Current Employment Statistics (CES3200000001) · Nondurable goods, seasonally adjusted
How many jobs are there in nondurable goods manufacturing?
The number of jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing was 4,754 thousand in the month ended , down 0.9% from a year earlier (preliminary).
Jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month
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 in nondurable goods manufacturing, 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 , to , to , to , to , to , 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 nondurable goods manufacturing, in thousands | 4,754 thousand | 4,753 thousand | 4,798 thousand | 4,695 thousand | 4,655 thousand |
| Change over a year | −0.9% | −0.9% | −0.8% | +2.6% | +1.6% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The number of jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing was 4,754 thousand in September 2026, the highest since June 2026.
Over a year it is down 0.9% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 4,753 thousand in | 0.0% |
| Three months | 4,756 thousand in | 0.0% |
| Twelve months | 4,798 thousand in | −0.9% |
| Five years | 4,695 thousand in | +1.3% |
| Ten years | 4,655 thousand in | +2.1% |
In historyOurs
The number of jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing of 4,754 thousand in was higher than in 143 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 2 and lower in 907.
Highest since : 7,233 thousand in . Lowest since : 4,352 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 6,046.1 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the number of jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing is down 0.9%, which ranks 29 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the number of jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing 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 10 industries inside nondurable goods that BLS reports, the change over a year was largest for textile product mills, up 1.3%, and smallest for apparel manufacturing, down 9.3% (ours).
Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
In August 2026 the survey counted, for nondurable goods manufacturing, 142 thousand job openings, 145 thousand hires, 97 thousand quits and 44 thousand layoffs and discharges.
Over a year the counts are job openings down 13.9%, hires up 8.2%, quits up 38.6% and layoffs and discharges down 27.9% (ours).
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in nondurable goods manufacturing
- Job openings142115 to 407
- Hires145112 to 260
- Quits9758 to 168
- Layoffs and discharges4431 to 276
Each row is one measure of the second survey for nondurable goods manufacturing, 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 nondurable goods manufacturing
Where it stands today
The number of jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing was 4,754 thousand in September 2026.
What does the number of jobs in nondurable goods manufacturing measure?
Nondurable goods manufacturing makes products that are used up or wear out sooner: food, beverages and tobacco, textiles and clothing, paper, printing, petroleum and coal products, chemicals, and plastics and rubber.
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 nondurable goods manufacturing in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1939
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 4,754 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 4,753 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 4,752 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 4,756 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 4,756 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 4,772 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 4,774 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 4,772 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 4,779 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 4,783 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 4,791 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 4,798 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 4,798 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 4,796 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 4,791 thousand | −1.1% | |
| 4,803 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 4,806 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 4,809 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 4,812 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 4,812 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 4,815 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 4,818 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 4,816 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 4,827 thousand | −0.4% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 4,837 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 4,842 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 4,846 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 4,846 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 4,844 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 4,845 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 4,843 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 4,848 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 4,852 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 4,843 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 4,842 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 4,847 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 4,843 thousand | −0.6% | |
| 4,832 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 4,837 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 4,848 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 4,855 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 4,861 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 4,860 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 4,866 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 4,867 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 4,864 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 4,884 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 4,881 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 4,873 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 4,866 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 4,869 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 4,861 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 4,841 thousand | +4.2% | |
| 4,832 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 4,811 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 4,793 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 4,764 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 4,760 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 4,742 thousand | +3.1% | |
| 4,716 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 4,695 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 4,682 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 4,665 thousand | +3.1% | |
| 4,647 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 4,645 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 4,640 thousand | +6.6% | |
| 4,644 thousand | −2.3% | |
| 4,627 thousand | −3.2% | |
| 4,618 thousand | −3.4% | |
| 4,620 thousand | −3.5% | |
| 4,601 thousand | −4.0% | |
| 4,594 thousand | −4.1% | |
| 4,575 thousand | −4.5% | |
| 4,559 thousand | −4.7% | |
| 4,525 thousand | −5.3% | |
| 4,523 thousand | −5.4% | |
| 4,448 thousand | −6.8% | |
| 4,352 thousand | −8.7% | |
| 4,754 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 4,780 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 4,782 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 4,787 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 4,794 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 4,790 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,789 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,786 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,779 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,780 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,772 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,769 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,767 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,762 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 4,765 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,761 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 4,758 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 4,756 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,755 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,752 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 4,748 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,745 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 4,738 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 4,725 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,723 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 4,724 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,722 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 4,715 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 4,710 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 4,715 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 4,711 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 4,714 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 4,705 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 4,697 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 4,692 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 4,691 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 4,688 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 4,683 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 4,664 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 4,661 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 4,656 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 4,654 thousand | +1.4% |
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 | 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 (this page) | 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 nondurable goods?Newest month of each industry
| Industry | Month | Count | Share | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food manufacturing | 1,768 thousand | 37.2% | −0.9% | 5 | |
| Textile mills | 78 thousand | 1.6% | −4.9% | 9 | |
| Textile product mills | 94 thousand | 2.0% | +1.3% | 1 | |
| Apparel manufacturing | 71 thousand | 1.5% | −9.3% | 10 | |
| Paper manufacturing | 353 thousand | 7.4% | −0.8% | 3 | |
| Printing and related support activities | 336 thousand | 7.1% | −1.8% | 8 | |
| Petroleum and coal products manufacturing | 109 thousand | 2.3% | −0.8% | 3 | |
| Chemical manufacturing | 906 thousand | 19.0% | +0.4% | 2 | |
| Plastics and rubber products manufacturing | 695 thousand | 14.6% | −0.9% | 5 | |
| Beverage, tobacco, and leather and allied product manufacturing | 344 thousand | 7.2% | −1.6% | 7 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in nondurable goods manufacturing?Newest month of each measure
| Measure | Month | Count | Rate | Change over a year | Where the count stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (preliminary) | 142 thousand | 2.9% | −13.9% | the lowest since December 2025 | |
| Hires (preliminary) | 145 thousand | 3.0% | +8.2% | the highest since October 2024 | |
| Quits (preliminary) | 97 thousand | 2.0% | +38.6% | the highest since December 2023 | |
| Layoffs and discharges (preliminary) | 44 thousand | 0.9% | −27.9% | the lowest since June 2026 |
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 1939.
- 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 counts of the industries inside it are shown in whole thousands, but BLS publishes those series to one decimal, so the changes, the ranks and the shares, 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, Nondurable goods, 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 nondurable goods manufacturing?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/nondurable-goods.
Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-nondurable-goods.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 18,397 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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