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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Southeast > Table

Southeast - Labor Force Statistics

 
Civilian labor force in the Southeast, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 May
2025		 Mar
2026		 Apr
2026		 May
2026		 May 2025 to
May 2026
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 170,492 170,087 169,995 170,078 -414 -0.2

South(1)

 (r)64,563.3 64,771.2 64,705.3 64,683.5 (r)120.2 (r)0.2

South Atlantic

 (r)33,861.9 33,979.3 33,970.7 33,955.4 (r)93.5 (r)0.3

Delaware

 (r)515.3 513.3 511.7 (p)510.2 (p)(r)-5.0 (p)(r)-1.0

District of Columbia

 (r)413.2 405.1 404.2 (p)403.7 (p)(r)-9.5 (p)(r)-2.3

Florida

 (r)11,097.2 11,145.8 11,149.5 (p)11,144.6 (p)(r)47.3 (p)(r)0.4

Georgia

 (r)5,407.7 5,455.3 5,461.4 (p)5,470.7 (p)(r)63.0 (p)(r)1.2

Maryland

 (r)3,234.2 3,207.1 3,207.4 (p)3,207.4 (p)(r)-26.8 (p)(r)-0.8

North Carolina

 (r)5,289.9 5,304.7 5,294.6 (p)5,280.6 (p)(r)-9.3 (p)(r)-0.2

South Carolina

 (r)2,594.5 2,663.4 2,667.5 (p)2,673.0 (p)(r)78.5 (p)(r)3.0

Virginia

 (r)4,529.7 4,504.7 4,496.9 (p)4,490.6 (p)(r)-39.1 (p)(r)-0.9

West Virginia

 (r)780.0 779.2 777.0 (p)775.1 (p)(r)-4.9 (p)(r)-0.6

East South Central

 (r)9,308.2 9,295.7 9,269.1 9,257.0 (r)-51.2 (r)-0.6

Alabama

 (r)2,375.4 2,384.1 2,378.4 (p)2,374.5 (p)(r)-0.9 (p)(r)0.0

Kentucky

 (r)2,113.7 2,103.5 2,097.6 (p)2,097.0 (p)(r)-16.7 (p)(r)-0.8

Mississippi

 (r)1,294.4 1,291.5 1,288.9 (p)1,287.6 (p)(r)-6.9 (p)(r)-0.5

Tennessee

 (r)3,524.6 3,516.6 3,504.2 (p)3,497.8 (p)(r)-26.8 (p)(r)-0.8

Footnotes
(1) The South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
(p) Preliminary
(r) Revised

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployed in the Southeast, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 May
2025		 Mar
2026		 Apr
2026		 May
2026		 May 2025 to
May 2026
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 7,248 7,239 7,373 7,307 59 0.8

South(1)

