Labor & Economy Tracker
Unemployment Rate by State (September 2026)
In September 2026 the unemployment rate ran from 2.0% in South Dakota to 5.1% in California and Connecticut. The U.S. rate was 4.2%.
South Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate at 2.0%, and California and Connecticut the highest at 5.1%; the U.S. rate was 4.2% in September 2026.
Over the past year the rate rose in 16 states and fell in 29. Figures are seasonally adjusted, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and BLS revises them.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, September 2026
Updated
How the states group
Rates come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. The 50 states and D.C. are split into thirds by rank; tied states stay in the same third.
- Lowest third. Unemployment rate in the lowest third of the 50 states and D.C. this month.
- Middle third. Unemployment rate in the middle third.
- Highest third. Unemployment rate in the highest third.
The state table
| State | Rate | Rank (1 = lowest) | Month change (pts) | Year change (pts) | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 2.0% | 1 | unchanged | β0.1 | Lowest third |
| North Dakota | 2.2% | 2 | unchanged | β0.4 | Lowest third |
| New Hampshire | 2.6% | 3 | β0.2 | β0.6 | Lowest third |
| Vermont | 2.6% | 3 | unchanged | unchanged | Lowest third |
| Hawaii | 2.8% | 5 | +0.1 | +0.7 | Lowest third |
| Nebraska | 2.9% | 6 | unchanged | unchanged | Lowest third |
| Wyoming | 3.0% | 7 | unchanged | β0.4 | Lowest third |
| Montana | 3.1% | 8 | β0.1 | β0.4 | Lowest third |
| Iowa | 3.2% | 9 | unchanged | β0.2 | Lowest third |
| Wisconsin | 3.2% | 9 | unchanged | +0.1 | Lowest third |
| Georgia | 3.3% | 11 | +0.1 | β0.1 | Lowest third |
| Maine | 3.3% | 11 | +0.1 | unchanged | Lowest third |
| Mississippi | 3.3% | 11 | β0.1 | β0.4 | Lowest third |
| Indiana | 3.4% | 14 | +0.1 | β0.3 | Lowest third |
| North Carolina | 3.4% | 14 | β0.1 | β0.5 | Lowest third |
| Ohio | 3.4% | 14 | +0.1 | β0.9 | Lowest third |
| Tennessee | 3.4% | 14 | unchanged | β0.1 | Lowest third |
| Alabama | 3.5% | 18 | +0.1 | +0.7 | Middle third |
| Utah | 3.5% | 18 | unchanged | β0.1 | Middle third |
| Idaho | 3.6% | 20 | unchanged | unchanged | Middle third |
| Missouri | 3.6% | 20 | +0.1 | β0.3 | Middle third |
| Pennsylvania | 3.6% | 20 | β0.1 | β0.8 | Middle third |
| Rhode Island | 3.6% | 20 | β0.1 | β0.7 | Middle third |
| Virginia | 3.6% | 20 | unchanged | +0.2 | Middle third |
| Kansas | 3.8% | 25 | unchanged | unchanged | Middle third |
| Arkansas | 3.9% | 26 | unchanged | β0.3 | Middle third |
| Maryland | 3.9% | 26 | β0.2 | β0.4 | Middle third |
| Louisiana | 4.0% | 28 | β0.2 | β0.2 | Middle third |
| South Carolina | 4.0% | 28 | β0.1 | β0.7 | Middle third |
| West Virginia | 4.0% | 28 | unchanged | β0.5 | Middle third |
| Colorado | 4.1% | 31 | +0.1 | +0.3 | Middle third |
| New Jersey | 4.2% | 32 | β0.1 | β1.3 | Middle third |
| Oklahoma | 4.2% | 32 | β0.1 | +0.6 | Middle third |
| Alaska | 4.3% | 34 | unchanged | β0.4 | Middle third |
| Massachusetts | 4.3% | 34 | unchanged | β0.3 | Middle third |
| New York | 4.3% | 34 | unchanged | β0.3 | Middle third |
| Florida | 4.4% | 37 | β0.1 | +0.2 | Highest third |
| Texas | 4.4% | 37 | unchanged | +0.1 | Highest third |
| Minnesota | 4.5% | 39 | +0.1 | +0.4 | Highest third |
| Delaware | 4.6% | 40 | β0.1 | β0.6 | Highest third |
| Illinois | 4.6% | 40 | β0.1 | +0.1 | Highest third |
| Kentucky | 4.7% | 42 | unchanged | +0.2 | Highest third |
| Nevada | 4.7% | 42 | β0.1 | β0.5 | Highest third |
| New Mexico | 4.7% | 42 | unchanged | +0.5 | Highest third |
| Washington | 4.8% | 45 | β0.1 | +0.1 | Highest third |
| Arizona | 4.9% | 46 | unchanged | +0.5 | Highest third |
| Michigan | 5.0% | 47 | unchanged | +0.1 | Highest third |
| Oregon | 5.0% | 47 | β0.1 | β0.3 | Highest third |
| California | 5.1% | 49 | unchanged | β0.4 | Highest third |
| Connecticut | 5.1% | 49 | unchanged | +0.9 | Highest third |
| District of Columbia | 5.6% | 51 | β0.1 | β1.0 | Highest third |
No states in this group.
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South Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate at 2.0%, and California and Connecticut the highest at 5.1%; the U.S. rate was 4.2% in September 2026. β The Liberty Tribune, 2026 For a reference list:
"Unemployment Rate by State (September 2026): All 50 States Ranked," The Liberty Tribune, https://thelibertytribune.com/trackers/unemployment-rate-by-state/ Methodology & sources
Rates are the seasonally adjusted monthly figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program for September 2026, read from the BLS public API. Rank 1 is the lowest rate among the 50 states and D.C.; tied states share a rank, so the next rank is skipped. The month change compares with August 2026 and the year change with September 2025, both in percentage points at the one decimal BLS publishes. The U.S. rate is the national series from the monthly jobs report, 4.2% in September 2026.
How often it changes. The table is updated monthly, when BLS publishes state data, about three weeks after the national jobs report. BLS revises earlier months; figures it later revises are replaced at the next update.
Monthly state stories from these figures: /data-desk/
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Compiled by The Liberty Tribune. Data retrieved from the BLS public API on October 30, 2026. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.