Current Employment Statistics (CES4000000001) · Trade, transportation, utilities, seasonally adjusted
How many jobs are there in trade, transportation, and utilities?
The number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities was 28,778 thousand in the month ended , up 0.2% from a year earlier (preliminary).
Jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities, 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 trade, transportation, and utilities, 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 trade, transportation, and utilities, in thousands | 28,778 thousand | 28,760 thousand | 28,725 thousand | 27,832 thousand | 27,211 thousand |
| Change over a year | +0.2% | +0.1% | −0.3% | +4.1% | +1.5% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities was 28,778 thousand in September 2026, the highest since April 2025.
Over a year it is up 0.2% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 28,760 thousand in | +0.1% |
| Three months | 28,728 thousand in | +0.2% |
| Twelve months | 28,725 thousand in | +0.2% |
| Five years | 27,832 thousand in | +3.4% |
| Ten years | 27,211 thousand in | +5.8% |
In historyOurs
The number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities of 28,778 thousand in was higher than in 1,025 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 27.
Highest since : 28,880 thousand in . Lowest since : 6,625 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 18,490.0 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities is up 0.2%, which ranks 21 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
In August 2026 the survey counted, for trade, transportation, and utilities, 1,287 thousand job openings, 1,085 thousand hires, 682 thousand quits and 334 thousand layoffs and discharges.
Over a year the counts are job openings up 12.9%, hires up 14.3%, quits up 11.6% and layoffs and discharges up 8.4% (ours).
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in trade, transportation, and utilities
- Job openings1,287859 to 2,300
- Hires1,085918 to 1,564
- Quits682402 to 1,033
- Layoffs and discharges334204 to 2,078
Each row is one measure of the second survey for trade, transportation, and utilities, 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 trade, transportation, and utilities
Where it stands today
The number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities was 28,778 thousand in September 2026.
What does the number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities measure?
Trade, transportation, and utilities groups the businesses that sell goods wholesale and retail, move goods and people, and supply electricity, gas and water. It is made of wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, and utilities.
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. 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 trade, transportation, and utilities 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 28,778 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 28,760 thousand | +0.1% | |
| 28,751 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 28,728 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 28,724 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 28,715 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 28,650 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 28,618 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 28,654 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 28,616 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 28,649 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 28,714 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 28,725 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 28,743 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 28,744 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 28,741 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 28,765 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 28,783 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 28,792 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 28,806 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 28,795 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 28,811 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 28,755 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 28,794 thousand | −0.2% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 28,813 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 28,802 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 28,830 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 28,851 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 28,880 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 28,880 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 28,855 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 28,839 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 28,799 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 28,829 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 28,837 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 28,865 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 28,832 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 28,799 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 28,816 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 28,799 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 28,830 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 28,799 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 28,803 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 28,845 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 28,807 thousand | +1.7% | |
| 28,769 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 28,763 thousand | +2.2% | |
| 28,761 thousand | +2.8% | |
| 28,720 thousand | +3.2% | |
| 28,748 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 28,702 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 28,646 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 28,572 thousand | +4.2% | |
| 28,595 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 28,593 thousand | +4.3% | |
| 28,528 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 28,318 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 28,262 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 28,151 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 27,988 thousand | +3.9% | |
| 27,832 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 27,703 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 27,652 thousand | +5.4% | |
| 27,571 thousand | +6.2% | |
| 27,431 thousand | +9.8% | |
| 27,387 thousand | +11.5% | |
| 27,423 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 27,277 thousand | −1.7% | |
| 27,201 thousand | −2.1% | |
| 27,158 thousand | −2.2% | |
| 27,112 thousand | −2.1% | |
| 26,947 thousand | −2.7% | |
| 26,746 thousand | −3.4% | |
| 26,613 thousand | −3.8% | |
| 26,231 thousand | −5.2% | |
| 25,963 thousand | −6.1% | |
| 24,975 thousand | −9.6% | |
| 24,564 thousand | −11.1% | |
| 27,659 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 27,738 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,775 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,758 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 27,687 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 27,688 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 27,676 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 27,652 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 27,661 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 27,645 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 27,632 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 27,626 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 27,592 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 27,591 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,633 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 27,580 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 27,638 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,569 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 27,577 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,602 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 27,545 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,542 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,565 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 27,517 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,519 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,447 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,370 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 27,404 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,416 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,374 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,355 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,333 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 27,325 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 27,321 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,307 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,301 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 27,298 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 27,311 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 27,314 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 27,270 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 27,209 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 27,235 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 (this page) | 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.
How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in trade, transportation, and utilities?Newest month of each measure
| Measure | Month | Count | Rate | Change over a year | Where the count stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (preliminary) | 1,287 thousand | 4.3% | +12.9% | the highest since November 2023 | |
| Hires (preliminary) | 1,085 thousand | 3.8% | +14.3% | the lowest since February 2026 | |
| Quits (preliminary) | 682 thousand | 2.4% | +11.6% | the lowest since January 2026 | |
| Layoffs and discharges (preliminary) | 334 thousand | 1.2% | +8.4% | the highest since March 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 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, Trade, transportation, utilities, 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 trade, transportation, and utilities?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/trade-transportation-utilities.
Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-trade-transportation-utilities.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 19,022 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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