Unemployment by county
The highest county unemployment rate stood at 20.8%, in Imperial County, California, in September 2026, according to BLS.
BLS published an unemployment rate for 3,143 counties in the states and the District of Columbia in September 2026. The highest was 20.8%, in Imperial County, California, and the lowest 0.3%, in Loving County, Texas. BLS also published a rate for 78 Puerto Rico municipios, not ranked here; 1 of them was higher. Each is the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program’s estimate for the county’s residents, not seasonally adjusted.
September 2026
- 3,143
- Counties with a rate
- September 2026
- In the states and the District of Columbia. All of the rates are preliminary.
- 20.8%
- Highest county rate
- September 2026
- Imperial County, California.
- 0.3%
- Lowest county rate
- September 2026
- Loving County, Texas.
- 3,143
- Counties with a 2025 average
- 2025
- Eleven months, October left out. BLS: “These 11-month averages are not strictly comparable to annual averages for prior years.”
About these figures
- Counties with a rate
- In the states and the District of Columbia. All of the rates are preliminary.
- Highest county rate
- Imperial County, California.
- Lowest county rate
- Loving County, Texas.
- Counties with a 2025 average
- Eleven months, October left out. BLS: “These 11-month averages are not strictly comparable to annual averages for prior years.”
What stands out
Six findings. Each finding is drawn from BLS’s county unemployment rates for September 2026.
Imperial County, California, had the highest unemployment rate of the 3,143 counties in the states and the District of Columbia that BLS published for September 2026: 20.8%. BLS also published a rate for 78 Puerto Rico municipios, not ranked here; 1 of them was higher. Imperial County, California →
BLS’s figures for the newest month are preliminary and revised the next month.
Loving County, Texas, had the lowest unemployment rate of the 3,143 counties in the states and the District of Columbia that BLS published for September 2026: 0.3%. BLS also published a rate for 78 Puerto Rico municipios, not ranked here; none was lower. Loving County, Texas →
BLS’s figures for the newest month are preliminary and revised the next month.
Imperial County, California, had the highest annual average unemployment rate of the 3,143 counties in the states and the District of Columbia that BLS published for 2025: 18.9%. BLS also published a rate for 78 Puerto Rico municipios, not ranked here; 1 of them was higher. Imperial County, California →
BLS: "These 11-month averages are not strictly comparable to annual averages for prior years."
Los Angeles County, California, had the largest labor force of any county in September 2026: 5,031,013 residents employed or looking for work, with an unemployment rate of 4.5%. Los Angeles County, California →
The labor force is counted where people live, not where they work.
BLS published an unemployment rate for 3,143 counties and county equivalents in the states and the District of Columbia in September 2026, all of them preliminary. United States →
In California, county unemployment rates in September 2026 ran from 3.9% in San Mateo County to 20.8% in Imperial County, the widest range of the 50 states with more than one county. California →
What changed in this release
This is the hub’s first release, retrieved on November 4, 2026: 20.8% highest county unemployment rate in September 2026.
Year by year
The middle county’s unemployment rate was 4.0% in 2025; it peaked at 9.1% in 2010
Each year’s middle county: with the counties BLS published in the states and the District of Columbia sorted by annual average unemployment rate, the rate at the midpoint, so at least half were at or above it. It is one county’s published rate, not a national one.
BLS, for 2025: “These 11-month averages are not strictly comparable to annual averages for prior years.”
BLS revises the history every spring, back several years, so a figure here can differ from what BLS first published for the same month.
Source: BLS
About this chart
The figures
| Year | Middle county’s rate | Counties |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.0% | 3,143 |
| 2024 | 3.8% | 3,143 |
| 2023 | 3.4% | 3,143 |
| 2022 | 3.5% | 3,143 |
| 2021 | 4.5% | 3,143 |
| 2020 | 6.7% | 3,143 |
| 2019 | 3.7% | 3,141 |
| 2018 | 3.9% | 3,141 |
| 2017 | 4.4% | 3,141 |
| 2016 | 5.0% | 3,141 |
| 2015 | 5.3% | 3,141 |
| 2014 | 6.0% | 3,141 |
| 2013 | 7.2% | 3,141 |
| 2012 | 7.7% | 3,141 |
| 2011 | 8.6% | 3,141 |
| 2010 | 9.1% | 3,141 |
| 2009 | 8.8% | 3,136 |
| 2008 | 5.6% | 3,136 |
| 2007 | 4.6% | 3,136 |
| 2006 | 4.7% | 3,129 |
| 2005 | 5.1% | 3,129 |
| 2004 | 5.4% | 3,136 |
| 2003 | 5.7% | 3,136 |
| 2002 | 5.5% | 3,136 |
| 2001 | 4.7% | 3,136 |
| 2000 | 4.1% | 3,136 |
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The highest county rates, September 2026
Imperial County, CA had the highest county unemployment rate in September 2026: 20.8%
The 10 counties with the highest unemployment rates of the 3,143 BLS published for September 2026, not seasonally adjusted. A rate is the share of residents in the labor force who are unemployed.
