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Current Employment Statistics · total nonfarm payrolls

How many jobs did the US add in the latest jobs report?

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 29,000 in September 2026 (preliminary); the unemployment rate was 4.2% (seasonally adjusted, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on ).

Change in nonfarm payroll employment each month, seasonally adjusted

October 2024 to September 2026Ours, from the published levels; preliminary months drawn open

Change in nonfarm payroll employment, October 2024 to September 2026

All employees on nonfarm payrolls each month, seasonally adjusted, millions

January 1939 to September 2026As published

All employees on nonfarm payrolls each month, seasonally adjusted, millions (January 1939 to September 2026), recessions shaded
All employees on nonfarm payrolls each month, seasonally adjusted, millions (September 2016 to September 2026), recessions shaded
All employees on nonfarm payrolls each month, seasonally adjusted, millions (September 2024 to September 2026)

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .

Jobs added in each calendar year: December's level less the December before's

1940 to 2026Ours; the running year drawn open

Jobs added in each calendar year, 1940 to 2026

Average hourly earnings of private employees, change from a year earlier, each month

March 2007 to September 2026Change ours, from the published dollars

Average hourly earnings of private employees, change from a year earlier, each month (March 2007 to September 2026), recessions shaded
Average hourly earnings of private employees, change from a year earlier, each month (September 2016 to September 2026), recessions shaded
Average hourly earnings of private employees, change from a year earlier, each month (September 2024 to September 2026)

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to .

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .

Each column is one month's change in payroll employment or one calendar year's (ours, from the published levels); the lines are the level of payroll employment and the change of average hourly earnings from a year earlier. Pointing at a column shows its month and figure.

Select a line to follow

Inspect and compare dates

The latest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The months of the last ten years and every year since 1939 are in the tables under "The numbers behind the chart".

MeasureLatestThe month beforeA year earlierFive years earlierTen years earlier
Month
Payroll employment, thousands159,044159,015158,548147,771144,967
Change from the month before+29,000+133,000+76,000+457,000+306,000
Average hourly earnings$37.81$37.76$36.70$30.98$25.77

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

Observed .

Right now

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 29,000 in September 2026 (preliminary), after a rise of 133,000 in August 2026.

Over the last three months the change averaged +51,000 a month (ours). Private payrolls rose by 46,000. The unemployment rate from the household survey was 4.2%.

See every month since the series begins

ChangeOurs

PeriodThenChange
One month159,015 thousand in 0.0%
Three months158,892 thousand in +0.1%
Twelve months158,548 thousand in +0.3%
Five years147,771 thousand in +7.6%
Ten years144,967 thousand in +9.7%

In historyOurs

The nonfarm payroll employment of 159,044 thousand in was higher than in 1,052 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 0.

Highest since : 159,044 thousand in . Lowest since : 29,923 thousand in .

AverageOurs

Average since : 93,953.9 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).

This yearOurs, from the levels

Payroll employment rose by 612,000 from December 2025 to September 2026, against a rise of 232,000 over the same months a year earlier.

See the jobs added in every year

Hourly earningsSeptember 2026

Average hourly earnings of private employees were $37.81, 3.0% more than a year earlier (ours); the average workweek was 34.4 hours.

See every month's hourly earnings

By industryOurs, thousands, the largest rise first

Change in payroll employment over 12 months, by industry

September 2025 to September 2026 (preliminary)Seasonally adjusted, thousands of jobs, ours

  • Private education and health services +516 +1.9%
  • Professional and business services +123 +0.6%
  • Construction +109 +1.3%
  • Leisure and hospitality +62 +0.4%
  • Trade, transportation, and utilities +53 +0.2%
  • Manufacturing +40 +0.3%
  • Other services +34 +0.6%
  • Mining and logging +2 +0.3%
  • Financial activities −107 −1.2%
  • Information −120 −4.2%
  • Government −216 −0.9%
  • Federal government (part of government) −232 −8.0%

Each bar is one industry's change in payroll employment over 12 months, in thousands of jobs, worked out from the published levels. A rise runs to the right of the zero line and a fall to its left, and the same change in per cent is under the figure. Federal government is part of government.

Observed .

