Jobs report
The May 2021 jobs report in charts
Employers added 478,000 jobs in May 2021, by the latest estimate, after adding 355,000 in April 2021. Over the 12 months to May 2021 they added an average of 1,002,000 a month. The unemployment rate was 5.8%, down from 6.1% in April 2021 and down from 13.2% in May 2020. Average hourly pay was $30.41, 2.3% more than a year earlier, while consumer prices rose 5.0% in the 12 months to May 2021, so pay fell behind prices.
Jobs added in May
478,000
Added 1,002,000 a month over 12 months
Unemployment rate
5.8%
Down from 6.1% in April 2021
Hourly pay, change over 12 months
2.3%
$30.41 an hour on average
Jobs added each month, May 2019 to May 2021
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
The unemployment rate, May 2019 to May 2021
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How fast hourly pay is rising, May 2019 to May 2021
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The numbers
Each month to May 2021, newest first. A dash means BLS published no figure.
| Month | Jobs added | Unemployment rate | Hourly pay, 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | 478,000 | 5.8% | 2.3% |
| Apr 2021 | 355,000 | 6.1% | 0.6% |
| Mar 2021 | 852,000 | 6.1% | 4.5% |
| Feb 2021 | 517,000 | 6.2% | 5.3% |
| Jan 2021 | 315,000 | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| Dec 2020 | -185,000 | 6.7% | 5.4% |
| Nov 2020 | 273,000 | 6.7% | 4.6% |
| Oct 2020 | 690,000 | 6.9% | 4.6% |
| Sep 2020 | 949,000 | 7.8% | 4.8% |
| Aug 2020 | 1,566,000 | 8.4% | 4.8% |
| Jul 2020 | 1,584,000 | 10.2% | 4.9% |
| Jun 2020 | 4,631,000 | 11.0% | 5.0% |
| May 2020 | 2,614,000 | 13.2% | 6.6% |
| Apr 2020 | -20,469,000 | 14.8% | 8.1% |
| Mar 2020 | -1,398,000 | 4.4% | 3.5% |
| Feb 2020 | 262,000 | 3.5% | 3.1% |
| Jan 2020 | 237,000 | 3.6% | 3.0% |
| Dec 2019 | 127,000 | 3.6% | 3.0% |
| Nov 2019 | 207,000 | 3.6% | 3.3% |
| Oct 2019 | 95,000 | 3.6% | 3.2% |
| Sep 2019 | 196,000 | 3.5% | 3.1% |
| Aug 2019 | 232,000 | 3.6% | 3.4% |
| Jul 2019 | 99,000 | 3.7% | 3.4% |
| Jun 2019 | 220,000 | 3.6% | 3.5% |
| May 2019 | 27,000 | 3.6% | 3.3% |
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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.