How many jobs were lost in California last month?
Refreshed monthly
California lost 2,900 jobs in June 2026, ranking it 48th among states in job growth. Those figures comes 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 24,400 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-2.9K
month to month change in number of jobs (June 2026)
48th
rank among states in monthly job growth (June 2026)
June 2026’s loss of 2,900 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in California. Monthly job growth was up from the 15,600 lost jobs in May 2026.
During the latest five year period (July 2021 to June 2026), California gained jobs in 39 out of 60 months. June 2026 had the 18th-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 2,900 fewer jobs in June 2026 in California than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, July 2021–June 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which California sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in June 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in [June 2026] were [health care and social assistance], [private educational services], and [arts, entertainment, and recreation]. [Health care and social assistance] [added] [10,400] jobs, [more than the entire economy]. [Private educational services] [gained] [5,100] jobs, while [arts, entertainment, and recreation] [added] [2,800]. 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 10,400 jobs during June 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in California (June 2026)
How does California's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?
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 2024. The 2025 average ranks as the 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 June 2026 ranged from a loss of 3,300 jobs in the San Jose, CA area to a gain of 6,500 jobs in the Los Angeles, CA area metro 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. | +6,500 | |
| 2. | +900 | |
| 3. | +400 | |
| 4. | +300 | |
| 5. | +200 | |
| 6. | +200 | |
| 7. | +100 | |
| 8. | +100 | |
| 9. | +0 | |
| 10. | +0 |
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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.
