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The Employment Situation, July 2026
Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2026-08-07
Employment Situation News Release - 2026 M07 Results
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Employment Situation News Release
Transmission of material in this news release is embargoed until USDL-26-1291
8:30 a.m. (ET) Friday, August 7, 2026
Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 * cesinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ces
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION - JULY 2026
Both nonfarm payroll employment (-23,000) and the unemployment rate (4.1 percent) changed little in
July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment declined in local government
education and retail trade. Employment continued to trend up in health care.
This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor
force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey
measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information about the
concepts and statistical methodology used in these two surveys, see the Technical Note.
Household Survey Data
Both the unemployment rate, at 4.1 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 6.9 million,
changed little in July. These measures also changed little over the year. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for teenagers (12.1 percent) and people who
are Hispanic (4.6 percent) declined in July. The jobless rates for adult men (3.9 percent), adult
women (3.7 percent), and people who are White (3.6 percent), Black (6.3 percent), or Asian (4.0
percent) showed little or no change over the month. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
Among the unemployed, the number of people on temporary layoff increased by 153,000 to 921,000 in
July. The number of permanent job losers changed little at 1.7 million. (See table A-11.)
In July, the number of people jobless less than 5 weeks edged down to 2.0 million and is down by
344,000 over the year. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more)
edged down over the month to 1.8 million but changed little over the year. The long-term unemployed
accounted for 25.5 percent of all unemployed people in July. (See table A-12.)
Both the labor force participation rate, at 61.4 percent, and the employment-population ratio, at
58.9 percent, changed little in July. Since January, the labor force participation rate declined by
0.7 percentage point, and the employment-population ratio decreased by 0.5 percentage point.
(See table A-1.)
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons changed little at 4.8 million in July.
These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time because their
hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs. (See table A-8.)
In July, the number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job changed little at 5.9
million. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for
work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job. (See table A-1.)
Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of people marginally attached to
the labor force changed little at 1.8 million in July. These individuals wanted and were available
for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had not looked for work in
the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally
attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, was essentially unchanged in July at
476,000. (See Summary table A.)
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in July (-23,000), following an average monthly
gain of 34,000 over the prior 12 months. In July, employment declined in local government education
and retail trade. Employment continued to trend up in health care. (See table B-1.)
Employment in local government education declined by 50,000 in July, after showing little net
change over the prior 12 months.
Retail trade lost 19,000 jobs in July. Employment declined in warehouse clubs, supercenters, and
other general merchandise retailers (-21,000) and in gasoline stations and fuel dealers (-5,000).
Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers added 10,000 jobs.
Retail trade employment had shown little net change over the prior 12 months.
Employment in financial activities continued to trend down in July (-14,000), reflecting losses in
credit intermediation and related activities (-9,000) and insurance carriers and related activities
(-7,000). Financial activities employment is down by 121,000 since a recent peak in May 2025.
In July, employment in health care continued its upward trend (+22,000) but at a slower pace than
the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months (+36,000). Employment in ambulatory health care
services continued to trend up over the month (+18,000).
Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining,
quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation
and warehousing; information; professional and business services; social assistance; leisure and
hospitality; and other services.
In July, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls, at $37.62, were
little changed (+2 cents). Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.2 percent. In
July, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees, at $32.40,
were little changed (+4 cents). (See tables B-3 and B-8.)
