabamaArkansasDelawareFloridaGeorgiaKentuckyLouisianaMarylandMississippiNorth CarolinaOklahomaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWest Virginia 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

FRED® is a registered trademark of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Neither the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis nor the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics endorses OpenEcon.