Unemployment rate
4.2%labor force
+0.1 ppUnfavorablevs Dec 2024
The economy, at street level
Main Street
The prices you pay. The numbers behind them.
A clear view of the everyday American economy.
US / NATIONAL2026DATA WATCH / 01
Annual inflation+3.4%CPI-U · Aug 2026 · YoY
Unemployment4.2%LABOR FORCESep 2026 · seasonally adjusted
Hourly earnings$37.81/ HOURSep 2026 · +3.0% YoY
Jobs / 08 metrics
Jobs & employment.
Checked Oct 12, 2026, 10:03 AM UTC
Daily checks · monthly / quarterly releases
The defaults above select each term’s latest available observation and its comparison period. On any card, choose an observation and an earlier comparison period, or select None to show the value alone. Dates refer to the reported month or quarter, not live prices or daily earnings. Blue indicates favorable changes for consumers or workers, red unfavorable changes. Unchanged values stay neutral.
Net payroll change shows jobs added or lost. Hires and layoffs are separate monthly flows. Farm-related employment counts people and has broader coverage than farm-only hired workers.
Net jobs added / lost
+29Kjobs/mo
-208K jobsUnfavorablevs Dec 2024
Total nonfarm jobs
159.04Mjobs
+0.5%Favorablevs Dec 2024
Farm & related employment
2.6Mpeople
+15.6%Neutralvs Dec 2024
Hires
5.19Mper month
-1.9%Unfavorablevs Dec 2024
Layoffs & discharges
1.64Mper month
-2.8%Favorablevs Dec 2024
Job openings
7.08Mopenings
-3.0%Neutralvs Dec 2024
Labor force participation
61.8%population 16+
-0.7 ppNeutralvs Dec 2024
Coverage notes
More context is on the way.
Dollar rent estimate COMING NEXT
Annual Census median gross rent will sit beside the monthly rent index.
Health & coverage AVAILABLE
Employer premiums, employee contributions and health outcomes now have their own source records.
Explore HealthInformational use only. Figures may be delayed, revised or incomplete, and national estimates may differ from your costs. Do not use this dashboard for financial, investment, tax, legal or medical decisions. Administration comparisons describe changes during a term; they do not establish policy causation. Full notices