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.3 hours in
July. In manufacturing, the average workweek was also unchanged at 40.4 hours, and overtime edged
down by 0.1 hour to 3.1 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on
private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.8 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for May was revised down by 66,000, from +129,000 to
+63,000, and the change for June was revised down by 37,000, from +57,000 to +20,000. With these
revisions, employment in May and June combined is 103,000 lower than previously reported. (Monthly
revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the
last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)
_____________
The Employment Situation for August 2026 is scheduled to be published on Friday, September 4, 2026,
at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| 2026 Preliminary Benchmark Revision to Establishment Survey Data |
| to be Published on August 28, 2026 |
| |
| Each year, the establishment survey estimates are benchmarked to comprehensive counts of |
| employment from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) for the month of |
| March. These counts are derived from state unemployment insurance (UI) tax records that |
| nearly all employers are required to file. At 10:00 a.m. (ET) on August 28, 2026, the |
| Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will publish the preliminary estimate of the upcoming |
| annual benchmark revision to the establishment survey data. This is the same day that the |
| first-quarter 2026 data from QCEW will be issued. Official establishment survey estimates |
| are not updated based on this preliminary benchmark revision. |
| |
| The final benchmark revision will be issued with the publication of the January 2027 |
| Employment Situation news release in February 2027. |
|_____________________________________________________________________________________________|
HOUSEHOLD DATA
Summary table A. Household data, seasonally adjusted
[Numbers in thousands]
Category
July
2025
May
2026
June
2026
July
2026
Change from:
June
2026-
July
2026
Employment status
Civilian noninstitutional population
(
1
)
273,785
275,054
275,166
275,282
116
Civilian labor force
170,412
170,078
169,358
169,094
-264
Participation rate
62.2
61.8
61.5
61.4
-0.1
Employed
163,140
162,771
162,264
162,177
-87
Employment-population ratio
59.6
59.2
59.0
58.9
-0.1
Unemployed
7,272
7,307
7,094
6,916
-178
Unemployment rate
4.3
4.3
4.2
4.1
-0.1
Not in labor force
103,373
104,976
105,808
106,189
381
Unemployment rates
Total, 16 years and over
4.3
4.3
4.2
4.1
-0.1
Adult men (20 years and over)
4.0
4.0
3.9
3.9
0.0
Adult women (20 years and over)
3.7
3.8
3.7
3.7
0.0
Teenagers (16 to 19 years)
15.2
14.7
14.6
12.1
-2.5
White
3.7
3.8
3.6
3.6
0.0
Black or African American
7.2
6.6
6.6
6.3
-0.3
Asian
3.9
3.8
3.9
4.0
0.1
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
5.0
5.0
5.2
4.6
-0.6
Total, 25 years and over
3.4
3.5
3.4
3.4
0.0
Less than a high school diploma
5.6
6.0
5.5
5.4
-0.1
High school graduates, no college
4.4
4.4
4.2
4.0
-0.2
Some college or associate degree
3.0
3.6
3.6
3.6
0.0
Bachelor's degree and higher
2.7
2.7
2.7
2.7
0.0
Reason for unemployment
Job losers and people who completed temporary jobs
3,412
3,385
3,278
3,309
31
Job leavers
785
916
776
793
17
Reentrants
2,199
2,209
2,237
2,123
-114
New entrants
982
818
772
761
-11
Duration of unemployment
Less than 5 weeks
2,304
2,210
2,182
1,960
-222
5 to 14 weeks
2,041
1,946
1,936
2,049
113
15 to 26 weeks
1,166
1,077
1,052
1,157
105
27 weeks and over
1,822
1,988
1,937
1,771
-166
Employed people at work part time
Part time for economic reasons
4,689
4,805
4,681
4,804
123
Slack work or business conditions
3,040
3,263
3,010
3,019
9
Could only find part-time work
1,289
1,208
1,409
1,428
19
Part time for noneconomic reasons
22,773
22,853
22,618
22,770
152
People not in the labor force
Marginally attached to the labor force
1,697
1,723
1,761
1,806
45
Discouraged workers
430
486
477
476
-1
Footnotes
(1)
The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation.