 (r)2,462.6 2,687.3 2,699.5 2,699.0 (r)236.4 (r)9.6

South Atlantic

 (r)1,261.2 1,443.4 1,447.7 1,432.9 (r)171.7 (r)13.6

Delaware

 (r)23.4 27.6 27.1 (p)26.0 (p)(r)2.6 (p)(r)11.0

District of Columbia

 (r)25.4 25.6 25.1 (p)24.8 (p)(r)-0.6 (p)(r)-2.3

Florida

 (r)412.6 522.7 531.7 (p)531.4 (p)(r)118.8 (p)(r)28.8

Georgia

 (r)180.0 193.0 190.3 (p)186.8 (p)(r)6.8 (p)(r)3.8

Maryland

 (r)128.1 139.3 142.5 (p)142.1 (p)(r)14.0 (p)(r)10.9

North Carolina

 (r)201.8 197.1 196.6 (p)194.6 (p)(r)-7.2 (p)(r)-3.6

South Carolina

 (r)110.9 131.3 128.0 (p)123.7 (p)(r)12.8 (p)(r)11.5

Virginia

 (r)147.7 171.8 171.9 (p)169.8 (p)(r)22.2 (p)(r)15.0

West Virginia

 (r)30.8 35.2 34.6 (p)33.4 (p)(r)2.6 (p)(r)8.4

East South Central

 (r)339.7 328.8 333.7 340.9 (r)1.1 (r)0.3

Alabama

 (r)68.5 65.5 67.1 (p)72.1 (p)(r)3.6 (p)(r)5.2

Kentucky

 (r)98.4 88.0 89.6 (p)93.4 (p)(r)-5.0 (p)(r)-5.1

Mississippi

 (r)50.1 48.9 49.5 (p)49.3 (p)(r)-0.7 (p)(r)-1.5

Tennessee

 (r)122.6 126.4 127.5 (p)126.1 (p)(r)3.4 (p)(r)2.8

Footnotes
(1) The South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
(p) Preliminary
(r) Revised

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployment rates in the Southeast, seasonally adjusted (in percent)
Area

(Links provide news releases)		 Back
data		 May
2025		 Mar
2026		 Apr
2026		 May
2026		 Net change
May 2025 to
May 2026

United States

 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.3 0.0

South(1)

 (r)3.8 4.1 4.2 4.2 (r)0.4

South Atlantic

 (r)3.7 4.2 4.3 4.2 (r)0.5

Delaware

 (r)4.5 5.4 5.3 (p)5.1 (p)(r)0.6

District of Columbia

 (r)6.1 6.3 6.2 (p)6.1 (p)(r)0.0

Florida

 (r)3.7 4.7 4.8 (p)4.8 (p)(r)1.1

Georgia

 (r)3.3 3.5 3.5 (p)3.4 (p)(r)0.1

Maryland

 (r)4.0 4.3 4.4 (p)4.4 (p)(r)0.4

North Carolina

 (r)3.8 3.7 3.7 (p)3.7 (p)(r)-0.1

South Carolina

 (r)4.3 4.9 4.8 (p)4.6 (p)(r)0.3

Virginia

 (r)3.3 3.8 3.8 (p)3.8 (p)(r)0.5

West Virginia

 (r)4.0 4.5 4.4 (p)4.3 (p)(r)0.3

East South Central

 (r)3.6 3.5 3.6 3.7 (r)0.1

Alabama

 (r)2.9 2.7 2.8 (p)3.0 (p)(r)0.1

Kentucky

 (r)4.7 4.2 4.3 (p)4.5 (p)(r)-0.2

Mississippi

 (r)3.9 3.8 3.8 (p)3.8 (p)(r)-0.1

Tennessee

 (r)3.5 3.6 3.6 (p)3.6 (p)(r)0.1

Footnotes
(1) The South includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
(p) Preliminary
(r) Revised

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Unemployment rates in the Southeast by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), not seasonally adjusted (in percent)
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
(news release)
 Back
data		 May
2025		 Mar
2026		 Apr
2026		 May
2026		 Net change
May 2025 to
May 2026

Alabama

Anniston-Oxford

 (1)2.7 3.1 (p)2.8    

Auburn-Opelika

 (1)2.4 2.5 (p)2.2    

Birmingham

 (1)2.3 2.7 (p)2.4    

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley

 (1)2.2 2.5 (p)2.2    

Decatur

 (1)2.1 2.4 (p)2.1    

Dothan

 (1)2.4 2.9 (p)2.5    

Florence-Muscle Shoals

 (1)2.8 2.9 (p)2.6    

Gadsden

 (1)2.7 3.0 (p)2.6    

Huntsville

 (1)2.1 2.4 (p)2.2    

Mobile

 (1)3.1 3.6 (p)3.3    

Montgomery

 (1)2.5 2.9 (p)2.6    

Tuscaloosa

 (1)2.8 2.8 (p)2.7    

Florida

Cape Coral-Fort Myers

 (1)3.8 4.9 (p)5.0    

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin

 (1)3.3 4.3 (p)4.4    

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach

 (1)4.1 5.1 (p)5.3    

Gainesville

 (1)4.2 5.1 (p)5.3    

Homosassa Springs

 (1)5.1 6.5 (p)6.6    

Jacksonville

 (1)3.7 4.7 (p)4.8    

Lakeland-Winter Haven

 (1)4.4 5.4 (p)5.6    

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

 (1)3.0 3.7 (p)3.9    

Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise(2)

