How many jobs were added in California last month?
Refreshed monthly
California gained 39,400 jobs in August 2026, ranking it first 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 20,100 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+39.4K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
1st
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
California’s job gain of 39,400 in August 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 15,700 loss in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), California gained jobs in 39 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 16th-highest 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 39,400 more jobs in August 2026 in California than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which California sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were health care and social assistance, local government, and private educational services. Health care and social assistance added 11,900 jobs, while local government gained 8,400 jobs, and private educational services added 6,700. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were finance and insurance, non-durable goods, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Finance and insurance lost 1,800 jobs in August 2026, while non-durable goods lost 1,500 jobs and professional, scientific, and technical services lost 1,400 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 11,900 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in California (August 2026)
How has California's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, California gained an average of 4,717 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 8,067, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as 16th-highest in job growth since 2007.
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 August 2026 ranged from a loss of 2,500 jobs in the Fresno, CA area to a gain of 18,700 jobs in the Los Angeles, CA area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within California
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +18,700 | |
| 2. | +6,500 | |
| 3. | +3,500 | |
| 4. | +3,200 | |
| 5. | +2,900 | |
| 6. | +1,800 | |
| 7. | +1,400 | |
| 8. | +1,300 | |
| 9. | +600 | |
| 10. | +600 |
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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.