NOTE: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Detail for the seasonally adjusted data shown in this table will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
ESTABLISHMENT DATA
Summary table B. Establishment data, seasonally adjusted
Category
July
2025
May
2026
June
2026
(
p
)
July
2026
(
p
)
EMPLOYMENT BY SELECTED INDUSTRY
(Over-the-month change, in thousands)
Total nonfarm
64
63
20
-23
Total private
65
61
30
30
Goods-producing
-23
3
14
25
Mining and logging
-6
3
-2
-2
Construction
-6
2
5
22
Manufacturing
-11
-2
11
5
Durable goods
(
1
)
1
14
12
18
Motor vehicles and parts
4.4
3.3
-0.4
7.9
Nondurable goods
-12
-16
-1
-13
Private service-providing
88
58
16
5
Wholesale trade
-5.7
2.5
3.3
4.7
Retail trade
4.7
5.0
-3.7
-19.4
Transportation and warehousing
3.9
0.8
-11.4
9.7
Utilities
0.4
0.8
-0.2
0.7
Information
-2
-5
-13
11
Financial activities
0
-20
-2
-14
Professional and business services
(
1
)
-16
6
34
18
Temporary help services
-10.4
0.2
11.0
3.4
Private education and health services
(
1
)
87
24
54
25
Health care and social assistance
82.6
34.8
41.0
22.6
Leisure and hospitality
11
42
-43
-40
Other services
5
2
-2
9
Government
-1
2
-10
-53
(3-month average change, in thousands)
Total nonfarm
19
142
77
20
Total private
13
138
80
40
WOMEN AND PRODUCTION AND NONSUPERVISORY EMPLOYEES
AS A PERCENT OF ALL EMPLOYEES
(
2
)
Total nonfarm women employees
50.0
50.0
50.1
50.1
Total private women employees
48.5
48.6
48.6
48.6
Total private production and nonsupervisory employees
81.5
81.7
81.6
81.6
HOURS AND EARNINGS
ALL EMPLOYEES
Total private
Average weekly hours
34.2
34.3
34.3
34.3
Average hourly earnings
$36.47
$37.49
$37.60
$37.62
Average weekly earnings
$1,247.27
$1,285.91
$1,289.68
$1,290.37
Index of aggregate weekly hours (2007=100)
(
3
)
115.9
116.7
116.7
116.7
Over-the-month percent change
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
Index of aggregate weekly payrolls (2007=100)
(
4
)
202.0
209.2
209.8
210.0
Over-the-month percent change
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.1
DIFFUSION INDEX
(Over 1-month span)
(
5
)
Total private (250 industries)
45.8
54.2
53.2
51.8
Manufacturing (72 industries)
42.4
47.9
56.9
50.0
Footnotes
(1)
Includes other industries, not shown separately.
(2)
Data relate to production employees in mining and logging and manufacturing, construction employees in construction, and nonsupervisory employees in the service-providing industries.
(3)
The indexes of aggregate weekly hours are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate hours by the corresponding annual average aggregate hours.
(4)
The indexes of aggregate weekly payrolls are calculated by dividing the current month's estimates of aggregate weekly payrolls by the corresponding annual average aggregate weekly payrolls.
(5)
Figures are the percent of industries with employment increasing plus one-half of the industries with unchanged employment, where 50 percent indicates an equal balance between industries with increasing and decreasing employment.
(p)
Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect March 2025 benchmark levels and updated seasonal adjustment factors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Employment and Unemployment Estimates
1. Why are there two monthly measures of employment?
The household survey and establishment survey both produce sample-based estimates
of employment, and both have strengths and limitations. The establishment survey
employment series has a smaller margin of error on the measurement of month-to-
month change than the household survey because of its much larger sample size. An
over-the-month employment change of about 122,000 is statistically significant in
the establishment survey, while the threshold for a statistically significant change
in the household survey is about 650,000. However, the household survey has a more
expansive scope than the establishment survey because it includes self-employed
workers whose businesses are unincorporated, unpaid family workers, agricultural
workers, and private household workers, who are excluded by the establishment survey.
The household survey also provides estimates of employment for demographic groups.
For more information on the differences between the two surveys, please visit
www.bls.gov/web/empsit/ces_cps_trends.htm.