Change in nonfarm payroll employment in each month, by year

Thousands of jobs, seasonally adjusted, ours, from the published levelsWhole year: December's level less the December before's

YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecWhole year
2026+160−156+214+148+63+31−10+133+29–––+612
2025−48+42+67+108+13−20+64−70+76−140+41−17+116
2024+175+206+228+64+78+87+53+9+155+33+134+237+1,459
2023+434+290+68+241+280+225+163+218+156+159+127+154+2,515
2022+190+819+490+308+301+434+714+290+220+357+303+100+4,526
2021+315+517+852+355+478+755+942+552+457+801+658+586+7,268
2020+237+262−1,398−20,469+2,614+4,631+1,584+1,566+949+690+273−185−9,246
2019+251+7+228+296+27+220+99+232+196+95+207+127+1,985
2018+137+394+226+140+322+218+60+257+81+169+90+192+2,286
2017+220+218+124+205+205+203+189+147+89+141+223+151+2,115
2016+133+196+256+192+46+247+373+141+306+98+118+225+2,331
2015+204+259+96+273+342+171+282+134+150+304+229+269+2,713
2014+189+151+273+313+215+336+223+197+294+235+291+275+2,992
2013+183+289+143+184+223+183+112+255+175+220+276+55+2,298
2012+358+263+239+77+107+81+144+182+178+152+156+249+2,186
Average+209.2+250.5+140.4−1,171.0+354.3+520.1+332.8+282.9+234.1+236.7+223.3+172.7–

Each chip is one month. The mark in its middle is zero: a fill to the right of it is a rise and a fill to the left a fall. A longer, brighter fill is a larger change, in five steps up to 517 and over; the last column has a scale of its own, up to 7,268 and over. Every chip prints its figure and sign. A year still running is counted through its last month: . An outlined chip is a preliminary month.

Observed .

Where are the jobs?September 2026 (preliminary), by industry

In September 2026 payroll employment was 2,682 thousand in federal government, 232 thousand fewer than a year earlier.

IndustryJobs (thousands)Change in a monthChange in a yearChange in a year (%)
Trade, transportation, and utilities28,778+18+53+0.2%
Private education and health services28,005+20+516+1.9%
Government23,327−17−216−0.9%
Federal government (part of government)2,682−1−232−8.0%
Professional and business services22,482−9+123+0.6%
Leisure and hospitality16,969+10+62+0.4%
Manufacturing12,652+9+40+0.3%
Financial activities9,082−7−107−1.2%
Construction8,364+11+109+1.3%
Other services6,039+6+34+0.6%
Information2,739−10−120−4.2%
Mining and logging607−2+2+0.3%

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

Industries add up to total nonfarm payrolls except where the table says otherwise.

Change in a yearOurs, the largest rise first

IndustryJobs (thousands)Change in a monthChange in a yearChange in a year (%)
Private education and health services28,005+20+516+1.9%
Professional and business services22,482−9+123+0.6%
Construction8,364+11+109+1.3%
Leisure and hospitality16,969+10+62+0.4%
Trade, transportation, and utilities28,778+18+53+0.2%
Manufacturing12,652+9+40+0.3%
Other services6,039+6+34+0.6%
Mining and logging607−2+2+0.3%
Financial activities9,082−7−107−1.2%
Information2,739−10−120−4.2%
Government23,327−17−216−0.9%
Federal government (part of government)2,682−1−232−8.0%

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

Understanding the jobs report

Where it stands today

Payroll employment rose by 29,000 in September 2026 (preliminary).

What does the payroll count measure?

Nonfarm payroll employment is the number of jobs on the payrolls of US businesses and government agencies, counted from a monthly survey of employers, the Current Employment Statistics survey. It leaves out farm work, private households and the self-employed, and counts a person with two jobs twice. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes it in the Employment Situation report, usually on the first Friday of the next month, together with the unemployment rate from the survey of households.

Read more

Each month's first estimate is preliminary: BLS revises it in each of the next two reports as more employers answer, and once a year it benchmarks the whole series to counts from unemployment insurance tax records. The page shows the figures as BLS publishes them now, and keeps the change as our collector first stored it beside them.

What 500metrics adds: the change of each month and the jobs added in each year, worked out from the published levels, the average of the last three months, hourly earnings' change from a year earlier, and the revisions since our collector first stored each month.

