San Diego employers reported 1,572,500 payroll jobs in September 2026, an estimated 19,900 more than in September 2025.
Payroll jobs1,572,500September 2026 · Jobs at workplaces
Annual jobs change+19,900Compared with September 2025
Annual payroll growth+1.3%Compared with September 2025
Unemployment rate4.7%September 2026 · 0.2 percentage points lower than September 2025
BLS total nonfarm payroll · Not seasonally adjusted. Payroll counts jobs at workplaces; unemployment measures residents. These are different measures.
BLS does not mark this annual payroll change statistically significant at 90% confidence. This does not establish a statistically significant difference between metros.
Historical detail below: Census QWI 2025 Q3 · BLS OEWS May 2025 occupation estimates. Each source keeps its own date and coverage.
Historical workforce detail · Census QWI 2025 Q3
Hiring, worker flows and pay in San Diego
Census workforce data arrive with a publication lag. These findings compare 2025 Q3 with 2024 Q3 and do not describe later conditions. Open "How this was calculated" for the arithmetic.
Census recorded 1,517,083 jobs in the San Diego metro at the start of 2025 Q3, up 0.6% from the same quarter a year earlier. This is historical workforce detail from the latest complete Census quarter saved for this metro. QWI covers private employers and state and local government; federal jobs are excluded. Its job counts differ from monthly BLS payroll coverage.
Jobs, start of quarter1,517,083+0.6% vs. 2024 Q3
Hires in the quarter206,81213.6 per 100 jobs · -1.4% vs. 2024 Q3
Avg. monthly earnings$7,041Stable workers, nominal · +5.0% vs. 2024 Q3
Occupations with local data632BLS OEWS May 2025
JobsCensus QWI · 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
+0.6%
Jobs rose 0.6% from 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
Beginning-of-quarter employment was 1,517,083 in 2025 Q3, against 1,507,306 in 2024 Q3, a change of +9,777 jobs. That change was larger than in 31 of the 49 other covered metros with matching data for the same quarters.
How this was calculated
(1,517,083 - 1,507,306) / 1,507,306 = +0.6%. Same quarter, one year apart; all industries, all ownership, not seasonally adjusted.
Health care and social assistance had the largest job gain of any major industry
Health care and social assistance added 13,373 jobs (+5.7%) between 2024 Q3 and 2025 Q3, and holds 16.5% of metro jobs. 9 of 14 industries with at least 2% of metro jobs grew. One year-over-year comparison is not a trend.
How this was calculated
249,868 - 236,495 = +13373 jobs; ranked by absolute change among sectors with at least 2% of 2025 Q3 employment and published values in both quarters.
84% of comparable occupations have local medians above the U.S. median
Of 624 occupations with a published annual median both here and nationally, 525 have a higher local median, 99 a lower one and 0 the same. The largest such occupation, home health and personal care aides (57,080 jobs), has a median of $35,300 versus $35,800 nationally. Annual figures are published annualized OEWS wage estimates, not actual annual take-home pay; pay is nominal and not adjusted for cost of living.
How this was calculated
Above: 525/624 = 84.1%; below: 99/624 = 15.9%; equal: 0/624. Occupations with both metro and national annual medians published (top-coded or suppressed values excluded), OEWS May 2025.
Professional, scientific, and technical services is a larger part of the job base than in most covered metros
10.6% of jobs here are in professional, scientific, and technical services, compared with a median of 7.5% across 49 other covered metros in 2025 Q3, about 1.4 times the typical share.
How this was calculated
Sector employment / all-industry employment for 2025 Q3; compared with the median share of the same sector in the other covered metros with the same quarter. Only sectors with at least 3% of local jobs are considered.
13.6 hires per 100 jobs in 2025 Q3, at or below the comparison median
Employers recorded 206,812 hires during 2025 Q3 against 1,517,083 jobs at the start of the quarter. The median across 49 other covered metros was 15.8. This is a flow ratio, not a chance of being hired, and hires are not job openings.
Jobs changed +0.6% and hires -1.4% between the same quarter one year apart. During 2025 Q3 employers recorded 206,812 hires and 208,464 separations, a difference of -1,652. That difference is a flow measure and is not the same as the official change in employment.