2. Are undocumented immigrants counted in the surveys?
It is likely that both surveys include at least some undocumented immigrants. However,
neither the establishment nor the household survey is designed to identify the legal
status of workers. Therefore, it is not possible to determine how many are counted in
either survey. The establishment survey does not collect data on the legal status of
workers. The household survey does include questions which identify the foreign and
native born, but it does not include questions about the legal status of the foreign
born. Data on the foreign and native born are published each month in table A-7 of
The Employment Situation news release.
3. Why does the establishment survey have revisions?
The establishment survey revises published estimates to improve its data series by
incorporating additional information that was not available at the time of the
initial publication of the estimates. The establishment survey revises its initial
monthly estimates twice, in the immediately succeeding 2 months, to incorporate
additional sample receipts from respondents in the survey and recalculated seasonal
adjustment factors. For more information on the monthly revisions, please visit
www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cestn.htm#Revisions-Between-Preliminary-and-Final-Data.
On an annual basis, the establishment survey incorporates a benchmark revision that
re-anchors estimates to nearly complete employment counts available from unemployment
insurance tax records. The benchmark helps to control for sampling and modeling errors
in the estimates. For more information on the annual benchmark revision, please visit
www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbmart.htm.
4. Does the establishment survey sample include small firms?
Yes. About 46 percent of the establishment survey sample is comprised of business
establishments with fewer than 20 employees. The establishment survey sample is
designed to maximize the reliability of the statewide total nonfarm employment
estimate; firms from all states, size classes, and industries are appropriately
sampled to achieve that goal.
5. Does the establishment survey account for employment from new businesses?
Yes. Monthly establishment survey estimates include an adjustment to account for
the net employment change generated by business births and deaths. The adjustment
comes from an econometric model that forecasts the monthly net jobs impact of
business births and deaths based on the actual past values of the net impact that
can be observed with a lag from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. The
establishment survey uses modeling rather than sampling for this purpose because
the survey is not immediately able to bring new businesses into the sample. There
is an unavoidable lag between the birth of a new firm and its appearance on the
sampling frame and availability for selection. BLS adds new businesses to the survey
twice a year. More information on business births and deaths in the establishment
survey is available at www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbd.htm.
6. Is the count of unemployed people limited to just those receiving unemployment
insurance benefits?
No. The estimate of unemployment is based on a monthly sample survey of households.
All people who are without jobs and are actively seeking and available to work are
included among the unemployed. (People on temporary layoff are included even if
they do not actively seek work.) There is no requirement or question relating to
unemployment insurance benefits in the monthly survey.
7. Does the official unemployment rate exclude people who want a job but are not currently
looking for work?
Yes. However, there are separate estimates of people outside the labor force who
want a job, including those who are not currently looking because they believe no
jobs are available (discouraged workers). In addition, alternative measures of labor
underutilization (some of which include discouraged workers and other groups not
officially counted as unemployed) are published each month in table A-15 of The
Employment Situation news release. For more information about these alternative
measures, please visit www.bls.gov/cps/lfcharacteristics.htm#altmeasures.
8. How can unusually severe weather affect employment and hours estimates?
In the establishment survey, the reference period is the pay period that includes
the 12th of the month. Unusually severe weather is more likely to have an impact on
average weekly hours than on employment. Average weekly hours are estimated for paid
time during the pay period, including pay for holidays, sick leave, or other time off.
The impact of severe weather on hours estimates typically, but not always, results in
a reduction in average weekly hours. For example, some employees may be off work for
part of the pay period and not receive pay for the time missed, while some workers,
such as those dealing with cleanup or repair, may work extra hours.
It is not possible to precisely quantify the effect of extreme weather on payroll
employment estimates. In order for severe weather conditions to reduce employment
estimates, employees have to be off work without pay for the entire pay period.
Employees who receive pay for any part of the pay period, even 1 hour, are counted in
the payroll employment figures. For more information on how often employees are paid,
please visit www.bls.gov/ces/publications/length-pay-period.htm.