BLS’s figures for the newest month are preliminary and revised the next month.
These are model-based estimates of people by where they live, not a count of jobs. BLS estimates each county’s resident labor force from surveys and administrative records; where people work, and in what industry, is another program’s question.
Source: BLS
About this chart
The figures
| County | Unemployment rate | Unemployed | Labor force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County, CA | 20.8% | 15,834 | 76,185 |
| Kusilvak Census Area, AK | 15.7% | 383 | 2,433 |
| Yuma County, AZ | 14.5% | 14,712 | 101,479 |
| Dawson County, NE | 13.0% | 1,493 | 11,494 |
| Luna County, NM | 10.9% | 1,061 | 9,730 |
| Bethel Census Area, AK | 10.3% | 654 | 6,334 |
| Alpine County, CA | 10.0% | 42 | 419 |
| Tulare County, CA | 9.8% | 21,333 | 217,383 |
| Northwest Arctic Borough, AK | 9.1% | 290 | 3,170 |
| East Carroll Parish, LA | 9.1% | 109 | 1,194 |
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Counties in each state, September 2026
3 more columns on a wider screen
| State | Counties | Highest |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 67 | 6.6% |
| Alaska | 30 | 15.7% |
| Arizona | 15 | 14.5% |
| Arkansas | 75 | 6.8% |
| California | 58 | 20.8% |
| Colorado | 64 | 7.3% |
| Connecticut | 9 | 5.9% |
| Delaware | 3 | 5.0% |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 5.3% |
| Florida | 67 | 7.7% |
| Georgia | 159 | 7.7% |
| Hawaii | 4 | 5.1% |
| Idaho | 44 | 5.4% |
| Illinois | 102 | 6.3% |
| Indiana | 92 | 4.7% |
| Iowa | 99 | 4.7% |
| Kansas | 105 | 5.5% |
| Kentucky | 120 | 7.7% |
| Louisiana | 64 | 9.1% |
| Maine | 16 | 4.7% |
| Maryland | 24 | 4.6% |
| Massachusetts | 14 | 5.3% |
| Michigan | 83 | 7.3% |
| Minnesota | 87 | 7.2% |
| Mississippi | 82 | 8.3% |
| Missouri | 115 | 5.3% |
| Montana | 56 | 4.5% |
| Nebraska | 93 | 13.0% |
| Nevada | 17 | 7.2% |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 2.2% |
| New Jersey | 21 | 6.1% |
| New Mexico | 33 | 10.9% |
| New York | 62 | 7.0% |
| North Carolina | 100 | 4.7% |
| North Dakota | 53 | 2.9% |
| Ohio | 88 | 4.8% |
| Oklahoma | 77 | 6.1% |
| Oregon | 36 | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 67 | 4.3% |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 3.3% |
| South Carolina | 46 | 6.4% |
| South Dakota | 66 | 4.0% |
| Tennessee | 95 | 5.1% |
| Texas | 254 | 8.3% |
| Utah | 29 | 5.0% |
| Vermont | 14 | 3.3% |
| Virginia | 133 | 7.5% |
| Washington | 39 | 5.6% |
| West Virginia | 55 | 8.7% |
| Wisconsin | 72 | 4.2% |
| Wyoming | 23 | 3.8% |
Together, the 51 rows, the states and the District of Columbia, hold 3,143 counties with a rate in September 2026.
Everything in this hub
Every page in this topic, by kind.
Questions3
One question per page, answered in the first sentence with the figure.
Rankings52
Each list ordered by one measure, with the figure behind every entry.
- Alabama counties by unemployment rate
- Alaska counties by unemployment rate
- Arizona counties by unemployment rate
- Arkansas counties by unemployment rate
- California counties by unemployment rate
- Colorado counties by unemployment rate
- Connecticut counties by unemployment rate
- Counties by unemployment rate
- Delaware counties by unemployment rate
- District of Columbia counties by unemployment rate
- Florida counties by unemployment rate
- Georgia counties by unemployment rate
- and 40 more
Counties
Each county BLS publishes an unemployment rate for: every month and annual average of its rate, labor force, employed and unemployed. Listed by state, in each state’s ranking.
Sources
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — counties, monthly and annual averages — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics program · BLS copyright information: public domain · retrieved November 4, 2026
- Census Bureau county population estimates — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 23, 2026
Compiled automatically from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — counties, monthly and annual averages and Census Bureau county population estimates by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built
How to cite this page
Cite the page’s address and the date printed on it, and name U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and U.S. Census Bureau as the source of the figures.
American Factbook. “Jobs and unemployment.” Updated November 4, 2026. https://americanfactbook.org/jobs. Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — counties, monthly and annual averages, https://www.bls.gov/lau/.
Data retrieved