How many jobs were lost in Arizona last month?
Refreshed monthly
Arizona lost 300 jobs in September 2026, ranking it 27th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 4,600 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-300
month to month change in number of jobs (September 2026)
27th
rank among states in monthly job growth (September 2026)
September 2026's loss of 300 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in Arizona. Monthly job growth was up from the 5,500 lost jobs in August 2026.
During the latest five year period (October 2021 to September 2026), Arizona gained jobs in 45 out of 60 months. September 2026 had the 15th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in January 2024 (+34,000) while job growth was weakest in October 2023 (-29,100).
There were 300 fewer jobs in September 2026 in Arizona than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, October 2021–September 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Arizona sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in September 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in September 2026 were state government, other services, and wholesale trade. State government added 2,100 jobs, more than the entire economy. Other services gained 600 jobs, while wholesale trade added 500. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were health care and social assistance, administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Health care and social assistance lost 1,400 jobs in September 2026, while administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 1,100 jobs and professional, scientific, and technical services lost 800 jobs.
Get weekly insights
Subscribe for data-driven insights. No spin, just the facts.
The health care and social assistance sector lost 1,400 jobs during September 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Arizona (September 2026)
How has Arizona's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Arizona lost an average of 1,050 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 3,917, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 13,200 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 8,600 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Arizona lost an average of 1,100 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among seven metro areas primarily in Arizona during September 2026 ranged from a loss of 300 jobs in the Flagstaff, AZ area to a gain of 900 jobs in the Tucson, AZ area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Arizona
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +900 | |
| 2. | +0 | |
| 3. | +0 | |
| 4. | -100 | |
| 5. | -100 | |
| 6. | -100 | |
| 7. | -300 |
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