In the household survey, the reference period is generally the calendar week that
includes the 12th of the month. People who miss the entire week's work for weather-
related events are counted as employed whether or not they are paid for the time
off. The household survey collects data on the number of people who had a job but
were not at work due to bad weather. It also provides a measure of the number of
people who usually work full time but had reduced hours due to bad weather.
Current and historical data are available on the household survey's most requested
statistics page, please visit data.bls.gov/toppicks?survey=ln.
Technical Note
This news release presents statistics from two major surveys, the Current
Population Survey (CPS; household survey) and the Current Employment Statistics
survey (CES; establishment survey). The household survey provides information
on the labor force, employment, and unemployment that appears in the "A" tables,
marked HOUSEHOLD DATA. It is a sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households
conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The establishment survey provides information on employment, hours, and
earnings of employees on nonfarm payrolls; the data appear in the "B" tables,
marked ESTABLISHMENT DATA. BLS collects these data each month from the payroll
records of a sample of nonagricultural business establishments. Each month
the CES program surveys about 119,000 businesses and government agencies,
representing approximately 622,000 individual worksites, in order to provide
detailed industry data on employment, hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm
payrolls. The active sample includes approximately 26 percent of all nonfarm
payroll jobs.
For both surveys, the data for a given month relate to a particular week or
pay period. In the household survey, the reference period is generally the
calendar week that contains the 12th day of the month. In the establishment
survey, the reference period is the pay period including the 12th, which may or
may not correspond directly to the calendar week.
Coverage, definitions, and differences between surveys
Household survey. The sample is selected to reflect the entire civilian
noninstitutional population. Based on responses to a series of questions on
work and job search activities, each person 16 years and over in a sample
household is classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force.
People are classified as employed if they did any work at all as paid employees
during the reference week; worked in their own business, profession, or on their
own farm; or worked without pay at least 15 hours in a family business or farm.
People are also counted as employed if they were temporarily absent from their jobs
because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor-management disputes, or personal
reasons.
People are classified as unemployed if they meet all of the following criteria:
they had no employment during the reference week; they were available for work at
that time; and they made specific active efforts to find employment sometime during
the 4-week period ending with the reference week. People laid off from a job and
expecting recall need not be looking for work to be counted as unemployed. The
unemployment data derived from the household survey in no way depend upon the
eligibility for or receipt of unemployment insurance benefits.
The civilian labor force is the sum of the employed and unemployed.
Those people not classified as employed or unemployed are not in the labor
force. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent of the
labor force. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a
percent of the population, and the employment-population ratio is the
employed as a percent of the population. Additional information about the
household survey can be found at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.
Establishment survey. The sample establishments are drawn from private
nonfarm businesses such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as
from federal, state, and local government entities. Employees on nonfarm
payrolls are those who worked or received pay for any part of the reference pay
period, including people on paid leave. People are counted in each job
they hold. Hours and earnings data are produced for the private sector for
all employees and for production and nonsupervisory employees. Production
and nonsupervisory employees are defined as production and related employees
in manufacturing and mining and logging, construction workers in construction,
and nonsupervisory employees in private service-providing industries.
Industries are classified on the basis of an establishment's principal
activity in accordance with the 2022 version of the North American Industry
Classification System. Additional information about the establishment survey
can be found at www.bls.gov/ces/.
Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and methodological
differences between the household and establishment surveys result in important
distinctions in the employment estimates derived from the surveys. Among these are:
--The household survey includes agricultural workers, self-employed workers
whose businesses are unincorporated, unpaid family workers, and private
household workers among the employed. These groups are excluded from the
establishment survey.
--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the employed.
The establishment survey does not.
--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older.
The establishment survey is not limited by age.
--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one
job. In the establishment survey, employees working at more than one
job and thus appearing on more than one payroll are counted separately
for each appearance.
Seasonal adjustment
Over the course of a year, the size of the nation's labor force and the levels
of employment and unemployment undergo regularly occurring fluctuations. These
events may result from seasonal changes in weather, major holidays, and the opening
and closing of schools. The effect of such seasonal variation can be very large.
