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Unemployment rates were higher in April than a year earlier in 200 of the 387 metropolitan areas, lower in 152 areas, and unchanged in 35 areas. A total of 70 areas had jobless rates of less than 3.0 percent and 8 areas had rates of at least 8.0 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate for the foreign born was 4.2 percent in 2025, unchanged from the year prior. For the native born, the rate increased by 0.3 percentage point to 4.3 percent over the year.

From April 2025 to April 2026, 19 states had unemployment rate increases from a year earlier, 6 states had decreases, and 25 states and the District of Columbia had little change. The national unemployment rate, 4.3 percent, was unchanged over the month and was little changed from April 2025.

In August 2025, 39 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans (defined as veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001) reported serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both locations. The unemployment rate for these veterans, at 3.4 percent, changed little over the year. The rate for Gulf War-era II veterans who served elsewhere in the world, at 2.3 percent, also changed little over the year. The rates for these groups were little different from each other in August 2025.