West region · state data
Washington unemployment rate and jobs
Washington's unemployment rate was 4.8% in Sep 2026, 0.6 percentage points above the U.S. rate of 4.2%. That was up from 4.7% 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)
4.8%
U.S. rate, same month
4.2%
Difference from U.S.
+0.6 pt
A year earlier
4.7%
Rank (1 = lowest rate)
45th of 51
Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)
3.65 million
Job growth, 12 months
+0.7%
Record low rate
3.6% (Jan 2020)
Unemployment rate: Washington vs. the U.S.
4.8% Sep 2026 · Percent
Washington unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate
Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. Washington data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).
How Washington compares
In Sep 2026, Washington had the 7th highest rate of the 51 states and DC. Across the 13 states in the West region, the simple average was 4.1%, so Washington was 0.7 points above it.
Since the state series began in 1976, Washington's rate has ranged from a low of 3.6% in Jan 2020 to a high of 17.1% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 3.8%, 1.0 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 5.0% and was above the national rate in 12 of them.
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Jobs in Washington
Employers in Washington reported 3.65 million nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 24,800 more than a year earlier (+0.7%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 20th of 51. The job count is at its highest level since the series began in 1990. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are up 4.0%.
3,654.9K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons
Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.
| Month | Unemployment rate | U.S. rate | Nonfarm jobs | Monthly job change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 4.8% | 4.2% | 3.65 million | +4,200 |
| Aug 2026 | 4.9% | 4.1% | 3.65 million | +1,700 |
| Jul 2026 | 5.0% | 4.1% | 3.65 million | +8,100 |
| Jun 2026 | 5.2% | 4.2% | 3.64 million | -4,100 |
| May 2026 | 5.2% | 4.3% | 3.65 million | +5,600 |
| Apr 2026 | 5.2% | 4.3% | 3.64 million | +300 |
| Mar 2026 | 5.1% | 4.3% | 3.64 million | +1,900 |
| Feb 2026 | 5.1% | 4.4% | 3.64 million | -2,100 |
| Jan 2026 | 5.0% | 4.3% | 3.64 million | +0 |
| Dec 2025 | 4.9% | 4.4% | 3.64 million | +3,700 |
| Nov 2025 | 4.9% | 4.5% | 3.64 million | +5,500 |
| Sep 2025 | 4.7% | 4.4% | 3.63 million | -1,700 |
Record high unemployment rate: 17.1% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.
States with similar unemployment rates
Other West states
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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 Washington [WAUR], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WAUR, Oct 27, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Employees: Total Nonfarm in Washington [WANA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/WANA, Oct 27, 2026.
- View WAUR on FRED® · View WANA on FRED® · BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics · BLS State and Metro Area Employment
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.
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