U.S. payrolls add 29,000 in September as unemployment edges to 4.2%

The September jobs report showed little change in payroll employment and unemployment, while prior months were revised down by a combined 60,000 jobs.

By Stat Crux Report1 min read

Published October 2, 2026 at 6:02 PM ET

The Frances Perkins Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Labor, in Washington. — AgnosticPreachersKid / Wikimedia Commons · Image source

U.S. nonfarm payroll employment rose by 29,000 in September while the unemployment rate edged up one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported October 2. The agency said both measures changed little over the month. About 7.1 million people were unemployed, and the jobless rate has stayed within a narrow 4.1% to 4.3% range since March.

The payroll gain was below the 45,000 average monthly increase over the previous 12 months. Employment in all major industries changed little, although health care continued to trend upward with 17,000 additional jobs. Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 0.1% in September and were 3.0% higher than a year earlier.

Revisions also weakened the recent payroll picture. BLS revised July down by 31,000 jobs, from a gain of 21,000 to a loss of 10,000, and revised August down by 29,000, from 162,000 to 133,000. Together, July and August payrolls were 60,000 lower than previously reported.

The labor force participation rate was 61.8%, up two-tenths from August, while the employment-population ratio was 59.2%. BLS derives payroll employment from a survey of employers and the unemployment rate from a separate household survey, so the two headline measures capture different parts of the labor market.