South region · state data

Louisiana unemployment rate and jobs

Louisiana's unemployment rate was 4.0% in Sep 2026, 0.2 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down 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)

4.0%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-0.2 pt

A year earlier

4.2%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

28th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

2.02 million

Job growth, 12 months

+1.8%

Record low rate

3.5% (Jun 2023)

Unemployment rate: Louisiana vs. the U.S.

4.0% Sep 2026 · Percent

Louisiana unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

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

How Louisiana compares

In Sep 2026, Louisiana had the 22nd highest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with South Carolina, West Virginia). Across the 16 states and DC in the South region, the simple average was 4.0%, so Louisiana was right at the regional average.

Since the state series began in 1976, Louisiana's rate has ranged from a low of 3.5% in Jun 2023 to a high of 13.5% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 4.7%, 0.7 points higher than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 4.3% and was above the national rate in 6 of them.

Jobs in Louisiana

Employers in Louisiana reported 2.02 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 36,000 more than a year earlier (+1.8%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 2nd of 51. The job count is at its highest level since the series began in 1990. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 1.6%.

2,024.2K 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 Louisiana
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	4.0%	4.2%	2.02 million	+300
Aug 2026	4.2%	4.1%	2.02 million	+7,400
Jul 2026	4.4%	4.1%	2.02 million	+6,300
Jun 2026	4.4%	4.2%	2.01 million	+200
May 2026	4.5%	4.3%	2.01 million	+700
Apr 2026	4.4%	4.3%	2.01 million	+4,100
Mar 2026	4.4%	4.3%	2.01 million	+4,000
Feb 2026	4.3%	4.4%	2.00 million	+3,000
Jan 2026	4.3%	4.3%	2.00 million	+1,000
Dec 2025	4.2%	4.4%	2.00 million	+4,700
Nov 2025	4.2%	4.5%	1.99 million	+4,300
Sep 2025	4.2%	4.4%	1.99 million	-1,700

Record high unemployment rate: 13.5% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Arkansas · 3.9%Maryland · 3.9%South Carolina · 4.0%West Virginia · 4.0%

Other South states

Alabama Arkansas Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Kentucky 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 Louisiana [LAUR], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LAUR, Oct 27, 2026.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in Louisiana [LANA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LANA, Oct 27, 2026.
View LAUR on FRED® · View LANA on FRED® · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · BLS State and Metro Area Employment

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