How many jobs were added in Rhode Island last month?
Refreshed monthly
Rhode Island gained 500 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 30th 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 565 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+500
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
30th
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026's gain of 500 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Rhode Island. Monthly job growth was down from the 1,400 new jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), Rhode Island gained jobs in 40 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 29th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in April 2022 (+3,900) while job growth was weakest in April 2023 (-3,300).
There were 500 more jobs in August 2026 in Rhode Island than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Rhode Island 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 private educational services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and accommodation and food services. Private educational services added 400 jobs. Professional, scientific, and technical services gained 400 jobs, while accommodation and food services added 300. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were construction, retail trade, and arts, entertainment, and recreation. construction lost 300 jobs in August 2026, while retail trade lost 100 jobs and arts, entertainment, and recreation lost 100 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 100 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Rhode Island (August 2026)
How has Rhode Island's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Rhode Island lost an average of 142 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 558, 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 1,300 on average every month in 2008 to a gain of 1,000 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Rhode Island lost an average of 142 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Rhode Island
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +1,200 |
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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.
