How many jobs were added in New York last month?
Refreshed monthly
New York gained 13,700 jobs in May 2026, ranking it third 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 16,900 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+13.7K
month to month change in number of jobs (May 2026)
3rd
rank among states in monthly job growth (May 2026)
New York’s job gain of 13,700 in May 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 1,300 jobs lost in April 2026.
During the latest five year period (June 2021 to May 2026), New York gained jobs in 47 out of 60 months. May 2026 had the 28th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+125,600) while job growth was weakest in April 2025 (-53,100).
There were 13,700 more jobs in May 2026 in New York than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, June 2021–May 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which New York 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 accommodation and food services. Health care and social assistance added 6,400 jobs, more than the entire economy. Professional, scientific, and technical services gained 3,600 jobs, while accommodation and food services added 2,100. 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 6,400 jobs during May 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in New York (May 2026)
How does New York's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?
In 2025, New York gained an average of 3,300 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 13,200, and the lowest since 2024. 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 18,100 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 14,500 on average every month in 2014.
In 2025, New York gained an average of 3,300 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 13 metro areas primarily in New York during May 2026 ranged from a loss of 200 jobs in the Buffalo, NY area to a gain of 17,300 jobs in the New York, NY area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within New York
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +17,300 | |
| 2. | +1,100 | |
| 3. | +600 | |
| 4. | +400 | |
| 5. | +300 | |
| 6. | +200 | |
| 7. | +100 | |
| 8. | +0 | |
| 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.
