JobMarketHealth

Different places.
Different job markets.

Compare the local picture, then explore the industries and careers behind it.

See the prior month's national employment and job-posting changes in Job Market Movers.

50 available profilesMonthly payroll: September 2026Historical workforce detail: 2025 Q3Occupation pay: May 2025

Explore metro markets

50 metros found

View comparison table ↓

Georgia

Atlanta

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Monthly payroll · September 2026 · Preliminary

Payroll jobs
3,101,900
Payroll change, 1 year
−0.1%
Resident unemployment rate
3.5%
Unemployment observation
September 2026

−2,700 jobs since September 2025.

BLS does not mark this annual change statistically significant.

BLS CES · Source published 2026-10-28

Historical workforce detail · 2025 Q3

Health care and social assistance had the largest job gain of any major industry

Census QWI 2025 Q3 vs 2024 Q3
BLS OEWS May 2025Explore market

Texas

Austin

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Monthly payroll · September 2026 · Preliminary

Payroll jobs
1,416,600
Payroll change, 1 year
+1.1%
Resident unemployment rate
3.7%
Unemployment observation
September 2026

+15,100 jobs since September 2025.

BLS does not mark this annual change statistically significant.

BLS CES · Source published 2026-10-28

Historical workforce detail · 2025 Q3

Manufacturing shows the largest reported job gain, an unusually large change

Census QWI 2025 Q3 vs 2024 Q3
BLS OEWS May 2025Explore market

Maryland

Baltimore

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Monthly payroll · September 2026 · Preliminary

Payroll jobs
1,441,400
Payroll change, 1 year
−0.2%
Resident unemployment rate
3.5%
Unemployment observation
September 2026

−2,300 jobs since September 2025.

BLS does not mark this annual change statistically significant.

BLS CES · Source published 2026-10-28

Historical workforce detail · 2025 Q3

Educational services had the largest job gain of any major industry

Census QWI 2025 Q3 vs 2024 Q3
BLS OEWS May 2025Explore market

Alabama

Birmingham

Birmingham, AL

Monthly payroll · September 2026 · Preliminary

Payroll jobs
571,600
Payroll change, 1 year
+1.2%
Resident unemployment rate
3.5%
Unemployment observation
September 2026

+7,000 jobs since September 2025.

BLS does not mark this annual change statistically significant.

BLS CES · Source published 2026-10-28

Historical workforce detail · 2025 Q3

Public administration shows the largest reported job gain, an unusually large change

Census QWI 2025 Q3 vs 2024 Q3
BLS OEWS May 2025Explore market

Massachusetts / New Hampshire

Boston

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

Monthly payroll · September 2026 · Preliminary

Payroll jobs
2,733,800
Payroll change, 1 year
+0.1%
Resident unemployment rate
3.9%
Unemployment observation
September 2026

+2,300 jobs since September 2025.

BLS does not mark this annual change statistically significant.

BLS CES · Source published 2026-10-28

Historical workforce detail · 2025 Q3

Health care and social assistance had the largest job decline of any major industry

Census QWI 2025 Q3 vs 2024 Q3
BLS OEWS May 2025Explore market

New York

Buffalo

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

Monthly payroll · September 2026 · Preliminary

Payroll jobs
560,100
Payroll change, 1 year
−0.1%
Resident unemployment rate
4.2%
Unemployment observation
September 2026

−600 jobs since September 2025.

BLS does not mark this annual change statistically significant.

BLS CES · Source published 2026-10-28

Historical workforce detail · 2025 Q3

Health care and social assistance shows the largest reported job gain, an unusually large change

Census QWI 2025 Q3 vs 2024 Q3
BLS OEWS May 2025Explore market
Full metro directory · 50 profiles

Monthly payroll · September 2026 vs September 2025

The monthly job picture, side by side

Workplace payroll jobs from one BLS release, with the same month and prior-year month for every metro. These estimates are not seasonally adjusted. This is annual change, not change since the preceding month. The BLS significance marker describes each metro's annual change; it does not establish a difference between two metros. Unemployment measures residents separately from workplace payroll jobs.

