Unemployment Rate: 4.1% in Aug 2026
· BLS
The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1% in August 2026, with 7.0 million unemployed individuals. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000, significantly higher than the prior 12-month average gain of 31,000. Key job gains were seen in food services and drinking places (+59,000) and local government education (+42,000), while the information industry experienced a decline of 23,000 jobs.
Average hourly earnings rose by 0.3% to $37.75, representing a 3.1% increase over the year, suggesting continued wage growth. Additionally, the number of people employed part-time for economic reasons decreased by 414,000 to 4.4 million.