Because these seasonal events follow a more or less regular pattern each year,
their influence on the level of a series can be tempered by adjusting for regular
seasonal variation. These adjustments make nonseasonal developments, such as
declines in employment or increases in the participation of women in the labor
force, easier to spot. For example, in the household survey, the large number of
youth entering the labor force each June is likely to obscure any other changes
that have taken place relative to May, making it difficult to determine if the
level of economic activity has risen or declined. Similarly, in the establishment
survey, payroll employment in education declines by about 20 percent at the end
of the spring term and later rises with the start of the fall term, obscuring the
underlying employment trends in the industry. Because seasonal employment changes
at the end and beginning of the school year can be estimated, the statistics can be
adjusted to make underlying employment patterns more discernible. The seasonally
adjusted figures provide a more useful tool with which to analyze changes in
month-to-month economic activity.
Many seasonally adjusted series are independently adjusted in both the household
and establishment surveys. However, the adjusted series for many major estimates,
such as total payroll employment, employment in most major sectors, total employment,
and unemployment are computed by aggregating independently adjusted component series.
For example, total unemployment is derived by summing the adjusted series for four
major age-sex components; this differs from the unemployment estimate that would be
obtained by directly adjusting the total or by combining the duration, reasons, or
more detailed age categories. Percentage distributions of unemployment by reason and
duration are derived from the sum of the independently seasonally adjusted component
series and will not necessarily match calculations made using the seasonally adjusted
total unemployment level. Additional information about seasonal adjustment in the
household survey can be found at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#sa.
For both the household and establishment surveys, a concurrent seasonal adjustment
methodology is used in which new seasonal factors are calculated each month using all
relevant data, up to and including the data for the current month. In the household
survey, new seasonal factors are used to adjust only the current month's data. In the
establishment survey, however, new seasonal factors are used each month to adjust the
three most recent monthly estimates. The prior 2 months are routinely revised to
incorporate additional sample reports and recalculated seasonal adjustment factors.
In both surveys, 5-year revisions to historical data are made once a year.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the household and establishment surveys are subject to both
sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire population,
is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the true
population values they represent. The component of this difference that occurs
because samples differ by chance is known as sampling error, and its variability
is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent
chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by
no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population value because of sampling
error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.
For example, the confidence interval for the monthly change in total nonfarm
employment from the establishment survey is on the order of plus or minus 122,000.
Suppose the estimate of nonfarm employment increases by 50,000 from one month to
the next. The 90-percent confidence interval on the monthly change would range from
-72,000 to +172,000 (50,000 +/- 122,000). These figures do not mean that the sample
results are off by these magnitudes, but rather that there is about a 90-percent
chance that the true over-the-month change lies within this interval. Since this
range includes values of less than zero, we could not say with confidence that
nonfarm employment had, in fact, increased that month. If, however, the reported
nonfarm employment rise was 250,000, then all of the values within the 90-percent
confidence interval would be greater than zero. In this case, it is likely (at
least a 90-percent chance) that nonfarm employment had, in fact, risen that month.
At an unemployment rate of around 6.0 percent, the 90-percent confidence interval
for the monthly change in unemployment as measured by the household survey is
about +/- 425,000, and for the monthly change in the unemployment rate it is about
+/- 0.3 percentage point.
In general, estimates involving many individuals or establishments have lower
standard errors (relative to the size of the estimate) than estimates which are based
on a small number of observations. The precision of estimates also is improved when
the data are cumulated over time, such as for quarterly and annual averages.
The household and establishment surveys are also affected by nonsampling error,
which can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the
population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample,
inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information on a
timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, and errors made in the collection or
processing of the data.
For example, in the establishment survey, estimates for the most recent 2 months
are based on incomplete returns; for this reason, these estimates are labeled
preliminary in the tables. It is only after two successive revisions to a monthly
estimate, when nearly all sample reports have been received, that the estimate is
considered final.