 (1)3.3 4.2 (p)4.4    

Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall(2)

 (r)2.6 2.9 3.1 (p)2.6 (p)(r)0.0

West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach(2)

 (1)3.5 4.4 (p)4.5    

Naples-Marco Island

 (1)3.5 4.5 (p)4.6    

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota

 (1)3.7 4.7 (p)4.8    

Ocala

 (1)4.4 5.6 (p)5.7    

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford

 (1)3.5 4.4 (p)4.5    

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville

 (1)3.8 4.7 (p)4.8    

Panama City-Panama City Beach

 (1)3.5 4.6 (p)4.7    

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent

 (1)3.8 4.8 (p)4.9    

Port St. Lucie

 (1)4.0 5.0 (p)5.2    

Punta Gorda

 (1)4.3 5.5 (p)5.7    

Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor

 (1)4.2 5.2 (p)5.4    

Sebring

 (1)5.0 6.1 (p)6.4    

Tallahassee

 (1)3.8 4.7 (p)4.8    

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

 (1)3.6 4.5 (p)4.7    

St. Petersburg-Clearwater-Largo(2)

 (1)3.3 4.2 (p)4.3    

Tampa(2)

 (1)3.7 4.7 (p)4.8    

Wildwood-The Villages

 (1)5.9 7.8 (p)7.9    

Georgia

Albany

 (1)4.0 4.0 (p)3.5    

Athens-Clarke County

 (1)2.9 2.9 (p)2.4    

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell

 (1)3.2 3.3 (p)2.8    

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

 (1)3.8 3.9 (p)3.3    

Brunswick-St. Simons

 (1)2.9 3.1 (p)2.6    

Columbus, GA-AL

 (1)3.7 4.2 (p)3.3    

Dalton

 (1)3.3 4.0 (p)3.1    

Gainesville

 (1)2.7 2.8 (p)2.3    

Hinesville

 (1)3.7 3.9 (p)3.3    

Macon

 (1)3.8 3.9 (p)3.4    

Rome

 (1)3.4 3.3 (p)2.7    

Savannah

 (1)2.8 2.9 (p)2.4    

Valdosta

 (1)3.6 3.6 (p)3.0    

Warner Robins

 (1)3.0 3.1 (p)2.6    

Kentucky

Bowling Green

 (1)4.1 4.2 (p)3.8    

Elizabethtown

 (1)4.6 5.5 (p)5.0    

Lexington-Fayette

 (1)3.7 3.7 (p)3.4    

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

 (1)4.0 4.4 (p)4.0    

Owensboro

 (1)4.2 4.0 (p)3.7    

Paducah, KY-IL

 (1)4.5 4.4 (p)4.0    

Mississippi

Gulfport-Biloxi

 (1)3.5 3.6 (p)2.9    

Hattiesburg

 (1)3.4 3.5 (p)2.9    

Jackson

 (1)3.4 3.5 (p)2.9    

North Carolina

Asheville

 (1)4.3 3.3 (p)3.1    

Burlington

 (1)3.8 3.5 (p)3.5    

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

 (1)3.7 3.7 (p)3.5    

Durham-Chapel Hill

 (1)3.3 3.2 (p)3.1    

Fayetteville

 (1)4.7 4.4 (p)4.3    

Goldsboro

 (1)3.8 3.6 (p)3.6    

Greensboro-High Point

 (1)4.0 3.8 (p)3.7    

Greenville

 (1)4.0 3.7 (p)3.8    

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton

 (1)3.7 3.4 (p)3.3    

Jacksonville

 (1)3.9 3.7 (p)3.7    

Pinehurst-Southern Pines

 (1)3.3 3.1 (p)3.1    

Raleigh-Cary

 (1)3.2 3.0 (p)3.0    

Rocky Mount

 (1)4.9 4.7 (p)4.6    

Wilmington

 (1)3.7 3.4 (p)3.3    

Winston-Salem

 (1)3.8 3.5 (p)3.5    

South Carolina

Charleston-North Charleston

 (1)3.3 3.5 (p)3.0    

Columbia

 (1)3.8 4.0 (p)3.5    

Florence

