Little change in nonfarm payroll employment in July 2026

Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in July (−23,000), following an average monthly gain of 34,000 over the prior 12 months. In July, employment declined in local government education and retail trade. Employment continued to trend up in health care.

Employment in local government education declined by 50,000 in July, after showing little net change over the prior 12 months.

Retail trade lost 19,000 jobs in July. Employment declined in warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers (−21,000) and in gasoline stations and fuel dealers (−5,000). Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers added 10,000 jobs. Retail trade employment had shown little net change over the prior 12 months.

Employment in financial activities continued to trend down in July (−14,000), reflecting losses in credit intermediation and related activities (-9,000) and insurance carriers and related activities (−7,000). Financial activities employment is down by 121,000 since a recent peak in May 2025.

In July, employment in health care continued its upward trend (+22,000) but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months (+36,000). Employment in ambulatory health care services continued to trend up over the month (+18,000).

Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation and warehousing; information; professional and business services; social assistance; leisure and hospitality; and other services.

These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program and are seasonally adjusted. The most recent two months are preliminary. To learn more, see "The Employment Situation — July 2026." We also have more charts of national employment, hours, and earnings data.