How many jobs were added in Ohio last month?
Refreshed monthly
Ohio gained 2,100 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 21st 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 4,600 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+2.1K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
21st
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026’s gain of 2,100 jobs was the 3rd consecutive month of positive job growth in Ohio. Monthly job growth was up from the 1,700 new jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), Ohio gained jobs in 43 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 23rd-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+51,000) while job growth was weakest in September 2021 (-20,100).
There were 2,100 more jobs in August 2026 in Ohio than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Ohio 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 construction, retail trade, and wholesale trade. Construction added 4,600 jobs, more than the entire economy. Retail trade gained 1,900 jobs, while wholesale trade added 1,000. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were health care and social assistance, accommodation and food services, and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services. Health care and social assistance lost 2,600 jobs in August 2026, while accommodation and food services lost 1,400 jobs and administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 1,400 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 2,600 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Ohio (August 2026)
How has Ohio's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Ohio lost an average of 467 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 2,917, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fifth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 20,600 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 8,000 on average every month in 2014.
In 2025, Ohio lost an average of 467 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 13 metro areas primarily in Ohio during August 2026 ranged from a loss of 1,000 jobs in the Dayton, OH area to a gain of 2,900 jobs in the Columbus, OH area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Ohio
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +2,900 | |
| 2. | +200 | |
| 3. | +100 | |
| 4. | +100 | |
| 5. | +100 | |
| 6. | +0 | |
| 7. | +0 | |
| 8. | -100 | |
| 9. | -100 | |
| 10. | -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.
