How many jobs were lost in last month?

Updated May. 22, 2026Refreshed monthly
California lost 3,300 jobs in April 2026, ranking it 49th 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 27,700 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

-3.3K

month to month change in number of jobs (April 2026)

49th

rank among states in monthly job growth (April 2026)
California’s job loss of 3,300 April 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was down from the 37,500 gain in March 2026.
During the latest five year period (May 2021 to April 2026), California gained jobs in 41 out of 60 months. April 2026 had the 17th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+244,600) while job growth was weakest in February 2024 (-71,200).

There were 3,300 fewer jobs in April 2026 in California than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, May 2021–April 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which California sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in April 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in April 2026 were health care and social assistance, private educational services, and transportation, warehousing, and utilities. Health care and social assistance added 8,000 jobs, more than the entire economy. Private educational services gained 3,500 jobs, while transportation, warehousing, and utilities added 3,100. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

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The health care and social assistance sector gained 8,000 jobs during April 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in California (April 2026)

How does California's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has gained an average of 4,700 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 8,100, and the smallest since 2024. The 2025 average ranks as 16th-highest in job growth since 2006.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 63,000 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 42,000 on average every month in 2015.

In 2025, California gained an average of 4,700 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among 25 metro areas primarily in California during April 2026 ranged from a loss of 5,700 jobs in the Los Angeles, CA area to a gain of 1,500 jobs in the Fresno, CA area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within California

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

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.