Local Area Unemployment Statistics, State and Area Employment, JOLTS · New York
How is the job market in New York?
The unemployment rate in New York was 4.3% in the month ended , against 4.2% for the United States.
New York, unemployment, each month
- Unemployment rate4.3%3.8% to 16.7%
- Participation rate61.3%56.1% to 61.8%
- Employment-population ratio58.6%47.3% to 59.0%
New York, people, each month
- Labor force, thousands10,027.99,119.4 to 10,119.7
- Employed, thousands9,596.17,690.9 to 9,653.6
- Unemployed, thousands431.8366.5 to 1,575.3
New York, jobs and pay, each month
- Nonfarm payrolls, thousands9,970.47,855.4 to 10,000.6
- Average hourly earnings$39.87$29.21 to $40.47
- Average weekly hours32.832.4 to 34.0
New York, openings and turnover rates, each month
- Job openings rate4.1%2.9% to 6.7%
- Hires rate3.3%2.0% to 4.7%
- Quits rate1.6%1.0% to 2.1%
- Layoffs and discharges rate1.2%0.4% to 9.2%
- Total separations rate3.1%2.4% to 10.9%
Each row is one measure of New York over the last ten years, one month to a point, with its newest value and its range printed beside it and a dashed line at zero. A gap is a month with no value. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
New York, openings and turnover, each month
- Job openings, thousands431268 to 672
- Hires, thousands329160 to 388
- Quits, thousands15679 to 200
- Layoffs and discharges, thousands12239 to 892
- Total separations, thousands306221 to 1,057
Each row is one measure of New York over the last ten years, one month to a point, with its newest value and its range printed beside it and a dashed line at zero. A gap is a month with no value. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Right now
The unemployment rate in New York was 4.3% in September 2026, ranking 16th highest of 51 among the states and the District of Columbia.
Over a year it is down 0.3 percentage points (ours). The rate for the United States was 4.2% in the same month. The source marks this value preliminary.
The unemployment rate in September 2026 was the lowest since May 2025.
Jobs and payOurs: change and rank
Nonfarm payroll employment was 9,970.4 thousand in September 2026, up 0.2% over a year (ours), 4th highest of 51.
Average hourly earnings of all employees on private payrolls was $39.87 in September 2026, up 1.3% over a year (ours), 8th highest of 51.
Job openings and turnoverOurs: change and rank
The job openings rate was 4.1% in December 2025, down 0.7 percentage points over a year (ours), 16th highest of 51.
The hires rate was 3.3% in December 2025, up 0.6 percentage points over a year (ours), 28th highest of 51.
The quits rate was 1.6% in December 2025, up 0.1 percentage points over a year (ours), 45th highest of 51.
Understanding the labor market of New York
Where it stands today
The unemployment rate in New York was 4.3% in September 2026.
What do the figures for New York measure?
This page gathers the labor market figures of New York that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes: how many people are in the labor force, at work and unemployed, how many payroll jobs there are and what they pay, and how many jobs are open and how many people were hired, quit or lost a job.
Read more
The unemployment figures come from Local Area Unemployment Statistics, a model that BLS runs for each state every month. The payroll jobs, hours and earnings come from a monthly survey of employers, and the job openings and labor turnover from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
What 500metrics adds: each figure's rank among the fifty states and the District of Columbia, its change over a year, the last time it was higher and lower, the nation's figure beside a rate where BLS gives one, and the last ten years of every figure as small charts.
The numbers behind the chart
What are the latest figures for New York?19 measures, each in its own newest month
| Measure | Section | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank | United States | Last higher | Last lower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | Unemployment | 4.3% | −0.3 pts | 16 of 51 | 4.2% | |||
| Participation rate | Unemployment | 61.3% | 0.0 pts | 32 of 51 | 61.8% | |||
| Employment-population ratio | Unemployment | 58.6% | +0.1 pts | 34 of 51 | 59.2% | |||
| Labor force | People | 10,027.9 thousand | −0.2% | 4 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Employed | People | 9,596.1 thousand | +0.2% | 4 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Unemployed | People | 431.8 thousand | −6.9% | 4 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Nonfarm payrolls | Jobs and pay | 9,970.4 thousand | +0.2% | 4 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Average hourly earnings | Jobs and pay | $39.87 | +1.3% | 8 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Average weekly hours | Jobs and pay | 32.8 hours | 0.0% | 47 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Job openings rate | Openings and turnover rates | 4.1% | −0.7 pts | 16 of 51 | 4.0% | |||
| Hires rate | Openings and turnover rates | 3.3% | +0.6 pts | 28 of 51 | 3.3% | |||
| Quits rate | Openings and turnover rates | 1.6% | +0.1 pts | 45 of 51 | 2.0% | |||
| Layoffs and discharges rate | Openings and turnover rates | 1.2% | +0.2 pts | 6 of 51 | 1.1% | |||
| Total separations rate | Openings and turnover rates | 3.1% | +0.4 pts | 34 of 51 | 3.3% | |||
