NR No. 25-15
Contact: Loree Levy/Greg Lawson
916-654-9029
mediainquiries@edd.ca.gov
Important Note:The employment data for the month of February 2025 comes from the survey week that included February 12. Data for March is scheduled for release on April 18, 2025.
SACRAMENTO — California’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.4 percent1 despite California’s nonfarm payroll jobs2 decreasing by 7,500 jobs in February 2025, according to the latest Employment Development Department (EDD) data coming from two separate surveys. February’s job reduction follows a downward revised job loss of 21,400 for January 2025.
California's Labor Market, by the Numbers...
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The job market expansion reached 58 months in February 2025. California gained 3,083,700 jobs since April 2020, averaging 53,167 jobs per month. Year-over, California’s total nonfarm jobs increased by 78,200 between February 2024 and February 2025.
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February 2025 marked the fourth consecutive month-over decline (-8,200) in unemployed people.
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California’s unemployment rate held steady from January 2025 at 5.4 percent compared to a 0.1 percent increase nationally.
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Three of California's 11 industry sectors gained jobs in February with Private Education and Health Services (+18,400) showing gains for the 37th straight month with above average gains in private elementary and secondary schools, and large gains in outpatient care services on the health services side.
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Government (+3,600) also showed a month-over job gain with the largest gains in Local Government (+5,000). Both Federal (-1,200) and State (-200) Government posted job losses. This was the largest loss in Federal Government since February 2021.
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Professional & Business Services (-7,700) posted the State’s largest month-over loss with most of the losses coming from Computer Systems Design and Related Services as well as with Legal Services and Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting.
1. The unemployment rate comes from a separate federal survey of 4,400 California households.
2. The nonfarm payroll job numbers come from a federal survey of 80,000 California businesses.
Data Trends about Jobs in the Economy
Total Nonfarm Payroll Jobs (Comes from a monthly survey of approximately 80,000 California businesses that estimates jobs in the economy – seasonally adjusted)
- Month-over – Total nonfarm jobs in California’s 11 major industries amounted to 18,003,500 in February – a loss of 7,500 from January. This followed January’s downward revision of 21,400 jobs, resulting in a month-over January loss of 21,400 jobs.
- Year-over – Total nonfarm jobs increased by 78,200 (a 0.4 percent increase) from February 2024 to February 2025 compared to the U.S. annual gain of 1,947,000 jobs (a 1.2 percent increase).
| Major Industries | Month-over Change (Jan. 2025–Feb. 2025) | Year-over Change (Feb. 2024–Feb. 2025) | Total Payroll Jobs as of Feb. 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Private Education and Health Services |
+18,400 | +159,300 | 3,391,500 |
|
Government |
+3,600 | +58,100 | 2,697,800 |
|
Information |
+2,600 | -6,800 | 534,500 |
|
Mining and Logging |
-200 | -400 | 18,600 |
|
Other Services |
-2,500 | -3,500 | 591,600 |
|
Trade, Transp., Utilities |
-3,300 | +7,900 | 3,094,400 |
|
Manufacturing |
-3,300 | -34,000 | 1,228,100 |
|
Construction |
-3,500 | -14,900 | 895,000 |
|
Financial Activities |
-4,700 | -23,300 | 786,600 |
|
Leisure and Hospitality |
-6,900 | -16,400 | 2,006,200 |
|
Professional and Business Services |
-7,700 | -47,800 | 2,759,200 |
Total Farm Jobs – The number of jobs in the agriculture industry decreased from January by 200 to a total of 423,100 jobs in February. The agriculture industry had 16,700 more farm jobs in February 2025 than it did in February of last year.
Data Trends about Workers in the Economy
Employment and Unemployment in California (Based on a monthly federal survey of 4,400 California households which focuses on workers in the economy)
- Employed – The number of Californians employed in February was 18,645,700, an increase of 10,900 persons from January’s total of 18,634,800 and up 81,000 from the employment total in February 2024.
- Unemployed – The number of unemployed Californians was 1,061,000 in February, a decrease of 8,200 over the month but up 60,600 in comparison to February 2024.
| California Labor Force | Month-over Change (Jan. 2025–Feb. 2025) | Year-over Change (Feb. 2024–Feb. 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| * Civilian Labor Force (19,404,300) | +2,600 | +141,600 |
| Total Civilian Employment (18,536,600) | +10,900 | +81,000 |
| Unemployment (867,600) | -8,200 | +60,600 |
* Labor force by place of residence, including workers involved in trade disputes.