The numbers behind the chart

How many jobs were added in each month?The 120 months since Oct 2016, newest first; each year since 1939 is in the next table
Nonfarm payroll employment by month, seasonally adjusted, newest first (change ours)
MonthEmployment (thousands)ChangeStatus
159,044+29,000Preliminary
159,015+133,000Preliminary
158,882−10,000
158,892+31,000
158,861+63,000
158,798+148,000
158,650+214,000
158,436−156,000
158,592+160,000
158,432−17,000
158,449+41,000
158,408−140,000
158,548+76,000
158,472−70,000
158,542+64,000
158,478−20,000
158,498+13,000
158,485+108,000
158,377+67,000
158,310+42,000
158,268−48,000
158,316+237,000
158,079+134,000
157,945+33,000
Show 96 more rows
MonthEmployment (thousands)ChangeStatus
157,912+155,000
157,757+9,000
157,748+53,000
157,695+87,000
157,608+78,000
157,530+64,000
157,466+228,000
157,238+206,000
157,032+175,000
156,857+154,000
156,703+127,000
156,576+159,000
156,417+156,000
156,261+218,000
156,043+163,000
155,880+225,000
155,655+280,000
155,375+241,000
155,134+68,000
155,066+290,000
154,776+434,000
154,342+100,000
154,242+303,000
153,939+357,000
153,582+220,000
153,362+290,000
153,072+714,000
152,358+434,000
151,924+301,000
151,623+308,000
151,315+490,000
150,825+819,000
150,006+190,000
149,816+586,000
149,230+658,000
148,572+801,000
147,771+457,000
147,314+552,000
146,762+942,000
145,820+755,000
145,065+478,000
144,587+355,000
144,232+852,000
143,380+517,000
142,863+315,000
142,548−185,000
142,733+273,000
142,460+690,000
141,770+949,000
140,821+1,566,000
139,255+1,584,000
137,671+4,631,000
133,040+2,614,000
130,426−20,469,000
150,895−1,398,000
152,293+262,000
152,031+237,000
151,794+127,000
151,667+207,000
151,460+95,000
151,365+196,000
151,169+232,000
150,937+99,000
150,838+220,000
150,618+27,000
150,591+296,000
150,295+228,000
150,067+7,000
150,060+251,000
149,809+192,000
149,617+90,000
149,527+169,000
149,358+81,000
149,277+257,000
149,020+60,000
148,960+218,000
148,742+322,000
148,420+140,000
148,280+226,000
148,054+394,000
147,660+137,000
147,523+151,000
147,372+223,000
147,149+141,000
147,008+89,000
146,919+147,000
146,772+189,000
146,583+203,000
146,380+205,000
146,175+205,000
145,970+124,000
145,846+218,000
145,628+220,000
145,408+225,000
145,183+118,000
145,065+98,000
How many jobs were added in each year?87 calendar years, newest first
Jobs added in each calendar year, newest first (ours, from the December levels)
YearJobs addedThrough
2026+612,000Sep 2026
2025+116,000December
2024+1,459,000December
2023+2,515,000December
2022+4,526,000December
2021+7,268,000December
2020−9,246,000December
2019+1,985,000December
2018+2,286,000December
2017+2,115,000December
2016+2,331,000December
2015+2,713,000December
Show 75 more rows
YearJobs addedThrough
2014+2,992,000December
2013+2,298,000December
2012+2,186,000December
2011+2,058,000December
2010+1,022,000December
2009−5,039,000December
2008−3,548,000December
2007+1,146,000December
2006+2,090,000December
2005+2,529,000December
2004+2,041,000December
2003+124,000December
2002−518,000December
2001−1,733,000December
2000+1,933,000December
1999+3,188,000December
1998+3,046,000December
1997+3,406,000December
1996+2,818,000December
1995+2,151,000December
1994+3,849,000December
1993+2,823,000December
1992+1,172,000December
1991−838,000December
1990+332,000December
1989+1,938,000December
1988+3,237,000December
1987+3,152,000December
1986+1,900,000December
1985+2,502,000December
1984+3,877,000December
1983+3,459,000December
1982−2,124,000December
1981−48,000December
1980+271,000December
1979+2,001,000December
1978+4,261,000December
1977+3,962,000December
