SALT LAKE CITY (October 16, 2026) — Utah’s nonfarm payroll employment for September 2026 increased an estimated 1.4% across the past 12 months, with the state’s economy adding a cumulative 25,200 jobs since September 2025. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,801,100. September’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is estimated at 3.5%, unchanged from its level in August. Approximately 63,200 Utahns are unemployed. The September national unemployment rate is estimated at 4.2%, up a tenth of a percentage point from its level in August. "Utah’s labor market remains on solid footing," said Ben Crabb, chief economist at the Department of Workforce Services. "Even as employers take a more selective approach to hiring, strong participation among prime-age workers is driving the state’s long-term economic stability.”
Utah’s September private sector employment recorded a year-over-year expansion of 1.8%, or a 26,600-job increase. Eight of the 10 major private-sector industry groups posted net year-over-year job gains. The overall gains are led by education and health services (8,900 jobs), professional and business services (5,900 jobs), and construction (5,000 jobs). Information (-1,700 jobs) experienced a year-over-year job loss while natural resources and mining remained unchanged from a year prior.
Additional analysis and tables at https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/update/index.html
County unemployment rates for August will post on or shortly after Oct. 19, 2026, at https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/update/une/season.pdf
Largest private sector gains in the past year:Education and health services: 4,900 jobs
Education and health services: 8,900 jobs
Professional and business services: 5,900 jobs
Construction: 5,000 jobs
Largest private sector losses in the past year:
Information: -1,700 jobs
Statistics generated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., modeled from monthly employer (employment) and household (unemployment) surveys.
Listen to Chief Economist Ben Crabb’s analysis of the August 2026 employment report here:
Utah Department of Workforce Services · Utah Employment Report September 2026