 (1)4.3 4.6 (p)4.1    

Greenville-Anderson-Greer

 (1)3.7 3.8 (p)3.3    

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal

 (1)3.5 4.0 (p)3.3    

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach

 (1)4.4 5.1 (p)4.2    

Spartanburg

 (1)4.2 4.3 (p)3.9    

Sumter

 (1)4.8 5.2 (p)4.7    

Tennessee

Chattanooga, TN-GA

 (1)3.1 3.2 (p)2.9    

Clarksville, TN-KY

 (1)3.8 3.9 (p)3.8    

Cleveland

 (1)3.6 4.2 (p)3.5    

Jackson

 (1)3.6 3.5 (p)3.6    

Johnson City

 (1)3.4 3.1 (p)3.1    

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

 (1)3.4 3.5 (p)3.3    

Knoxville

 (1)3.0 2.8 (p)2.8    

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

 (1)4.0 4.2 (p)4.1    

Morristown

 (1)3.5 3.2 (p)3.2    

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

 (1)2.8 2.9 (p)2.9    

Footnotes
(1) Data were subject to revision on May 19, 2026.
(2) Metropolitan Division
(p) Preliminary
(r) Revised

Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics
The State and regional data above are a product of the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, a Federal-State cooperative program in which total employment and unemployment are measured for approximately 7,200 areas.
 
Nonfarm wage and salary employment in the Southeast, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Area

(news release)		 Back
data		 May
2025		 Mar
2026		 Apr
2026		 May
2026		 May 2025 to
May 2026
Net
change		 Percent
change

United States

 158,498 158,650 (p)158,829 (p)159,001 (p)503 (p)0.3

Alabama

 2,198.4 2,205.1 2,208.7 (p)2,215.0 (p)16.6 (p)0.8

Delaware

 497.1 495.3 494.6 (p)496.6 (p)-0.5 (p)-0.1

District of Columbia

 758.4 720.8 720.7 (p)718.1 (p)-40.3 (p)-5.3

Florida

 10,013.3 9,992.4 10,026.3 (p)10,024.3 (p)11.0 (p)0.1

Georgia

 4,993.8 4,988.9 4,995.5 (p)5,002.4 (p)8.6 (p)0.2

Kentucky

 2,040.2 2,033.3 2,034.2 (p)2,031.1 (p)-9.1 (p)-0.4

Maryland

 2,831.8 2,795.0 2,799.0 (p)2,804.1 (p)-27.7 (p)-1.0

Mississippi

 1,188.6 1,190.3 1,193.8 (p)1,195.4 (p)6.8 (p)0.6

North Carolina

 5,057.1 5,080.1 5,101.5 (p)5,118.9 (p)61.8 (p)1.2

South Carolina

 2,385.9 2,399.7 2,403.5 (p)2,406.1 (p)20.2 (p)0.8

Tennessee

 3,374.2 3,374.9 3,376.5 (p)3,382.2 (p)8.0 (p)0.2

Virginia

 4,289.4 4,245.3 4,245.2 (p)4,237.2 (p)-52.2 (p)-1.2

West Virginia

 719.5 716.3 717.5 (p)727.2 (p)7.7 (p)1.1

Footnotes
(p) Preliminary

Source: Current Employment Statistics - National - State and Metropolitan Area
The Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey is a monthly survey of business establishments which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data by industry for the nation as a whole, all States, and most major metropolitan areas since 1939. The CES survey is a Federal-State cooperative program in which State employment security agencies prepare the data using concepts, definitions, and technical procedures prescribed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.