Jobs report
The December 2024 jobs report in charts
Employers added 237,000 jobs in December 2024, by the latest estimate, after adding 134,000 in November 2024. Over the 12 months to December 2024 they added an average of 122,000 a month. The unemployment rate was 4.1%, down from 4.2% in November 2024 and up from 3.8% in December 2023. Average hourly pay was $35.69, 4.1% more than a year earlier, while consumer prices rose 2.9% in the 12 months to December 2024, so pay outpaced prices.
Jobs added in December
237,000
Added 122,000 a month over 12 months
Unemployment rate
4.1%
Down from 4.2% in November 2024
Hourly pay, change over 12 months
4.1%
$35.69 an hour on average
Jobs added each month, Dec 2022 to Dec 2024
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
The unemployment rate, Dec 2022 to Dec 2024
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How fast hourly pay is rising, Dec 2022 to Dec 2024
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The numbers
Each month to December 2024, newest first. A dash means BLS published no figure.
| Month | Jobs added | Unemployment rate | Hourly pay, 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | 237,000 | 4.1% | 4.1% |
| Nov 2024 | 134,000 | 4.2% | 4.2% |
| Oct 2024 | 33,000 | 4.1% | 4.0% |
| Sep 2024 | 155,000 | 4.1% | 3.9% |
| Aug 2024 | 9,000 | 4.2% | 3.9% |
| Jul 2024 | 53,000 | 4.2% | 3.6% |
| Jun 2024 | 87,000 | 4.1% | 3.9% |
| May 2024 | 78,000 | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| Apr 2024 | 64,000 | 3.9% | 4.0% |
| Mar 2024 | 228,000 | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| Feb 2024 | 206,000 | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| Jan 2024 | 175,000 | 3.7% | 4.4% |
| Dec 2023 | 154,000 | 3.8% | 4.1% |
| Nov 2023 | 127,000 | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| Oct 2023 | 159,000 | 3.9% | 4.2% |
| Sep 2023 | 156,000 | 3.7% | 4.4% |
| Aug 2023 | 218,000 | 3.7% | 4.5% |
| Jul 2023 | 163,000 | 3.5% | 4.7% |
| Jun 2023 | 225,000 | 3.6% | 4.7% |
| May 2023 | 280,000 | 3.6% | 4.4% |
| Apr 2023 | 241,000 | 3.4% | 4.6% |
| Mar 2023 | 68,000 | 3.5% | 4.6% |
| Feb 2023 | 290,000 | 3.6% | 4.8% |
| Jan 2023 | 434,000 | 3.5% | 4.5% |
| Dec 2022 | 100,000 | 3.5% | 4.9% |
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Sources and notes
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, all items) (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics (total nonfarm payroll employment) (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics (average hourly earnings of all employees, total private) (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of September 30, 2026.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes each month's jobs report (the Employment Situation) early the next month. Jobs added and hourly pay come from its survey of employers' payrolls; the unemployment rate comes from its survey of households. All three are seasonally adjusted. These are the latest figures, so they include the revisions BLS makes in the two reports after each month and once a year, and can differ from what was first reported. Hourly pay is in dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation, and its average jumped in spring 2020 because mostly lower-paid people lost their jobs, not because pay rose. BLS published no unemployment rate for October 2025, when a lapse in federal funding stopped the household survey.