Another major source of nonsampling error in the establishment survey is the
inability to capture, on a timely basis, employment generated by new firms. To
correct for this systematic underestimation of employment growth, an estimation
procedure with two components is used to account for business births. The first
component excludes employment losses from business deaths from sample-based
estimation in order to offset the missing employment gains from business births.
This is incorporated into the sample-based estimation procedure by simply not
reflecting sample units going out of business, but imputing to them the same
employment trend as the other firms in the sample. This procedure accounts for
most of the net birth/death employment.
The second component is an ARIMA time series model designed to estimate the
residual net birth-death employment not accounted for by the imputation. The
historical time series used in the ARIMA model is derived from the unemployment
insurance universe micro-level database and reflects the actual
residual net of births and deaths over the past 5 years. In addition to this
time series of actual residual net of births and deaths series, the
ARIMA-based component of the birth-death model includes current sample
information to inform the forecasts. More information on business births
and deaths in the establishment survey is available at
www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbd.htm.
The sample-based estimates from the establishment survey are adjusted once a
year (on a lagged basis) to universe counts of payroll employment obtained from
administrative records of the unemployment insurance program. The difference
between the March sample-based employment estimates and the March universe counts
is known as a benchmark revision, and serves as a rough proxy for total survey
error. Benchmarks also incorporate changes in the classification of industries
when necessary. The absolute average benchmark revision for total nonfarm
employment over the prior 10 years is 0.2 percent. Over this time, revisions
ranged from -0.4 percent to 0.3 percent.
Other information
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1
to access telecommunications relay services.
HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status, sex, and age
Not seasonally adjusted
Seasonally adjusted
(
1
)
July
2025
June
2026
July
2026
July
2025
Mar.
2026
Apr.
2026
May
2026
June
2026
July
2026
TOTAL
Civilian noninstitutional population
273,785
275,166
275,282
273,785
274,858
274,955
275,054
275,166
275,282
Civilian labor force
171,646
170,198
170,235
170,412
170,087
169,995
170,078
169,358
169,094
Participation rate
62.7
61.9
61.8
62.2
61.9
61.8
61.8
61.5
61.4
Employed
163,799
162,722
162,800
163,140
162,848
162,622
162,771
162,264
162,177
Employment-population ratio
59.8
59.1
59.1
59.6
59.2
59.1
59.2
59.0
58.9
Unemployed
7,847
7,476
7,435
7,272
7,239
7,373
7,307
7,094
6,916
Unemployment rate
4.6
4.4
4.4
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.2
4.1
Not in labor force
102,140
104,968
105,047
103,373
104,771
104,959
104,976
105,808
106,189
People who currently want a job
6,533
6,463
6,258
6,186
6,040
6,111
6,187
6,045
5,920
Men, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population
133,546
132,763
132,816
133,546
132,627
132,670
132,714
132,763
132,816
Civilian labor force
91,334
89,384
89,680
90,360
88,846
88,936
89,138
88,690
88,739
Participation rate
68.4
67.3
67.5
67.7
67.0
67.0
67.2
66.8
66.8
Employed
87,317
85,498
85,897
86,375
85,111
85,007
85,172
84,854
84,978
Employment-population ratio
65.4
64.4
64.7
64.7
64.2
64.1
64.2
63.9
64.0
Unemployed