1976+2,431,000December
1975+365,000December
1974−379,000December
1973+2,763,000December
1972+3,159,000December
1971+1,317,000December
1970−449,000December
1969+1,993,000December
1968+2,348,000December
1967+1,701,000December
1966+2,877,000December
1965+2,901,000December
1964+2,060,000December
1963+1,333,000December
1962+1,156,000December
1961+1,130,000December
1960−432,000December
1959+2,089,000December
1958−299,000December
1957−545,000December
1956+1,124,000December
1955+2,474,000December
1954−372,000December
1953−463,000December
1952+1,852,000December
1951+1,453,000December
1950+3,339,000December
1949−1,510,000December
1948+451,000December
1947+1,202,000December
1946+4,269,000December
1945−2,750,000December
1944−886,000December
1943+831,000December
1942+3,811,000December
1941+3,930,000December
1940+2,632,000December
What were average hourly earnings in each month?The 120 months since Oct 2016, newest first; the chart draws every month since Mar 2006
Average hourly earnings of all private employees, seasonally adjusted, newest first
MonthDollarsChange from a year earlier
$37.813.0%
$37.763.1%
$37.643.2%
$37.593.4%
$37.493.3%
$37.413.6%
$37.353.4%
$37.273.7%
$37.153.7%
$37.023.7%
$37.003.9%
$36.853.9%
Show 108 more rows
MonthDollarsChange from a year earlier
$36.703.8%
$36.624.0%
$36.474.0%
$36.363.9%
$36.284.0%
$36.123.9%
$36.114.2%
$35.944.1%
$35.844.0%
$35.694.1%
$35.604.2%
$35.464.0%
$35.343.9%
$35.223.9%
$35.083.6%
$35.013.9%
$34.894.1%
$34.764.0%
$34.654.1%
$34.524.1%
$34.474.4%
$34.294.1%
$34.174.1%
$34.084.2%
$34.014.4%
$33.894.5%
$33.854.7%
$33.694.7%
$33.504.4%
$33.434.6%
$33.274.6%
$33.154.8%
$33.024.5%
$32.944.9%
$32.825.1%
$32.705.0%
$32.575.1%
$32.445.4%
$32.345.5%
$32.195.4%
$32.105.6%
$31.965.8%
$31.805.9%
$31.645.3%
$31.605.6%
$31.394.9%
$31.235.4%
$31.145.4%
$30.985.0%
$30.784.4%
$30.664.3%
$30.543.9%
$30.412.3%
$30.220.6%
$30.034.5%
$30.055.3%
$29.935.3%
$29.915.4%
$29.644.6%
$29.544.6%
$29.514.8%
$29.494.8%
$29.394.9%
$29.385.0%
$29.726.6%
$30.048.1%
$28.733.5%
$28.543.1%
$28.433.0%
$28.383.0%
$28.343.3%
$28.243.2%
$28.163.1%
$28.143.4%
$28.033.4%
$27.973.5%
$27.883.3%
$27.793.3%
$27.773.4%
$27.693.6%
$27.593.3%
$27.563.5%
$27.443.4%
$27.373.3%
$27.323.1%
$27.213.2%
$27.102.8%
$27.032.9%
$26.982.9%
$26.912.8%
$26.852.8%
$26.742.6%
$26.722.8%
$26.632.7%
$26.542.5%
$26.502.3%
$26.492.8%
$26.372.6%
$26.352.6%
$26.262.5%
$26.212.5%
$26.182.5%
$26.112.6%
$26.072.7%
$26.002.5%
$25.932.7%
$25.902.6%
$25.902.8%
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite

What this number cannot tell you

  • The latest two months are preliminary and are revised in the next two reports; the annual benchmark revises the levels of earlier years.
  • A month's change is the difference of two published levels, in thousands; BLS rounds its levels to the nearest thousand.
  • Payrolls count jobs, not people, and leave out farm work, private households and the self-employed.

Observed . Checked .

Observed .

How to cite this

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, series CES0000000001 (all employees, total nonfarm, seasonally adjusted), through September 2026, published 2 October 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many jobs did the US add in the latest jobs report?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-report.

Can the data be downloaded?jobs-report.csv

Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 25,733 bytes.

Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.

Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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