State’s Unemployment Rate Improved to 5.3%
Important Note: The employment data for the month of March 2026 comes from the survey week that included March 12. The release date for April 2026 data is scheduled for release on May 22.
SACRAMENTO — California’s unemployment rate was 5.3 percent1 in March 2026, which is a 0.1 percentage point decline from the month prior. The State gained 28,700 nonfarm payroll jobs2 in March 2026 according to recent data released by the Employment Development Department (EDD) coming from two separate surveys. Total nonfarm employment for February was revised up (+1,100) to a total loss of 18,800 jobs for the month.
California's Labor Market, by the Numbers...
- Month over, the State's unemployment rate decrease of 0.1 percentage points mirrors that of the nation. Year over, the State’s unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percentage points whereas the nation experienced a 0.1 percentage point increase.
- California has added 91,700 jobs since the beginning of 2026, which averages out to more than 30,560 jobs added per month. It’s the strongest start to a calendar year since 2022.
- March’s decline in the number of unemployed Californians (-17,100) marks the fifth consecutive month of reductions with a total decline of 44,000 persons over that timeframe.
- Five of California's 11 industry sectors gained jobs in March, led by strong gains in Private Education & Health Services (+27,800) as a major strike affecting the sector ended. Offices of Other Health Practitioners, Nursing Care Facilities, and Individual and Family Services also showed noticeable gains.
- Professional & Business Services (-3,400) suffered the largest month-over loss for the State due to larger-than-usual drops in Computer System Design and Related Services, and Scientific Research and Development Services. Accounting, Tax Preparation, and Bookkeeping Services also experienced losses despite it being tax season at the time.
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, seasonally adjusted, of approximately 80,000 California businesses)
- Month-over — Total nonfarm jobs in California’s 11 major industries amounted to 18,154,200 in March – a gain of 28,700 from February. This followed February’s upward revision of 1,100 jobs, resulting in a month-over February loss of 18,800 jobs.
- Year-over — Total nonfarm jobs increased by 144,700 (0.8% percent increase) from March 2025 to March 2026 compared to the U.S. year-over gain of 260,000 jobs (0.16% percent increase).
| Major Industries | Month-over Change (Feb. 2026 - Mar. 2026) |
Year-over Change (Mar. 2025 - Mar. 2026) |
Total Payroll Jobs as of Mar. 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Private Education and Health Services |
+27,800 | +160,400 | 3,581,400 |
|
Government |
+4,600 | -42,900 | 2,673,200 |
|
Construction |
+2,000 | -9,400 | 886,600 |
|
Financial Activities |
+1,300 | -1,000 | 791,800 |
|
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities |
600 | -4,200 | 3,054,200 |
|
Mining and Logging |
0 | -100 | 18,300 |
|
Leisure and Hospitality |
-100 | +36,400 | 2,048,200 |
|
Manufacturing |
-800 | -14,800 | 1,211,300 |
|
Other Services |
-1,000 | +13,800 | 606,000 |
|
Information |
-2,300 | -3,600 | 519,700 |
|
Professional and Business Services |
-3,400 | +10,100 | 2,763,500 |
Total Farm Jobs — The number of jobs in the agriculture industry decreased from February by 200 to a total of 414,200 jobs in March. The agriculture industry had 20,800 more farm jobs in March 2026 than it did in March 2025.
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 March was 18,716,600, a decrease of 39,600 from February, but up 4,100 compared to March of last year.
- Unemployed — The number of unemployed Californians was 1,053,300 in March, a decrease of 17,100 from February and a decrease of 18,100 from March 2025.
| California Labor Force | Month-over Change (Feb. 2026 – Mar. 2026) | Year-over Change (Mar. 2025 – Mar. 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| * Civilian Labor Force (19,769,900) | -56,700 | -14,000 |
| Total Civilian Employment (18,716,100) | -39,600 | +4,100 |
| Unemployment (1,053,300) | -17,100 | -18,100 |
* 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 390,953 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits during the March 2026 sample week. That compares to 376,705 people in February and 424,213 people in March 2025. Concurrently, 37,977 initial claims were processed in the March 2026 sample week, which was a month-over decrease of 4,735 claims from February and a year-over decrease of 3,016 claims from March 2025.
