Current Employment Statistics (CES6562000001) · Health care and social assistance, seasonally adjusted
How many jobs are there in health care and social assistance?
The number of jobs in health care and social assistance was 23,959 thousand in the month ended , up 2.2% from a year earlier (preliminary).
Jobs in health care and social assistance, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Jobs in health care and social assistance, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Jobs in health care and social assistance, in thousands | 23,959 thousand | 23,936 thousand | 23,438 thousand | 20,084 thousand | 19,190 thousand |
| Change over a year | +2.2% | +2.4% | +3.4% | +1.6% | +2.8% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The number of jobs in health care and social assistance was 23,959 thousand in September 2026, the highest since our record begins in January 1990.
Over a year it is up 2.2% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 23,936 thousand in | +0.1% |
| Three months | 23,887 thousand in | +0.3% |
| Twelve months | 23,438 thousand in | +2.2% |
| Five years | 20,084 thousand in | +19.3% |
| Ten years | 19,190 thousand in | +24.9% |
In historyOurs
The number of jobs in health care and social assistance of 23,959 thousand in was higher than in 440 of the 440 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 0.
Highest since : 23,959 thousand in . Lowest since : 9,116 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 16,007.4 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 441 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the number of jobs in health care and social assistance is up 2.2%, which ranks 1 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the number of jobs in health care and social assistance beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Inside itOurs
Of the 4 industries inside health care and social assistance that BLS reports, the change over a year was largest for social assistance, up 2.8%, and smallest for nursing and residential care facilities, up 1.5% (ours).
Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
In August 2026 the survey counted, for health care and social assistance, 1,359 thousand job openings, 703 thousand hires, 467 thousand quits and 199 thousand layoffs and discharges.
Over a year the counts are job openings down 0.5%, hires down 1.4%, quits down 8.4% and layoffs and discharges up 30.9% (ours).
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in health care and social assistance
- Job openings1,359855 to 2,106
- Hires703441 to 1,051
- Quits467328 to 607
- Layoffs and discharges19969 to 1,239
Each row is one measure of the second survey for health care and social assistance, in thousands over the last ten years, one month to a point, on one scale, with its newest value and its range printed beside it. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Understanding the number of jobs in health care and social assistance
Where it stands today
The number of jobs in health care and social assistance was 23,959 thousand in September 2026.
What does the number of jobs in health care and social assistance measure?
Health care and social assistance covers doctors' and dentists' offices, hospitals, nursing and residential care homes, home health and outpatient care, and social services such as child day care, food banks and job training. Public hospitals are counted in government.
Read more
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts these jobs each month in a survey of employers, the Current Employment Statistics, and publishes them in the Employment Situation report at the start of the next month. The count is all employees on payrolls, in thousands, seasonally adjusted.
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, how the change over a year ranks among the lines of the jobs by industry page, the industries inside it with their own change over a year. For this industry it also shows the job openings, hires, quits and layoffs from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a second BLS survey, beside the count of jobs.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the number of jobs in health care and social assistance in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1990
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 23,959 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 23,936 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 23,901 thousand | +2.3% | |
| 23,887 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 23,849 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 23,814 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 23,757 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 23,664 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 23,694 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 23,588 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 23,546 thousand | +3.1% | |
| 23,486 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 23,438 thousand | +3.4% | |
| 23,383 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 23,360 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 23,278 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 23,217 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 23,152 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 23,076 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 23,008 thousand | +3.7% | |
| 22,960 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 22,901 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 22,832 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 22,755 thousand | +4.2% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 22,674 thousand | +4.2% | |
| 22,587 thousand | +4.2% | |
| 22,542 thousand | +4.5% | |
| 22,494 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 22,425 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 22,359 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 22,277 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 22,191 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 22,096 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 22,019 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 21,945 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 21,839 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 21,762 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 21,677 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 21,577 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 21,464 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 21,382 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 21,309 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 21,241 thousand | +4.5% | |
| 21,170 thousand | +4.5% | |
| 21,104 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 21,018 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 20,931 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 20,855 thousand | +3.7% | |
| 20,766 thousand | +3.4% | |
| 20,685 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 20,617 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 20,513 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 20,435 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 20,381 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 20,317 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 20,256 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 20,160 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 20,183 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 20,150 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 20,119 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 20,084 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 20,077 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 20,078 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 20,070 thousand | +3.7% | |
| 20,076 thousand | +6.4% | |
| 20,066 thousand | +8.6% | |
| 20,024 thousand | −3.1% | |
| 19,943 thousand | −4.0% | |
| 19,904 thousand | −4.0% | |
| 19,967 thousand | −3.4% | |
| 19,909 thousand | −3.5% | |
| 19,853 thousand | −3.5% | |
| 19,766 thousand | −3.7% | |
| 19,653 thousand | −4.1% | |
