How many jobs were lost in Massachusetts last month?
Refreshed monthly
Massachusetts lost 2,900 jobs in May 2026, ranking it 48th 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 3,500 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 (May 2026)
48th
rank among states in monthly job growth (May 2026)
Massachusetts’s job loss of 2,900 May 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was down from the 7,400 gain in April 2026.
During the latest five year period (June 2021 to May 2026), Massachusetts gained jobs in 37 out of 60 months. May 2026 had the 13th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2021 (+40,500) while job growth was weakest in June 2025 (-13,100).
There were 2,900 fewer jobs in May 2026 in Massachusetts than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, June 2021–May 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Massachusetts sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in May 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in May 2026 were health care and social assistance, professional, scientific, and technical services, and transportation, warehousing, and utilities. Health care and social assistance added 1,500 jobs, more than the entire economy. Professional, scientific, and technical services gained 1,400 jobs, while transportation, warehousing, and utilities added 1,100 jobs. 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 1,500 jobs during May 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Massachusetts (May 2026)
How does Massachusetts's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?
In 2025, Massachusetts lost an average of 1,400 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly decrease of 358, 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 6,900 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 7,100 on average every month in 2014.
In 2025, Massachusetts lost an average of 1,400 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among six metro areas primarily in Massachusetts during May 2026 ranged from a loss of 4,100 jobs in the Boston, MA area to a gain of 700 jobs in the Springfield, MA area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Massachusetts
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +700 | |
| 2. | +600 | |
| 3. | +600 | |
| 4. | +300 | |
| 5. | +200 | |
| 6. | -2,100 | |
| 7. | -4,100 |
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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.
