Jobs report
The October 2023 jobs report in charts
Employers added 159,000 jobs in October 2023, by the latest estimate, after adding 156,000 in September 2023. Over the 12 months to October 2023 they added an average of 220,000 a month. The unemployment rate was 3.9%, up from 3.7% in September 2023 and up from 3.6% in October 2022. Average hourly pay was $34.08, 4.2% more than a year earlier, while consumer prices rose 3.2% in the 12 months to October 2023, so pay outpaced prices.
Jobs added in October
159,000
Added 220,000 a month over 12 months
Unemployment rate
3.9%
Up from 3.7% in September 2023
Hourly pay, change over 12 months
4.2%
$34.08 an hour on average
Jobs added each month, Oct 2021 to Oct 2023
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
The unemployment rate, Oct 2021 to Oct 2023
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
How fast hourly pay is rising, Oct 2021 to Oct 2023
The interactive chart needs JavaScript. The numbers are in the table below.
The numbers
Each month to October 2023, newest first. A dash means BLS published no figure.
| Month | Jobs added | Unemployment rate | Hourly pay, 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Nov 2022 | 303,000 | 3.6% | 5.1% |
| Oct 2022 | 357,000 | 3.6% | 5.0% |
| Sep 2022 | 220,000 | 3.5% | 5.1% |
| Aug 2022 | 290,000 | 3.6% | 5.4% |
| Jul 2022 | 714,000 | 3.5% | 5.5% |
| Jun 2022 | 434,000 | 3.6% | 5.4% |
| May 2022 | 301,000 | 3.6% | 5.6% |
| Apr 2022 | 308,000 | 3.7% | 5.8% |
| Mar 2022 | 490,000 | 3.7% | 5.9% |
| Feb 2022 | 819,000 | 3.9% | 5.3% |
| Jan 2022 | 190,000 | 4.0% | 5.6% |
| Dec 2021 | 586,000 | 3.9% | 4.9% |
| Nov 2021 | 658,000 | 4.1% | 5.4% |
| Oct 2021 | 801,000 | 4.5% | 5.4% |
Get new charts weekly
One email a week with the newest charts and their key numbers. No account needed.
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.