BLS CES · September 2026, preliminary. Sorted by payroll employment. Source published 2026-10-28.
MetroPayroll jobsJobs change, 1 yearPayroll change, 1 yearResident unemployment rateBLS marks annual change significant?
New York10,019,900+24,600+0.2%4.5%September 2026No
Los Angeles6,282,100+30,200+0.5%4.4%September 2026No
Chicago4,768,500−3,800−0.1%4.4%September 2026No
Dallas4,352,100+43,900+1.0%4.1%September 2026Yes
Houston3,489,400+33,600+1.0%4.6%September 2026No
Washington, DC3,292,000−61,000−1.8%3.7%September 2026Yes
Philadelphia3,146,800+15,400+0.5%3.6%September 2026No
Atlanta3,101,900−2,700−0.1%3.5%September 2026No
Miami2,965,600+13,000+0.4%3.2%September 2026No
Boston2,733,800+2,300+0.1%3.9%September 2026No
Phoenix2,475,200+23,600+1.0%4.2%September 2026No
San Francisco2,422,500+8,300+0.3%4.4%September 2026No
Seattle2,141,500+15,000+0.7%4.9%September 2026No
Minneapolis-St. Paul2,025,500+22,500+1.1%4.5%September 2026No
Riverside-San Bernardino1,714,900+10,800+0.6%5.7%September 2026No
Denver1,645,700+4,100+0.2%4.3%September 2026No
San Diego1,572,500+19,900+1.3%4.7%September 2026No
Tampa1,557,700+16,200+1.1%4.3%September 2026No
Orlando1,507,700+14,300+1.0%4.2%September 2026No
Baltimore1,441,400−2,300−0.2%3.5%September 2026No
Austin1,416,600+15,100+1.1%3.7%September 2026No
Charlotte1,407,000+25,400+1.8%3.3%September 2026Yes
Portland1,222,100−7,700−0.6%4.1%September 2026No
Nashville1,204,600+12,500+1.0%2.8%September 2026No
Pittsburgh1,203,500−6,500−0.5%3.0%September 2026No
Columbus1,195,700−1,500−0.1%3.3%September 2026No
Las Vegas1,190,500+20,200+1.7%4.8%September 2026No
San Antonio1,189,000+4,300+0.4%4.3%September 2026No
Cincinnati1,178,200+5,000+0.4%3.6%September 2026No
San Jose1,178,200+19,100+1.6%4.2%September 2026Yes
Indianapolis1,175,300−7,000−0.6%3.4%September 2026No
Kansas City1,175,300+6,000+0.5%3.4%September 2026No
Sacramento1,106,000+9,000+0.8%5.0%September 2026No
Cleveland1,083,900+1,700+0.2%1.9%September 2026No
Salt Lake City863,400+22,400+2.7%3.2%September 2026Yes
Milwaukee857,500+1,600+0.2%3.2%September 2026No
Virginia Beach-Norfolk832,900−1,900−0.2%3.8%September 2026No
Jacksonville802,800+2,400+0.3%4.5%September 2026No
Raleigh783,200+17,400+2.3%2.7%September 2026Yes
Providence746,900+1,500+0.2%3.5%September 2026No
Richmond724,200−7,000−1.0%3.8%September 2026No
Oklahoma City713,900+3,500+0.5%3.7%September 2026No
Louisville711,800−2000.0%4.4%September 2026No
Memphis657,400+1,100+0.2%4.1%September 2026No
Hartford626,200+6,300+1.0%5.0%September 2026No
Birmingham571,600+7,000+1.2%3.5%September 2026No
Buffalo560,100−600−0.1%4.2%September 2026No
Omaha526,600+6,800+1.3%2.6%September 2026No
Rochester518,600−2,800−0.5%4.1%September 2026No
Greenville492,500+12,000+2.5%3.3%September 2026Yes

BLS monthly metro estimates

Current Employment Statistics (CES) total nonfarm payroll employment. Jobs at workplaces, not unique people, job openings or forecasts. Compare the same month one year apart because these estimates are not seasonally adjusted.

Payroll month
September 2026, compared with September 2025
Source published
2026-10-28
Retrieved
2026-10-30
Status
Preliminary, subject to revision
Official BLS metro payroll table

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) measures unemployment among residents of the metro. Its rate is shown separately from workplace payroll employment.

Unemployment month
September 2026, compared with September 2025
Source published
2026-10-28
Retrieved
2026-10-30
Status
Preliminary, subject to revision
Official BLS metro unemployment source

Historical workforce detail · 2025 Q3 vs 2024 Q3

Quarterly hiring and earnings context

Historical Census QWI, separate from the monthly payroll picture above. Same quarter and same prior-year quarter for every metro listed. Hires per 100 jobs is a flow ratio, not a chance of being hired. Earnings are nominal and not adjusted for cost of living.

OEWS occupation-report coverage: May 2025.