| 19,525 thousand | −4.4% | |
| 19,345 thousand | −5.1% | |
| 18,864 thousand | −7.3% | |
| 18,485 thousand | −9.0% | |
| 20,656 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 20,771 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 20,725 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 20,676 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 20,640 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 20,578 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 20,532 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 20,490 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 20,428 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 20,393 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 20,353 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 20,320 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 20,263 thousand | +2.3% | |
| 20,201 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 20,165 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 20,133 thousand | +2.3% | |
| 20,065 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 20,039 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 19,991 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 19,962 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 19,916 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 19,892 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 19,875 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 19,839 thousand | +2.0% | |
| 19,816 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 19,785 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 19,732 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 19,683 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 19,656 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 19,623 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 19,603 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 19,589 thousand | +2.3% | |
| 19,569 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 19,521 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 19,471 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 19,443 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 19,391 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 19,371 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 19,330 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 19,310 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 19,254 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 19,220 thousand | +2.7% |
How does it compare with the industries on the jobs by industry page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance (this page) | 23,959 thousand | +2.2% | 1 | |
| Private education and health | 28,005 thousand | +1.9% | 2 | |
| Utilities | 612 thousand | +1.7% | 3 | |
| Construction | 8,364 thousand | +1.3% | 4 | |
| Durable goods | 7,898 thousand | +1.1% | 5 | |
| Professional, scientific, technical | 10,844 thousand | +0.8% | 6 | |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,310 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Goods-producing | 21,623 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Other services | 6,039 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Professional and business services | 22,482 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Administrative, support, waste | 9,019 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Private service-providing | 114,094 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Total private | 135,717 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Leisure and hospitality | 16,969 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Wholesale trade | 6,078 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Local government | 15,173 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Manufacturing | 12,652 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Mining and logging | 607 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Service-providing | 137,421 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Total nonfarm | 159,044 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Retail trade | 15,480 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Trade, transportation, utilities | 28,778 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Mining, oil and gas extraction | 567 thousand | +0.1% | 23 | |
| Private education | 4,046 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6,609 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Management of companies | 2,620 thousand | −0.3% | 26 | |
| State government | 5,472 thousand | −0.5% | 27 | |
| Real estate, rental, leasing | 2,438 thousand | −0.6% | 28 | |
| Government | 23,327 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Nondurable goods | 4,754 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Financial activities | 9,082 thousand | −1.2% | 31 | |
| Finance and insurance | 6,645 thousand | −1.4% | 32 | |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,659 thousand | −1.6% | 33 | |
| Information | 2,739 thousand | −4.2% | 34 | |
| Federal government | 2,682 thousand | −8.0% | 35 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Which industries are inside health care and social assistance?Newest month of each industry
| Industry | Month | Count | Share | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambulatory health care services | 9,266 thousand | 38.7% | +2.4% | 2 | |
| Hospitals | 5,798 thousand | 24.2% | +1.9% | 3 | |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 3,489 thousand | 14.6% | +1.5% | 4 | |
| Social assistance | 5,405 thousand | 22.6% | +2.8% | 1 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in health care and social assistance?Newest month of each measure
| Measure | Month | Count | Rate | Change over a year | Where the count stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (preliminary) | 1,359 thousand | 5.4% | −0.5% | the lowest since February 2026 | |
| Hires (preliminary) | 703 thousand | 2.9% | −1.4% | the highest since June 2026 | |
| Quits (preliminary) | 467 thousand | 2.0% | −8.4% | the lowest since June 2026 | |
| Layoffs and discharges (preliminary) | 199 thousand | 0.8% | +30.9% | the highest since October 2025 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- BLS counts jobs, not people: a person with two jobs on two payrolls is counted twice. Farm jobs, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers and members of the military are not counted.
- The count comes from a survey of employers, so each month's value carries sampling error. BLS revises each month twice in the two months after it is first published, and each February it benchmarks the series to a full count of jobs from unemployment insurance tax records and revises earlier values, so past values on this page can change.
- BLS publishes this series from 1990.
- The job openings, hires, quits and layoffs come from JOLTS, a separate survey of employers that BLS holds from December 2000 and publishes about a month after the payroll counts, so its newest month can be an earlier month than the count of jobs.
- The count is shown in whole thousands, but BLS publishes this series to one decimal, so the changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values, which are ours and worked out from the values as BLS publishes them, can differ in their last place from those worked out from the values as shown.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes; a change is in percent.
Observed . Checked .
Observed .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Health care and social assistance, seasonally adjusted, through September 2026, with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, through August 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many jobs are there in health care and social assistance?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/health-care-social-assistance.
Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-health-care-social-assistance.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 441 rows, to , 8,801 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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