South region · state data

Maryland unemployment rate and jobs

Maryland's unemployment rate was 3.9% in Sep 2026, 0.3 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down from 4.3% 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)

3.9%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-0.3 pt

A year earlier

4.3%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

26th of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

2.79 million

Job growth, 12 months

-0.5%

Record low rate

1.9% (Jun 2023)

Unemployment rate: Maryland vs. the U.S.

3.9% Sep 2026 · Percent

Maryland unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

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

How Maryland compares

In Sep 2026, Maryland had the 25th highest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with Arkansas). Across the 16 states and DC in the South region, the simple average was 4.0%, so Maryland was 0.1 points below it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Maryland's rate has ranged from a low of 1.9% in Jun 2023 to a high of 9.0% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 3.4%, 0.5 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 4.3% and was above the national rate in 4 of them.

Jobs in Maryland

Employers in Maryland reported 2.79 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 13,900 fewer than a year earlier (-0.5%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 48th of 51. The record high was 2.85 million in Dec 2024. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are down 0.0%.

2,794.3K 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 Maryland
Month	Unemployment rate	U.S. rate	Nonfarm jobs	Monthly job change
Sep 2026	3.9%	4.2%	2.79 million	-8,800
Aug 2026	4.1%	4.1%	2.80 million	-11,300
Jul 2026	4.2%	4.1%	2.81 million	+10,200
Jun 2026	4.3%	4.2%	2.80 million	+1,200
May 2026	4.4%	4.3%	2.80 million	+4,000
Apr 2026	4.4%	4.3%	2.80 million	+4,000
Mar 2026	4.3%	4.3%	2.80 million	+5,300
Feb 2026	4.3%	4.4%	2.79 million	-5,200
Jan 2026	4.3%	4.3%	2.79 million	+8,800
Dec 2025	4.2%	4.4%	2.79 million	+0
Nov 2025	4.3%	4.5%	2.79 million	-22,100
Sep 2025	4.3%	4.4%	2.81 million	-3,500

Record high unemployment rate: 9.0% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

Kansas · 3.8%Arkansas · 3.9%Louisiana · 4.0%South Carolina · 4.0%

Other South states

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

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