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Southeast - Labor Force Statistics

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

(Links provide news releases)
Back
data
Aug
2025
Jun
2026
Jul
2026
Aug
2026
Aug 2025 to
Aug 2026
Net
change
Percent
change

United States

170,750 169,358 169,094 169,777 -973 -0.6

South(1)

64,673.4 64,643.8 64,585.5 64,585.6 -87.8 -0.1

South Atlantic

33,871.5 33,925.2 33,867.8 33,856.5 -15.0 0.0

Delaware

516.4 508.3 506.7 (p)505.3 (p)-11.1 (p)-2.2

District of Columbia

409.4 402.6 401.9 (p)402.4 (p)-7.0 (p)-1.7

Florida

11,080.8 11,139.0 11,120.7 (p)11,115.0 (p)34.2 (p)0.3

Georgia

5,421.7 5,477.8 5,480.8 (p)5,490.3 (p)68.7 (p)1.3

Maryland

3,231.9 3,207.6 3,203.0 (p)3,199.8 (p)-32.1 (p)-1.0

North Carolina

5,300.7 5,263.1 5,238.2 (p)5,231.1 (p)-69.6 (p)-1.3

South Carolina

2,611.8 2,673.0 2,672.9 (p)2,675.7 (p)63.9 (p)2.4

Virginia

4,517.8 4,480.7 4,472.6 (p)4,465.2 (p)-52.7 (p)-1.2

West Virginia

781.9 773.5 772.6 (p)772.2 (p)-9.6 (p)-1.2

East South Central

9,326.4 9,244.5 9,236.4 9,232.8 -93.6 -1.0

Alabama

2,378.8 2,370.7 2,365.8 (p)2,362.6 (p)-16.1 (p)-0.7

Kentucky

2,116.4 2,097.7 2,103.9 (p)2,109.5 (p)-6.9 (p)-0.3

Mississippi

1,295.0 1,284.4 1,280.2 (p)1,274.6 (p)-20.4 (p)-1.6

Tennessee

3,536.2 3,491.7 3,486.4 (p)3,486.0 (p)-50.2 (p)-1.4

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

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
Aug
2025
Jun
2026
Jul
2026
Aug
2026
Aug 2025 to
Aug 2026
Net
change
Percent
change

United States

7,380 7,094 6,916 7,031 -349 -4.7

South(1)

2,552.0 2,691.2 2,663.4 2,618.4 66.4 2.6

South Atlantic

1,325.3 1,405.9 1,373.1 1,337.4 12.1 0.9

Delaware

25.8 25.1 24.3 (p)23.6 (p)-2.2 (p)-8.4

District of Columbia

26.6 24.3 23.8 (p)23.1 (p)-3.5 (p)-13.0

Florida

443.8 524.5 514.5 (p)502.4 (p)58.7 (p)13.2

Georgia

183.1 183.6 179.0 (p)175.5 (p)-7.6 (p)-4.2

Maryland

138.1 139.0 135.3 (p)129.9 (p)-8.2 (p)-6.0

North Carolina

204.5 189.9 186.1 (p)182.0 (p)-22.4 (p)-11.0

South Carolina

119.2 118.3 112.5 (p)109.0 (p)-10.1 (p)-8.5

Virginia

150.6 168.1 165.4 (p)160.4 (p)9.8 (p)6.5

West Virginia

33.9 32.8 32.0 (p)31.3 (p)-2.6 (p)-7.6

East South Central

334.0 346.8 345.7 343.2 9.1 2.7

Alabama

66.3 76.6 79.3 (p)80.6 (p)14.3 (p)21.5

Kentucky

96.1 98.2 99.6 (p)99.3 (p)3.2 (p)3.3

Mississippi

48.0 48.2 46.4 (p)43.7 (p)-4.3 (p)-9.0

Tennessee

123.6 123.9 120.3 (p)119.6 (p)-4.0 (p)-3.2

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

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
Aug
2025
Jun
2026
Jul
2026
Aug
2026
Net change
Aug 2025 to
Aug 2026

United States

4.3 4.2 4.1 4.1 -0.2

South(1)