4,017
3,886
3,782
3,985
3,736
3,929
3,966
3,836
3,761
Unemployment rate
4.4
4.3
4.2
4.4
4.2
4.4
4.4
4.3
4.2
Not in labor force
42,212
43,380
43,136
43,186
43,780
43,734
43,576
44,073
44,077
Men, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population
124,462
123,822
123,887
124,462
123,657
123,704
123,760
123,822
123,887
Civilian labor force
87,478
85,820
86,002
87,160
85,796
85,791
85,982
85,690
85,690
Participation rate
70.3
69.3
69.4
70.0
69.4
69.4
69.5
69.2
69.2
Employed
84,106
82,589
82,739
83,696
82,562
82,353
82,539
82,333
82,352
Employment-population ratio
67.6
66.7
66.8
67.2
66.8
66.6
66.7
66.5
66.5
Unemployed
3,372
3,231
3,263
3,464
3,235
3,438
3,443
3,356
3,338
Unemployment rate
3.9
3.8
3.8
4.0
3.8
4.0
4.0
3.9
3.9
Not in labor force
36,984
38,003
37,885
37,302
37,860
37,913
37,778
38,133
38,198
Women, 16 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population
140,239
142,403
142,467
140,239
142,231
142,284
142,340
142,403
142,467
Civilian labor force
80,311
80,814
80,555
80,052
81,241
81,059
80,940
80,668
80,354
Participation rate
57.3
56.8
56.5
57.1
57.1
57.0
56.9
56.6
56.4
Employed
76,482
77,224
76,903
76,765
77,737
77,615
77,599
77,410
77,199
Employment-population ratio
54.5
54.2
54.0
54.7
54.7
54.5
54.5
54.4
54.2
Unemployed
3,830
3,590
3,653
3,287
3,503
3,444
3,341
3,258
3,155
Unemployment rate
4.8
4.4
4.5
4.1
4.3
4.2
4.1
4.0
3.9
Not in labor force
59,928
61,589
61,911
60,187
60,991
61,225
61,400
61,735
62,112
Women, 20 years and over
Civilian noninstitutional population
131,481
133,789
133,864
131,481
133,593
133,648
133,715
133,789
133,864
Civilian labor force
76,672
77,080
76,909
77,008
78,007
77,898
77,827
77,448
77,283
Participation rate
58.3
57.6
57.5
58.6
58.4
58.3
58.2
57.9
57.7
Employed
73,404
74,093
73,666
74,150
74,861
74,872
74,882
74,618
74,445
Employment-population ratio
55.8
55.4
55.0
56.4
56.0
56.0
56.0
55.8
55.6
Unemployed
3,268
2,987
3,243
2,857
3,146
3,026
2,945
2,830
2,838
Unemployment rate
4.3
3.9
4.2
3.7
4.0
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.7
Not in labor force
54,809
56,709
56,955
54,473
55,587
55,750
55,889
56,341
56,581
Both sexes, 16 to 19 years
Civilian noninstitutional population
17,843
17,555
17,531
17,843
17,608
17,603
17,579
17,555
17,531
Civilian labor force
7,496
7,298
7,324
6,244
6,284
6,307
6,269
6,221
6,121
Participation rate
42.0
41.6
41.8
35.0
35.7
35.8
35.7
35.4
34.9
Employed
6,288
6,040
6,394
5,294
5,425
5,397
5,350
5,313
5,380
Employment-population ratio
35.2
34.4
36.5
29.7
30.8
30.7
30.4
30.3
30.7
Unemployed
1,207
1,258
929
950
858
910
919
907
740
Unemployment rate
16.1
17.2
12.7
15.2
13.7
14.4
14.7
14.6
12.1
Not in labor force
10,347
10,257
10,207
11,599
11,324
11,297
11,309
11,334
11,410
Footnotes
(1)
The population figures are not adjusted for seasonal variation; therefore, identical numbers appear in the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted columns.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
HOUSEHOLD DATA
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, and age
[Numbers in thousands]
Employment status, race, sex, and age
Not seasonally adjusted
Seasonally adjusted
(
1
)
July
2025
June
2026
July
2026
July
2025
Mar.
2026
Apr.
2026
May
2026
June
2026
July
2026
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population
207,569
202,497
202,529
207,569
202,436
202,448
202,468
202,497
202,529
Civilian labor force
129,515
123,471
123,822
128,596
123,841
123,673
123,868
122,956
123,005
Participation rate
62.4
61.0
61.1
62.0
61.2
61.1
61.2
60.7
60.7
Employed
124,367
118,741
119,055
123,821
119,371
119,071
119,133
118,472
118,574
Employment-population ratio