Representative chart image for state unemployment-rate comparison. Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.
Research & DataEconomic Data Releases
Less than 1 min.Read

State Jobless Rates Show a Wide Labor-Market Gap Behind the National Average

jobgetr.ai Newsroom
By jobgetr.ai Newsroom

By the Numbers

August unemployment rates ranged from 2.0% in South Dakota to 5.7% in the District of Columbia, underscoring how much local labor conditions can differ from the 4.1% national rate.

Georgia’s preliminary rate was 3.2%, tied with several states and below the national reading. California, Connecticut and Oregon were at 5.1%, while North Dakota was at 2.2%.

The comparison is descriptive, not an explanation of why states differ. Industry mix, population flows, labor-force participation and local business conditions can all affect unemployment. For employers and workers, the dispersion is a reason to avoid using a national average as a stand-in for a local hiring market.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Employment and Unemployment — August 2026, released September 18, 2026. https://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm

Hot this week

Hiring

DICK’S and Foot Locker Plan More Than 11,000 Holiday Hires, Down From About 14,000 Last Year

0
DICK'S Sporting Goods Inc. plans to hire more than 11,000 seasonal workers across its store brands for the 2026 holiday season, the Pittsburgh-based retailer said on Oct. 15. That is a smaller target than a year ago, when the company said it expected to bring on about 14,000.
Employment

Georgia’s Labor Force Hits Another Record in September, but Payroll Jobs Slip and Unemployment Edges Up to 3.3%

0
Georgia's labor force and the number of Georgians with jobs both reached new highs in September, the Georgia Department of Labor said on Oct. 15.
Hiring

Microsoft’s Brad Smith Calls Vance’s Green Card Fraud Claims ‘Off Base,’ Warns Curbs Could Push Talent Abroad

0
Microsoft President Brad Smith has publicly rejected the Trump administration's accusations against the company's use of skilled-worker immigration programs, calling Vice President JD Vance's fraud claims "completely off base" and warning that restricting green cards could send top engineering talen
Local Affairs

Army Corps Permit Clears Way for Savannah’s $2.3 Billion Third Container Terminal; Construction Set for 2028

0
The Georgia Ports Authority has its federal permit to build a third container terminal at the Port of Savannah. The authority said on Oct. 14 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the permit for the planned Savannah Container Terminal after a three-year review.
Industries & Sectors

Diesel Is Up About $2.50 a Gallon From a Year Ago, and Truck Freight Rates Are Following

0
The average U.S. retail price of on-highway diesel was $6.179 a gallon in the week of Oct. 12, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about $2.51 more than a year earlier. Federal producer-price data released Oct.

Topics

Hiring

DICK’S and Foot Locker Plan More Than 11,000 Holiday Hires, Down From About 14,000 Last Year

0
DICK'S Sporting Goods Inc. plans to hire more than 11,000 seasonal workers across its store brands for the 2026 holiday season, the Pittsburgh-based retailer said on Oct. 15. That is a smaller target than a year ago, when the company said it expected to bring on about 14,000.
Employment

Georgia’s Labor Force Hits Another Record in September, but Payroll Jobs Slip and Unemployment Edges Up to 3.3%

0
Georgia's labor force and the number of Georgians with jobs both reached new highs in September, the Georgia Department of Labor said on Oct. 15.
Hiring

Microsoft’s Brad Smith Calls Vance’s Green Card Fraud Claims ‘Off Base,’ Warns Curbs Could Push Talent Abroad

0
Microsoft President Brad Smith has publicly rejected the Trump administration's accusations against the company's use of skilled-worker immigration programs, calling Vice President JD Vance's fraud claims "completely off base" and warning that restricting green cards could send top engineering talen
Local Affairs

Army Corps Permit Clears Way for Savannah’s $2.3 Billion Third Container Terminal; Construction Set for 2028

0
The Georgia Ports Authority has its federal permit to build a third container terminal at the Port of Savannah. The authority said on Oct. 14 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the permit for the planned Savannah Container Terminal after a three-year review.
Industries & Sectors

Diesel Is Up About $2.50 a Gallon From a Year Ago, and Truck Freight Rates Are Following

0
The average U.S. retail price of on-highway diesel was $6.179 a gallon in the week of Oct. 12, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about $2.51 more than a year earlier. Federal producer-price data released Oct.
Economic Data Releases

September Retail Sales Rise 0.8%, but Gasoline Accounts for Much of the Gain

0
U.S. retail and food services sales rose 0.8% in September, but most of the increase came from gasoline stations. Excluding gas stations, sales rose just 0.2%, according to the Census Bureau's advance estimate released Oct. 15.
Economic Data Releases

Producer Prices Jumped 1.3% in September, the Biggest Monthly Rise Since March 2022

0
Prices that U.S. producers receive for their goods and services rose 1.3% in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Oct. 15.
Industries & Sectors

New York Factory Activity Hits Highest Level Since 2021 While Employment Gauge Holds at 10.3

0
Manufacturing activity in New York State jumped in October to its strongest reading in nearly five years, but the surge has not yet translated into faster hiring. The New York Fed's Empire State Manufacturing Survey, released Oct.
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

EmployersLocal AffairsHiringResearch & DataLabor MarketEditor's PicksSkills & Careers
spot_imgspot_img
Previous article
Representative laptop analytics image for comparison of BLS and ADP employment measures. Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash.
August Payroll Growth and ADP’s Private-Jobs Estimate Tell Different Parts of the Labor Story
Next article
Atlanta skyline used as representative regional imagery for Marietta employment coverage. Photo by Lance Asper on Unsplash.
Lockheed Martin’s Marietta Expansion Adds 1,200 Jobs to a Major Atlanta-Area Manufacturing Hub