Unemployment Insurance Claims (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The following data is from a sample week that includes the 19th of each month:
In related data that figures into the State’s unemployment rate, there were 407,881 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits during the February 2025 sample week. That compares to 394,387 people in January and 425,760 people in February 2024. Concurrently, 42,655 initial claims were processed in the February 2025 sample week, which was a month-over decrease of 3,454 claims from January, but a year-over increase of 1,395 claims from February 2024.
| California Unemployment Insurance Claims | Month-over Change (Jan. 2025–Feb. 2025) | Year-over Change (Feb. 2024–Feb. 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| UI Recipients (407,881) | +13,494 | -17,879 |
| New UI Claims (42,655) | -3,454 | +1,395 |
| COUNTY | LABOR FORCE | EMPLOYMENT | UNEMPLOYMENT | RATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STATE TOTAL | 19,737,900 | 18,653,000 | 1,084,900 | 5.5% |
| ALAMEDA | 868,900 | 830,400 | 38,500 | 4.4% |
| ALPINE | 550 | 520 | 30 | 6.1% |
| AMADOR | 15,190 | 14,260 | 930 | 6.1% |
| BUTTE | 93,400 | 87,600 | 5,800 | 6.2% |
| CALAVERAS | 17,770 | 16,630 | 1,140 | 6.4% |
| COLUSA | 11,780 | 9,590 | 2,180 | 18.5% |
| CONTRA COSTA | 584,700 | 557,900 | 26,800 | 4.6% |
| DEL NORTE | 9,050 | 8,480 | 570 | 6.3% |
| EL DORADO | 91,600 | 87,000 | 4,600 | 5.0% |
| FRESNO | 481,600 | 438,400 | 43,100 | 9.0% |
| GLENN | 12,300 | 11,370 | 920 | 7.5% |
| HUMBOLDT | 61,000 | 57,800 | 3,200 | 5.3% |
| IMPERIAL | 73,000 | 60,500 | 12,500 | 17.2% |
| INYO | 8,430 | 8,040 | 390 | 4.6% |
| KERN | 413,200 | 374,700 | 38,500 | 9.3% |
| KINGS | 59,900 | 53,800 | 6,000 | 10.1% |
| LAKE | 26,830 | 24,780 | 2,050 | 7.7% |
| LASSEN | 8,070 | 7,480 | 590 | 7.4% |
| LOS ANGELES | 5,061,900 | 4,763,700 | 298,300 | 5.9% |
| MADERA | 71,000 | 65,000 | 6,000 | 8.5% |
| MARIN | 126,300 | 121,300 | 4,900 | 3.9% |
| MARIPOSA | 6,930 | 6,460 | 470 | 6.7% |
| MENDOCINO | 36,870 | 34,570 | 2,300 | 6.2% |
| MERCED | 123,600 | 109,500 | 14,000 | 11.4% |
| MODOC | 3,110 | 2,840 | 270 | 8.7% |
| MONO | 8,480 | 8,120 | 360 | 4.3% |
| MONTEREY | 219,800 | 196,800 | 23,000 | 10.5% |
| NAPA | 76,200 | 72,900 | 3,300 | 4.3% |
| NEVADA | 48,240 | 45,910 | 2,330 | 4.8% |
| ORANGE | 1,639,000 | 1,574,800 | 64,200 | 3.9% |
| PLACER | 207,200 | 198,500 | 8,700 | 4.2% |
| PLUMAS | 7,510 | 6,740 | 770 | 10.3% |
| RIVERSIDE | 1,192,700 | 1,130,900 | 61,900 | 5.2% |
| SACRAMENTO | 784,200 | 746,200 | 38,000 | 4.8% |
| SAN BENITO | 34,800 | 32,200 | 2,600 | 7.4% |
| SAN BERNARDINO | 1,038,200 | 985,600 | 52,700 | 5.1% |
| SAN DIEGO | 1,671,000 | 1,598,200 | 72,800 | 4.4% |
| SAN FRANCISCO | 511,600 | 491,800 | 19,800 | 3.9% |
| SAN JOAQUIN | 373,000 | 347,500 | 25,500 | 6.8% |
| SAN LUIS OBISPO | 133,900 | 128,300 | 5,700 | 4.2% |
| SAN MATEO | 418,700 | 403,300 | 15,400 | 3.7% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 219,800 | 208,300 | 11,400 | 5.2% |
| SANTA CLARA | 1,027,200 | 984,900 | 42,300 | 4.1% |
| SANTA CRUZ | 136,700 | 126,700 | 10,000 | 7.3% |
| SHASTA | 80,900 | 76,200 | 4,800 | 5.9% |
| SIERRA | 1,350 | 1,260 | 90 | 6.5% |
| SISKIYOU | 16,280 | 14,850 | 1,440 | 8.8% |
| SOLANO | 217,700 | 206,500 | 11,300 | 5.2% |
| SONOMA | 248,500 | 237,700 | 10,800 | 4.3% |
| STANISLAUS | 259,100 | 240,300 | 18,800 | 7.3% |
| SUTTER | 46,000 | 41,400 | 4,600 | 10.0% |
| TEHAMA | 27,250 | 25,380 | 1,870 | 6.9% |
| TRINITY | 5,520 | 5,130 | 390 | 7.0% |
| TULARE | 225,300 | 200,000 | 25,200 | 11.2% |
| TUOLUMNE | 22,050 | 20,810 | 1,240 | 5.6% |
| VENTURA | 424,600 | 404,500 | 20,100 | 4.7% |
| YOLO | 112,200 | 105,500 | 6,700 | 5.9% |
| YUBA | 36,000 | 33,300 | 2,700 | 7.6% |