South region · state data

Florida unemployment rate and jobs

Florida's unemployment rate was 4.4% in Sep 2026, 0.2 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was up from 4.2% 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)

4.4%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

+0.2 pt

A year earlier

4.2%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

37th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

10.05 million

Job growth, 12 months

+0.6%

Record low rate

2.8% (May 2023)

Unemployment rate: Florida vs. the U.S.

4.4% Sep 2026 · Percent

Florida unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

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

How Florida compares

In Sep 2026, Florida had the 14th highest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with Texas). Across the 16 states and DC in the South region, the simple average was 4.0%, so Florida was 0.4 points above it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Florida's rate has ranged from a low of 2.8% in May 2023 to a high of 14.1% in May 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 3.0%, 1.4 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 4.5% and was above the national rate in 9 of them.

Jobs in Florida

Employers in Florida reported 10.05 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 59,800 more than a year earlier (+0.6%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 21st of 51. The job count is at its highest level since the series began in 1990. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 10.6%.

10,045.4K 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 Florida
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	4.4%	4.2%	10.05 million	+5,300
Aug 2026	4.5%	4.1%	10.04 million	+10,300
Jul 2026	4.6%	4.1%	10.03 million	-3,000
Jun 2026	4.7%	4.2%	10.03 million	+10,600
May 2026	4.8%	4.3%	10.02 million	-4,100
Apr 2026	4.8%	4.3%	10.03 million	+33,900
Mar 2026	4.7%	4.3%	9.99 million	+27,300
Feb 2026	4.6%	4.4%	9.97 million	-2,300
Jan 2026	4.5%	4.3%	9.97 million	+13,500
Dec 2025	4.3%	4.4%	9.95 million	+6,700
Nov 2025	4.3%	4.5%	9.95 million	-38,400
Sep 2025	4.2%	4.4%	9.99 million	-7,000

Record high unemployment rate: 14.1% (May 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Massachusetts · 4.3%New York · 4.3%Texas · 4.4%Minnesota · 4.5%

Other South states

Alabama Arkansas Delaware District of Columbia Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi North Carolina Oklahoma South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia West 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

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

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