3.9 4.2 4.1 4.1 0.2

South Atlantic

3.9 4.1 4.1 4.0 0.1

Delaware

5.0 4.9 4.8 (p)4.7 (p)-0.3

District of Columbia

6.5 6.0 5.9 (p)5.7 (p)-0.8

Florida

4.0 4.7 4.6 (p)4.5 (p)0.5

Georgia

3.4 3.4 3.3 (p)3.2 (p)-0.2

Maryland

4.3 4.3 4.2 (p)4.1 (p)-0.2

North Carolina

3.9 3.6 3.6 (p)3.5 (p)-0.4

South Carolina

4.6 4.4 4.2 (p)4.1 (p)-0.5

Virginia

3.3 3.8 3.7 (p)3.6 (p)0.3

West Virginia

4.3 4.2 4.1 (p)4.0 (p)-0.3

East South Central

3.6 3.8 3.7 3.7 0.1

Alabama

2.8 3.2 3.4 (p)3.4 (p)0.6

Kentucky

4.5 4.7 4.7 (p)4.7 (p)0.2

Mississippi

3.7 3.8 3.6 (p)3.4 (p)-0.3

Tennessee

3.5 3.5 3.4 (p)3.4 (p)-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

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
Aug
2025
Jun
2026
Jul
2026
Aug
2026
Net change
Aug 2025 to
Aug 2026

Alabama

Anniston-Oxford

3.3 4.5 (p)4.2    

Auburn-Opelika

2.8 3.7 (p)3.6    

Birmingham

2.8 3.7 (p)3.5    

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley

2.6 3.5 (p)3.2    

Decatur

2.5 3.3 (p)3.1    

Dothan

2.9 3.9 (p)3.6    

Florence-Muscle Shoals

3.4 4.3 (p)4.0    

Gadsden

3.0 4.1 (p)3.8    

Huntsville

2.5 3.3 (p)3.1    

Mobile

3.8 4.5 (p)4.4    

Montgomery

3.0 3.9 (p)3.7    

Tuscaloosa

3.4 4.3 (p)4.3    

Florida

Cape Coral-Fort Myers

4.7 5.1 (p)5.2    

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin

4.0 4.4 (p)4.5    

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach

4.9 5.3 (p)5.4    

Gainesville

5.0 5.5 (p)5.7    

Homosassa Springs

6.2 6.7 (p)6.8    

Jacksonville

4.4 4.8 (p)4.9    

Lakeland-Winter Haven

5.3 5.7 (p)5.8    

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

3.7 3.9 (p)3.7    

Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise(1)

4.0 4.5 (p)4.6    

Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall(1)

3.0 3.0 2.5 (p)2.7 (p)-0.3

West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach(1)

4.3 4.6 (p)4.8    

Naples-Marco Island

4.7 4.8 (p)5.0    

North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota

4.6 4.9 (p)5.0    

Ocala

5.3 5.7 (p)5.8    

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford

4.2 4.6 (p)4.7    

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville

4.5 4.8 (p)4.9    

Panama City-Panama City Beach

4.3 4.6 (p)4.6    

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent

4.5 4.9 (p)5.1    

Port St. Lucie

4.9 5.2 (p)5.3    

Punta Gorda

5.4 5.8 (p)5.8    

Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor

5.3 5.5 (p)5.6    

Sebring

6.3 6.6 (p)6.8    

Tallahassee

4.5 5.0 (p)5.1    

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

4.3 4.7 (p)4.8    

St. Petersburg-Clearwater-Largo(1)

4.0 4.3 (p)4.4    

Tampa(1)

