Jobs report
The September 2023 jobs report in charts
Employers added 156,000 jobs in September 2023, by the latest estimate, after adding 218,000 in August 2023. Over the 12 months to September 2023 they added an average of 236,000 a month. The unemployment rate was 3.7%, the same as 3.7% in August 2023 and up from 3.5% in September 2022. Average hourly pay was $34.01, 4.4% more than a year earlier, while consumer prices rose 3.7% in the 12 months to September 2023, so pay outpaced prices.
Jobs added in September
156,000
Added 236,000 a month over 12 months
Unemployment rate
3.7%
The same as 3.7% in August 2023
Hourly pay, change over 12 months
4.4%
$34.01 an hour on average
Jobs added each month, Sep 2021 to Sep 2023
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The unemployment rate, Sep 2021 to Sep 2023
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How fast hourly pay is rising, Sep 2021 to Sep 2023
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The numbers
Each month to September 2023, newest first. A dash means BLS published no figure.
| Month | Jobs added | Unemployment rate | Hourly pay, 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Sep 2021 | 457,000 | 4.7% | 5.0% |
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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.