| Job openings | Openings and turnover | 431 thousand | −13.1% | 3 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Hires | Openings and turnover | 329 thousand | +21.9% | 3 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Quits | Openings and turnover | 156 thousand | +2.0% | 4 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Layoffs and discharges | Openings and turnover | 122 thousand | +18.4% | 3 of 51 | n/a | |||
| Total separations | Openings and turnover | 306 thousand | +13.3% | 4 of 51 | n/a |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What is the unemployment rate in each county of New York?62 counties, September 2026, by name
| County | Rate | A year before | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany County | 3.9% | 3.7% | +0.2 pts |
| Allegany County | 4.6% | 4.3% | +0.3 pts |
| Bronx County | 7.0% | 7.9% | −0.9 pts |
| Broome County | 4.4% | 4.2% | +0.2 pts |
| Cattaraugus County | 4.1% | 4.0% | +0.1 pts |
| Cayuga County | 3.6% | 3.4% | +0.2 pts |
| Chautauqua County | 4.4% | 4.2% | +0.2 pts |
| Chemung County | 4.0% | 3.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Chenango County | 3.3% | 3.3% | 0.0 pts |
| Clinton County | 4.0% | 3.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Columbia County | 3.3% | 3.3% | 0.0 pts |
| Cortland County | 4.2% | 3.9% | +0.3 pts |
| Delaware County | 4.1% | 4.1% | 0.0 pts |
| Dutchess County | 3.7% | 3.5% | +0.2 pts |
| Erie County | 4.2% | 4.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Essex County | 3.2% | 3.1% | +0.1 pts |
| Franklin County | 3.9% | 3.8% | +0.1 pts |
| Fulton County | 4.1% | 4.0% | +0.1 pts |
| Genesee County | 3.3% | 3.2% | +0.1 pts |
| Greene County | 3.9% | 3.7% | +0.2 pts |
| Hamilton County | 4.0% | 3.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Herkimer County | 4.0% | 3.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Jefferson County | 4.1% | 4.0% | +0.1 pts |
| Kings County | 5.3% | 6.1% | −0.8 pts |
| Lewis County | 3.3% | 3.3% | 0.0 pts |
Show 37 more rows
| County | Rate | A year before | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston County | 3.9% | 3.6% | +0.3 pts |
| Madison County | 3.9% | 3.8% | +0.1 pts |
| Monroe County | 4.2% | 4.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Montgomery County | 4.1% | 4.0% | +0.1 pts |
| Nassau County | 3.7% | 3.5% | +0.2 pts |
| New York County | 4.7% | 5.3% | −0.6 pts |
| Niagara County | 4.3% | 4.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Oneida County | 4.1% | 4.0% | +0.1 pts |
| Onondaga County | 4.0% | 3.8% | +0.2 pts |
| Ontario County | 3.6% | 3.3% | +0.3 pts |
| Orange County | 4.2% | 4.1% | +0.1 pts |
| Orleans County | 3.7% | 3.6% | +0.1 pts |
| Oswego County | 4.2% | 4.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Otsego County | 4.3% | 4.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Putnam County | 3.4% | 3.2% | +0.2 pts |
| Queens County | 4.7% | 5.3% | −0.6 pts |
| Rensselaer County | 3.8% | 3.6% | +0.2 pts |
| Richmond County | 4.7% | 5.3% | −0.6 pts |
| Rockland County | 3.7% | 3.5% | +0.2 pts |
| Saratoga County | 3.2% | 3.0% | +0.2 pts |
| Schenectady County | 4.0% | 3.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Schoharie County | 4.0% | 3.7% | +0.3 pts |
| Schuyler County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Seneca County | 3.6% | 3.5% | +0.1 pts |
| St. Lawrence County | 4.6% | 4.3% | +0.3 pts |
| Steuben County | 3.9% | 3.7% | +0.2 pts |
| Suffolk County | 3.8% | 3.6% | +0.2 pts |
| Sullivan County | 3.8% | 3.6% | +0.2 pts |
| Tioga County | 3.6% | 3.4% | +0.2 pts |
| Tompkins County | 4.4% | 4.1% | +0.3 pts |
| Ulster County | 3.8% | 3.6% | +0.2 pts |
| Warren County | 3.5% | 3.3% | +0.2 pts |
| Washington County | 3.3% | 3.2% | +0.1 pts |
| Wayne County | 3.4% | 3.4% | 0.0 pts |
| Westchester County | 3.8% | 3.6% | +0.2 pts |
| Wyoming County | 3.0% | 3.0% | 0.0 pts |
| Yates County | 3.0% | 3.0% | 0.0 pts |
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- The unemployment figures of a state are estimates from a model, not a count. BLS revises the latest months as more data arrive and revises the past years every March.
- The payroll figures are estimates from a survey of employers. BLS revises them twice after the first release and once a year, when it benchmarks them to the count of jobs covered by unemployment insurance. Average hourly earnings and average weekly hours are for all employees on private payrolls and are not seasonally adjusted.
- The state figures of job openings and labor turnover come from a survey whose estimates for a single state have a larger sampling error than the nation's. Each figure shows its own newest month, which can be older than the month of the unemployment rate.
- A rank is among the fifty states and the District of Columbia in the same month, highest value first, and a large state ranks high on a count of people or jobs. The changes, the ranks and the months a figure was last higher and lower are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes.
- The county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so each county's rate is set beside its own rate a year before.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Current Population Survey; State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings; Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey), labor market of New York, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How is the job market in New York?", https://500metrics.com/states/new-york.
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