4.4 4.8 (p)4.9    

Wildwood-The Villages

7.1 7.8 (p)7.9    

Georgia

Albany

4.4 4.4 (p)3.9    

Athens-Clarke County

3.4 3.5 (p)3.0    

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell

3.6 3.5 (p)3.2    

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

4.4 4.2 (p)4.0    

Brunswick-St. Simons

3.3 3.1 (p)2.8    

Columbus, GA-AL

4.2 4.3 (p)4.0    

Dalton

3.8 3.7 (p)3.6    

Gainesville

3.1 3.0 (p)2.7    

Hinesville

4.1 4.1 (p)3.7    

Macon

4.2 4.2 (p)3.8    

Rome

3.9 3.6 (p)3.1    

Savannah

3.2 3.0 (p)2.7    

Valdosta

4.1 4.1 (p)3.6    

Warner Robins

3.4 3.5 (p)3.0    

Kentucky

Bowling Green

4.2 5.3 (p)4.9    

Elizabethtown

4.6 6.2 (p)5.7    

Lexington-Fayette

3.8 4.8 (p)4.4    

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

4.1 5.2 (p)4.8    

Owensboro

4.1 5.2 (p)4.7    

Paducah, KY-IL

4.3 5.4 (p)4.9    

Mississippi

Gulfport-Biloxi

3.8 3.8 (p)3.4    

Hattiesburg

3.9 3.8 (p)3.6    

Jackson

3.7 3.8 (p)3.6    

North Carolina

Asheville

4.2 3.2 (p)3.3    

Burlington

4.3 3.6 (p)3.8    

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

4.2 3.6 (p)3.7    

Durham-Chapel Hill

3.8 3.2 (p)3.4    

Fayetteville

5.2 4.4 (p)4.7    

Goldsboro

4.4 3.7 (p)4.1    

Greensboro-High Point

4.5 3.9 (p)4.1    

Greenville

4.6 4.0 (p)4.3    

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton

4.1 3.5 (p)3.7    

Jacksonville

4.4 3.9 (p)4.2    

Pinehurst-Southern Pines

3.8 3.2 (p)3.5    

Raleigh-Cary

3.6 3.1 (p)3.2    

Rocky Mount

5.6 4.7 (p)4.9    

Wilmington

4.0 3.5 (p)3.6    

Winston-Salem

4.2 3.6 (p)3.8    

South Carolina

Charleston-North Charleston

4.2 3.6 (p)3.7    

Columbia

4.6 4.2 (p)4.0    

Florence

5.3 4.8 (p)4.7    

Greenville-Anderson-Greer

4.4 3.9 (p)3.7    

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal

4.7 4.1 (p)3.8    

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach

5.4 4.7 (p)4.4    

Spartanburg

5.0 4.6 (p)4.4    

Sumter

5.8 5.4 (p)5.1    

Tennessee

Chattanooga, TN-GA

3.5 3.6 (p)3.3    

Clarksville, TN-KY

4.2 4.7 (p)4.4    

Cleveland

3.9 4.1 (p)3.9    

Jackson

3.9 4.2 (p)3.9    

Johnson City

3.6 3.7 (p)3.5    

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

3.6 4.0 (p)3.7    

Knoxville

3.2 3.5 (p)3.2    

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

4.5 4.8 (p)4.7    

Morristown

3.6 3.9 (p)3.6    

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

3.0 3.2 (p)3.0    

Footnotes
(1) Metropolitan Division
(p) Preliminary

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
Aug
2025
Jun
2026
Jul
2026
Aug
2026
Aug 2025 to
Aug 2026
Net
change
Percent
change

United States

158,472 158,892 (p)158,913 (p)159,075 (p)603 (p)0.4

Alabama

2,197.3 2,215.3 2,215.1 (p)2,221.0 (p)23.7 (p)1.1

Delaware

496.0 496.2 495.8 (p)496.4 (p)0.4 (p)0.1

District of Columbia

746.9 720.7 721.1 (p)719.9 (p)-27.0 (p)-3.6

Florida

9,992.6 10,032.8 10,029.8 (p)10,051.6 (p)59.0 (p)0.6

Georgia

4,993.0 4,986.7 4,977.7 (p)4,985.7 (p)-7.3 (p)-0.1

Kentucky

2,036.0 2,031.0 2,034.0 (p)2,034.2 (p)-1.8 (p)-0.1

Maryland

2,811.7 2,804.2 2,814.4 (p)2,806.2 (p)-5.5 (p)-0.2

Mississippi

1,194.5 1,192.3 1,196.6 (p)1,199.8 (p)5.3 (p)0.4

North Carolina

5,062.8 5,112.7 5,118.4 (p)5,128.4 (p)65.6 (p)1.3

South Carolina

2,387.7 2,409.8 2,415.5 (p)2,426.3 (p)38.6 (p)1.6

Tennessee

3,367.9 3,385.5 3,382.5 (p)3,384.3 (p)16.4 (p)0.5

Virginia

4,278.0 4,241.8 4,234.7 (p)4,240.3 (p)-37.7 (p)-0.9

West Virginia

718.9 720.8 718.3 (p)717.1 (p)-1.8 (p)-0.3

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.