Midwest region · state data

North Dakota unemployment rate and jobs

North Dakota's unemployment rate was 2.2% in Sep 2026, 2.0 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was down from 2.6% 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)

2.2%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-2.0 pt

A year earlier

2.6%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

2nd of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

447,300

Job growth, 12 months

+0.2%

Record low rate

2.0% (Aug 2023)

Unemployment rate: North Dakota vs. the U.S.

2.2% Sep 2026 · Percent

2%3%4%5%20222023202420252026

North Dakota unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

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

How North Dakota compares

In Sep 2026, North Dakota had the 2nd lowest rate of the 51 states and DC. Across the 12 states in the Midwest region, the simple average was 3.5%, so North Dakota was 1.3 points below it.

Since the state series began in 1976, North Dakota's rate has ranged from a low of 2.0% in Aug 2023 to a high of 8.7% in Apr 2020. The latest reading is within 0.2 points of the record low. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 2.2%, the same as now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 2.4% and was above the national rate in 0 of them.

Jobs in North Dakota

Employers in North Dakota reported 447,300 nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 900 more than a year earlier (+0.2%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 35th of 51. The record high was 468,900 in Dec 2014. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 1.5%.

447.3K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

410K420K430K440K450K20222023202420252026

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

Last 12 months in North Dakota
MonthUnemployment rateU.S. rateNonfarm jobsMonthly job change
Sep 20262.2%4.2%447,300-1,400
Aug 20262.2%4.1%448,700+1,200
Jul 20262.2%4.1%447,500+100
Jun 20262.3%4.2%447,400-200
May 20262.4%4.3%447,600-700
Apr 20262.4%4.3%448,300-2,100
Mar 20262.5%4.3%450,400+1,900
Feb 20262.6%4.4%448,500+1,600
Jan 20262.6%4.3%446,900+2,300
Dec 20252.6%4.4%444,600-1,300
Nov 20252.6%4.5%445,900-500
Sep 20252.6%4.4%446,400+300

Record high unemployment rate: 8.7% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

South Dakota · 2.0%New Hampshire · 2.6%Vermont · 2.6%

Other Midwest states

IllinoisIndianaIowaKansasMichiganMinnesotaMissouriNebraskaOhioSouth DakotaWisconsin 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.