Census QWI beginning-of-quarter employment, all industries, private employers and state and local government; federal jobs excluded. Not seasonally adjusted. The axis is truncated: bars start above zero to show change. Compare the same quarter across years because seasonal patterns repeat. The highlighted bar is 2025 Q3.Show as a table
Quarter
Employment
Hires
Separations
2023 Q1
1,478,907
200,839
190,046
2023 Q2
1,491,129
225,894
219,905
2023 Q3
1,495,597
225,829
227,701
2023 Q4
1,493,899
209,604
204,660
2024 Q1
1,498,591
183,634
180,608
2024 Q2
1,503,902
206,592
203,098
2024 Q3
1,507,306
209,843
216,851
2024 Q4
1,500,219
206,799
199,723
2025 Q1
1,512,694
175,016
175,022
2025 Q2
1,513,552
202,792
199,881
2025 Q3
1,517,083
206,812
208,464
Careers · BLS OEWS May 2025
Explore careers in San Diego
632 detailed occupations with local estimates, 626 with a published local median wage. Figures describe one survey reference period, not growth, openings or forecasts.
Try:
Showing 1 to 25 of 632 matching occupations. Local jobs are OEWS employment estimates; medians are for all workers in the occupation in this metro, compared with the U.S. median for the same occupation and pay basis.
BLS OEWS May 2025, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (CBSA 41740). Unknown values sort last.
Occupation
Local jobs
Annual median
Hourly median
vs. U.S. median
National context
Home health and personal care aides31-1120 · Healthcare support
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (CBSA 41740), one survey reference period. They show levels, not growth, openings or forecasts.
Largest occupations by local jobs: home health and personal care aides (57,080), fast food and counter workers (42,550), retail salespersons (34,390), cashiers (30,420), registered nurses (28,680).
Medians are for all workers in the occupation in this metro. "vs. U.S." compares with the national median for the same occupation, same release and same pay basis. 624 occupations have published annual medians both here and nationally. 6 have no published local median.
Annual figures are published annualized OEWS wage estimates, not actual annual take-home pay. Pay is nominal and not adjusted for cost of living.
Some occupations are paid and published on an hourly or annual basis only; the other column then says so rather than showing a converted figure.
"Not released" means BLS did not publish that local estimate. Nothing is filled in or treated as zero.
"U.S. profile" links open national data for the occupation, not San Diego figures.
Compare metros
How San Diego compares with similar metros
Monthly payroll comparison · September 2026
All payroll rows compare September 2026 with September 2025 from the same BLS release, not seasonally adjusted. These are the same suggested peers used in the quarterly profiles. Estimates do not establish statistically significant differences between metros.
Payroll measures jobs at workplaces. Unemployment rates measure residents and are shown only when a validated estimate matches the same month and metro.
Historical comparison · Census QWI 2025 Q3
Quarterly hiring, jobs and earnings
Every metro in this historical table uses 2025 Q3 and 2024 Q3, from one saved Census release. Monthly payroll comparisons above use a separate BLS source and are not combined with these measures.
Showing San Diego with Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte. Default: the 3 covered metros closest in total employment (Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte).
Choose metros (3 of 49 selected)
Census QWI, 2025 Q3 compared with 2024 Q3 for San Diego and selected metros.
Census QWI, 2025 Q3 compared with 2024 Q3 for every metro. Hires per 100 jobs is hires during the quarter divided by beginning-of-quarter employment, times 100: a flow ratio, not a chance of being hired. Earnings are average monthly earnings of stable workers, nominal, not adjusted for cost of living.
Suggested peers are the covered metros closest in total QWI employment (smallest ratio difference) for the same quarter. Differences of a few tenths of a point are within normal revision and should not be read as a ranking.
By industry · Census QWI 2025 Q3
Industries behind the numbers
Hires are a count of hires made during the quarter, not unique people or job openings. A large count reflects industry size and turnover.
