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Truck drivers play a vital role in the U.S. economy, making sure the products we need are transported across the country to distribution centers, retailers, and our homes. For Truck Driver Appreciation Week, we’re delivering a shipment of BLS data.

For people 25 years and older, the unemployment rate in August 2026 was 3.4 percent. Among this age group, the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent for those with less than a high school diploma. Over the past 5 years, the rate for people without a high school diploma has ranged from 4.3 percent (November 2022) to 7.6 percent (August 2021).

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 162,000 in August, higher than both the previous month’s increase of 21,000 and the average monthly gain of 31,000 over the prior 12 months. In August, employment increased in food services and drinking places and in local government education. The information industry lost jobs.

Unemployment rates were lower in July 2026 than a year earlier in 241 of the 387 metropolitan areas, higher in 128 areas, and unchanged in 18 areas. A total of 22 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent, and 7 areas had rates of at least 8.0 percent.