Census QWI, private employers and state and local government; federal jobs excluded. All industries, not seasonally adjusted. Sorted by employment.
MetroJobs at quarter startEmployment change, 1 yrHires per 100 jobsStable-worker avg. monthly earnings (nominal)Earnings change, 1 yrOccupation reports (OEWS)
New York9,914,831−0.1%16.1$7,792+4.3%707
Los Angeles6,612,016+0.1%14.6$6,904+3.9%696
Chicago4,719,796+0.5%14.5$6,706+3.9%674
Dallas4,301,267+1.5%16.6$6,935+3.1%672
Houston3,433,106+1.3%16.0$6,869+2.4%656
Atlanta3,068,552+0.2%17.0$6,523+3.0%647
Philadelphia3,062,969+1.2%14.1$6,547+3.4%683
Washington, DC3,000,760+1.6%14.4$8,119+5.7%659
Miami2,869,134+0.4%13.8$6,511+6.2%640
Boston2,792,984−1.9%13.7$8,434+4.6%657
San Francisco2,447,194−0.8%12.3$12,171+11.6%649
Phoenix2,428,685+0.4%17.0$6,073+3.4%617
Seattle2,141,455−0.2%14.3$10,141+6.5%653
Minneapolis-St. Paul2,014,198−0.1%14.5$6,637+2.1%635
Riverside-San Bernardino1,684,569+1.2%14.9$5,281+2.4%634
Denver1,637,002+0.1%15.8$7,423+3.1%613
Tampa1,548,428+0.3%14.6$6,036+4.6%599
Orlando1,520,527+1.1%15.0$5,692+4.8%582
San Diego1,517,083+0.6%13.6$7,041+5.0%632
Charlotte1,419,466−0.9%16.7$6,266+1.8%621
Baltimore1,377,610+0.4%15.3$7,596+10.6%613
Austin1,348,388+1.1%16.2$8,128+4.9%569
Portland1,233,006−1.1%14.8$6,887+2.5%639
Pittsburgh1,191,974+0.4%13.6$6,255+5.0%616
Indianapolis1,189,454+0.3%17.7$5,957+5.6%595
Columbus1,183,416+1.2%16.3$6,013+2.5%578
San Antonio1,169,106+0.5%15.8$5,587+3.2%592
Nashville1,168,742+1.9%17.8$6,600+5.0%581
San Jose1,162,802+0.3%11.6$16,284+9.3%557
Las Vegas1,150,934+0.6%16.0$5,541+3.4%576
Kansas City1,128,496+0.6%16.6$5,853+3.9%582
Cincinnati1,121,976−0.5%16.5$5,960+0.6%613
Sacramento1,097,600+0.8%13.2$6,565+1.4%614
Cleveland1,078,316−0.3%15.2$5,994+2.7%591
Milwaukee876,877−0.6%15.5$5,766+2.9%566
Salt Lake City836,166+1.1%15.0$6,389+4.2%573
Raleigh823,932+0.9%15.9$6,621+3.5%545
Jacksonville788,208+0.2%17.4$5,860+5.0%552
Virginia Beach-Norfolk749,150+1.2%18.4$5,527+4.8%571
Providence734,260+0.7%15.0$5,558+4.1%574
Richmond707,0180.0%16.3$6,220+4.4%562
Louisville694,869−0.3%19.1$5,601+1.8%532
Oklahoma City666,073+0.5%16.9$5,196+4.3%566
Hartford624,118+1.4%14.3$6,546+2.6%558
Memphis622,981−1.1%20.1$5,827+3.1%539
Birmingham561,527−0.1%17.6$5,835+3.7%476
Buffalo543,004−2.1%16.1$5,369+3.2%560
Rochester526,679+0.8%16.3$5,576+5.8%538
Omaha520,193+1.0%15.5$5,589+2.3%537
Greenville459,938+2.5%18.3$5,441+3.9%495

Sources and interpretation

How to read the local picture

BLS CES supplies the monthly payroll headline and annual change. Payroll jobs are jobs at workplaces, not unique workers, resident employment or job openings. Each card retains its observation month and source publication date. New releases can revise earlier estimates.

Census QWI counts jobs at the start of each quarter and hires and separations during it for private employers and state and local government. Federal jobs are excluded. Hires are not unique people or job openings. BLS OEWS estimates employment and pay by occupation for a separate reference period; it does not measure growth. Monthly payroll, quarterly workforce detail and occupation pay keep their own measures and dates.

About QWI · About OEWS · Data status

Explore statewide trends