Largest job gains, 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
Health care and social assistance+13,373 jobs+5.7%
Educational services+4,366 jobs+3.1%
Professional, scientific, and technical services+1,369 jobs+0.9%
Largest job declines, 2024 Q3 to 2025 Q3
Manufacturing-3,380 jobs-3.0%
Administrative and support and waste management-2,873 jobs-3.0%
Wholesale trade-2,146 jobs-4.7%
Show all 20 industry sectors
Census QWI NAICS sectors, private employers and state and local government; federal jobs excluded. Not seasonally adjusted. Change compares 2025 Q3 with 2024 Q3, the same quarter a year earlier. Not published = not published for every state portion or no matching prior-year quarter. Sectors do not add exactly to the total.
Industry
Employment
Share of jobs
Employment change, 1 yr
Hires
Hires change, 1 yr
Avg. monthly earnings
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
9,142
0.6%
-4.0%
1,188
-2.5%
$4,134
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
277
0.0%
-19.7%
32
+60.0%
$7,765
Utilities
8,102
0.5%
-0.4%
256
-3.0%
$10,006
Construction
95,161
6.3%
+0.2%
16,407
-1.8%
$7,035
Manufacturing
109,685
7.2%
-3.0%
7,823
+1.5%
$8,801
Wholesale trade
43,675
2.9%
-4.7%
3,317
-7.9%
$9,218
Retail trade
122,250
8.1%
-1.4%
16,169
-11.2%
$4,393
Transportation and warehousing
34,291
2.3%
+0.0%
4,933
-5.7%
$5,952
Information
21,584
1.4%
-4.1%
1,796
+12.6%
$20,399
Finance and insurance
42,105
2.8%
+2.4%
3,043
-3.4%
$11,380
Real estate and rental and leasing
30,228
2.0%
+0.6%
3,043
-0.5%
$6,617
Professional, scientific, and technical services
161,317
10.6%
+0.9%
14,955
-2.7%
$12,464
Management of companies and enterprises
23,345
1.5%
-0.1%
1,609
-9.9%
$8,794
Administrative and support and waste management
93,286
6.1%
-3.0%
25,322
-6.0%
$5,001
Educational services
144,032
9.5%
+3.1%
18,842
+15.5%
$6,021
Health care and social assistance
249,868
16.5%
+5.7%
34,677
+8.0%
$5,874
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
39,109
2.6%
+0.2%
7,955
-5.2%
$5,225
Accommodation and food services
177,470
11.7%
+0.5%
33,776
-4.1%
$3,382
Other services (except public administration)
57,459
3.8%
-0.2%
9,167
-4.8%
$4,043
Public administration
54,698
3.6%
+0.0%
2,504
-24.6%
$9,549
Sources and limits
Where these numbers come from
Monthly BLS payroll estimates cover September 2026. Census workforce detail covers 2025 Q3, and the wage survey covers OEWS May 2025. Each source retains its own observation period, coverage and publication dates. None is a real-time measure.
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.
Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) measures unemployment among residents of the metro. Its rate is shown separately from workplace payroll employment.
U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators. Jobs, hires, separations and earnings by industry for private employers and state and local government. Federal jobs are excluded.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Employment and wages by occupation for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Monthly payroll estimates measure nonfarm jobs at workplaces, not hiring events, job openings or resident employment. Annual changes are estimates, may be revised and do not establish acceleration or statistically significant differences between metros.
Hires are not job openings and not your odds of being hired. We make no claim about layoffs, AI or other causes behind any change.
Census QWI covers private employers and state and local government; federal jobs are excluded. Its data typically run about three quarters behind publication. This report uses the latest complete saved quarter, 2025 Q3; any newer partial measures are not substituted for the complete quarterly package.
QWI earnings are averages for workers who held the same job all quarter, before taxes, in nominal dollars. They are not salary offers and are not adjusted for cost of living.
BLS OEWS figures (OEWS May 2025) describe one survey reference period. They show levels, not growth, and are a different period from the QWI quarter, so the two are never combined into one measure.
BLS does not release some local estimates; they appear as "Not released", and wages above its reporting ceiling appear as such rather than as a number. None is filled in or treated as zero.
Both sources use the metro boundary shown above. Census labels follow the 2023 metro definitions.
Single-quarter swings in an industry can reflect employer reclassification or reporting changes. Compare several quarters before drawing conclusions.