Current Employment Statistics Preliminary Benchmark (State and Area) Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Friday, August 28, 2026                                    USDL-26-1426

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                   CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS PRELIMINARY BENCHMARK
                             (STATE AND AREA) - MARCH 2026


The average absolute preliminary benchmark revision across all states and the District of Columbia 
was 0.4 percent for March 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In accordance 
with usual practice, final benchmark data for all CES state and metropolitan area series are 
scheduled to be published in March 2027 with the publication of the January 2027 State Employment 
and Unemployment news release.

Each year, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates are benchmarked to 
comprehensive counts of employment from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). These 
counts are derived primarily from state unemployment insurance tax records that nearly all 
employers are required to file with state workforce agencies. Final benchmark data for all CES 
state and metropolitan area series are scheduled to be released in March 2027 with the January 2027 
State Employment and Unemployment news release. The final benchmark will reflect revisions to all 
not seasonally adjusted data from April 2025 to December 2026, all seasonally adjusted data from 
January 2022 to December 2026, and select series subject to historical revisions before April 2025.

Summary of revisions at the state level

The average absolute preliminary benchmark revision across all states and the District of Columbia 
was 0.4 percent for March 2026. Compared with sample-based estimates, preliminary benchmark levels 
were higher in 28 states and the District for March 2026 and lower in 22 states. For all states 
and the District, the preliminary benchmark revisions to total nonfarm employment for March 2026 
ranged from -1.2 percent in North Dakota to +1.0 percent in Iowa and the District. The average 
preliminary revision across all states and the District was 0.0 percent. (See table 1.)

Summary of revisions for large metropolitan areas

The average absolute preliminary benchmark revision across all of the 56 metropolitan areas with a 
2020 Census population of 1 million or more was 0.6 percent for March 2026. Compared with 
sample-based estimates, preliminary benchmark levels were higher in 33 areas for March 2026 and 
lower in 23 areas. Among these large metropolitan areas, the preliminary benchmark revisions to 
total nonfarm employment for March 2026 ranged from -1.9 percent in Tucson, AZ, to +4.3 percent 
in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI. The average preliminary revision across all large 
metropolitan areas was +0.2 percent. (See table 2.)

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The final benchmark revisions for states and metropolitan areas for March 2026 are scheduled to
be published in March 2027 with the January 2027 State Employment and Unemployment news release.