| California Unemployment Insurance Claims | Month-over Change (Feb. 2026 – Mar. 2026) | Year-over Change (Mar. 2025 – Mar. 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| UI Recipients (390,953) | +14,248 | -33,260 |
| New UI Claims (37,977) | -4,735 | -3,016 |
| COUNTY | LABOR FORCE | EMPLOYMENT | UNEMPLOYMENT | RATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STATE TOTAL |
19,740,400 |
18,655,800 |
1,084,600 |
5.5% |
|
ALAMEDA |
862,700 |
826,000 |
36,800 |
4.3% |
|
ALPINE |
590 |
550 |
40 |
6.8% |
|
AMADOR |
15,070 |
14,190 |
880 |
5.8% |
|
BUTTE |
91,000 |
85,400 |
5,500 |
6.1% |
|
CALAVERAS |
17,540 |
16,430 |
1,100 |
6.3% |
|
COLUSA |
11,560 |
9,590 |
1,970 |
17.0% |
|
CONTRA COSTA |
578,900 |
553,600 |
25,400 |
4.4% |
|
DEL NORTE |
9,320 |
8,720 |
590 |
6.4% |
|
EL DORADO |
90,300 |
85,900 |
4,400 |
4.9% |
|
FRESNO |
477,900 |
435,000 |
42,900 |
9.0% |
|
GLENN |
11,740 |
10,850 |
890 |
7.6% |
|
HUMBOLDT |
60,400 |
57,300 |
3,100 |
5.1% |
|
IMPERIAL |
73,700 |
61,200 |
12,500 |
16.9% |
|
INYO |
8,340 |
7,970 |
370 |
4.5% |
|
KERN |
407,300 |
368,800 |
38,500 |
9.5% |
|
KINGS |
58,900 |
53,100 |
5,800 |
9.9% |
|
LAKE |
26,640 |
24,680 |
1,970 |
7.4% |
|
LASSEN |
8,230 |
7,610 |
620 |
7.5% |
|
LOS ANGELES |
5,072,800 |
4,815,800 |
256,900 |
5.1% |
|
MADERA |
70,000 |
64,000 |
6,000 |
8.5% |
|
MARIN |
123,400 |
118,700 |
4,700 |
3.8% |
|
MARIPOSA |
6,830 |
6,340 |
490 |
7.1% |
|
MENDOCINO |
36,770 |
34,620 |
2,160 |
5.9% |
|
MERCED |
124,600 |
111,400 |
13,200 |
10.6% |
|
MODOC |
3,060 |
2,780 |
270 |
9.0% |
|
MONO |
8,520 |
8,200 |
330 |
3.8% |
|
MONTEREY |
215,100 |
193,600 |
21,600 |
10.0% |
|
NAPA |
73,600 |
70,500 |
3,200 |
4.3% |
|
NEVADA |
47,040 |
44,810 |
2,220 |
4.7% |
|
ORANGE |
1,615,900 |
1,554,600 |
61,300 |
3.8% |
|
PLACER |
208,800 |
200,400 |
8,400 |
4.0% |
|
PLUMAS |
7,320 |
6,570 |
750 |
10.3% |
|
RIVERSIDE |
1,195,000 |
1,133,700 |
61,300 |
5.1% |
|
SACRAMENTO |
786,100 |
748,500 |
37,600 |
4.8% |
|
SAN BENITO |
34,700 |
32,200 |
2,400 |
7.0% |
|
SAN BERNARDINO |
1,033,700 |
982,200 |
51,500 |
5.0% |
|
SAN DIEGO |
1,665,100 |
1,593,800 |
71,300 |
4.3% |
|
SAN FRANCISCO |
501,100 |
482,500 |
18,600 |
3.7% |
|
SAN JOAQUIN |
373,700 |
349,300 |
24,500 |
6.5% |
|
SAN LUIS OBISPO |
132,400 |
127,000 |
5,500 |
4.1% |
|
SAN MATEO |
410,000 |
395,600 |
14,300 |
3.5% |
|
SANTA BARBARA |
222,600 |
212,200 |
10,400 |
4.7% |
|
SANTA CLARA |
1,032,700 |
993,400 |
39,300 |
3.8% |
|
SANTA CRUZ |
136,400 |
127,000 |
9,400 |
6.9% |
|
SHASTA |
81,900 |
77,400 |
4,500 |
5.5% |
|
SIERRA |
1,310 |
1,230 |
80 |
6.3% |
|
SISKIYOU |
16,260 |
14,830 |
1,430 |
8.8% |
|
SOLANO |
219,100 |
208,000 |
11,100 |
5.1% |
|
SONOMA |
246,400 |
236,000 |
10,400 |
4.2% |
|
STANISLAUS |
255,500 |
237,300 |
18,300 |
7.2% |
|
SUTTER |
46,100 |
41,600 |
4,500 |
9.7% |
|
TEHAMA |
27,360 |
25,630 |
1,730 |
6.3% |
|
TRINITY |
5,500 |
5,120 |
370 |
6.8% |
|
TULARE |
218,200 |
193,200 |
25,000 |
11.5% |
|
TUOLUMNE |
21,930 |
20,740 |
1,190 |
5.4% |
|
VENTURA |
421,900 |
403,200 |
18,700 |
4.4% |
|
YOLO |
112,700 |
106,200 |
6,500 |
5.7% |
|
YUBA |
36,300 |
33,700 |
2,600 |
7.0% |