U.S. County Unemployment Rate Map

Unemployment rates for all 3,144 counties and county-equivalents in the 50 states and D.C., colored by the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate (most counties: August 2026). Hover over a county for its rate; Georgia’s 159 counties link through to full economic profiles.

Median County Rate

4.0%

3,143 counties reporting

U.S. Rate (SA)

4.1%

Aug 2026

Counties at 10%+

Unemployment of 10% or more

Counties Under 3%

429

Very tight local labor markets

Unemployment rate by county

Colors show six equal-sized groups (quantiles) of counties. Hover for name and rate.

Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted; latest month is preliminary. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

What the map shows

The typical (median) U.S. county had an unemployment rate of 4.0% in the latest data, compared with a national rate of 4.1%. The national rate is weighted toward large urban counties, while the county median gives every county equal weight, so the two can differ. 13 counties had rates of 10% or higher, while 429 were below 3%.

The highest county rate was in Kusilvak County, AK (21.0%) and the lowest in Loving County, TX (0.7%). By state, South Dakota had the lowest median county rate (1.9%) and District of Columbia the highest (5.8%).

Highest county unemployment rates

1	Kusilvak County, AK	21.0%
2	Imperial County, CA	19.7%
3	Yuma County, AZ	18.9%
4	Dawson County, NE	18.7%
5	East Carroll County, LA	13.0%
6	Luna County, NM	12.8%
7	Jefferson County, MS	11.4%
8	Bethel County, AK	10.7%
9	McDowell County, WV	10.5%
10	Colusa County, CA	10.3%
11	Tulare County, CA	10.3%
12	Issaquena County, MS	10.2%
13	Martin County, KY	10.1%
14	Starr County, TX	9.9%
15	Northwest Arctic County, AK	9.6%

Lowest county unemployment rates

1	Loving County, TX	0.7%
2	Dickey County, ND	1.1%
3	Bristol Bay County, AK	1.1%
4	Prairie County, MT	1.4%
5	Harding County, SD	1.4%
6	Stanley County, SD	1.5%
7	Hyde County, SD	1.5%
8	Deuel County, SD	1.5%
9	Aurora County, SD	1.5%
10	Teton County, WY	1.6%
11	Sanborn County, SD	1.6%
12	Hutchinson County, SD	1.6%
13	Hamlin County, SD	1.6%
14	Foster County, ND	1.6%
15	Carter County, MT	1.6%

County unemployment by state

Median, lowest and highest county rate in each state, sorted from lowest median

State	Counties	Median county rate	Lowest county	Highest county
South Dakota	66	1.9%	1.4%	7.4%
North Dakota	53	2.1%	1.1%	7.1%
New Hampshire	10	2.5%	2.0%	3.0%
Vermont	14	2.5%	2.3%	3.1%
Wyoming	23	2.5%	1.6%	3.5%
Montana	56	2.5%	1.4%	6.2%
Nebraska	93	2.6%	1.8%	18.7%
Hawaii	4	2.8%	2.4%	3.5%
Rhode Island	5	3.0%	2.8%	4.0%
Iowa	99	3.1%	2.1%	8.4%
Maine	16	3.3%	2.4%	4.6%
Wisconsin	72	3.3%	2.5%	5.6%
Idaho	44	3.4%	1.9%	5.9%
Indiana	92	3.4%	2.7%	4.9%
Georgia	159	3.4%	2.5%	6.9%
Ohio	88	3.5%	2.3%	5.0%
Utah	29	3.6%	2.4%	6.2%
Illinois	102	3.7%	2.5%	7.2%
North Carolina	100	3.7%	2.8%	5.5%
Alaska	30	3.7%	1.1%	21.0%
Virginia	133	3.8%	2.7%	8.1%
Pennsylvania	67	3.8%	2.9%	5.2%
Washington	39	3.8%	2.4%	5.9%
Kansas	105	3.8%	2.6%	6.2%
Tennessee	95	3.8%	2.8%	5.8%
Alabama	67	3.9%	2.9%	7.1%
Maryland	24	4.0%	3.2%	5.8%
Colorado	64	4.0%	2.4%	7.4%
New York	62	4.0%	3.0%	6.1%
Missouri	115	4.1%	3.0%	6.2%
Mississippi	82	4.1%	2.8%	11.4%
West Virginia	55	4.2%	3.0%	10.5%
South Carolina	46	4.4%	3.4%	7.0%
Nevada	17	4.5%	3.3%	8.2%
Massachusetts	14	4.6%	3.0%	6.0%
Texas	254	4.6%	0.7%	9.9%
New Jersey	21	4.6%	3.7%	7.2%
Louisiana	64	4.7%	3.0%	13.0%
Oklahoma	77	4.7%	2.8%	7.2%
Arkansas	75	4.7%	3.5%	8.5%
Minnesota	87	4.8%	3.2%	7.6%
Delaware	3	4.8%	4.3%	5.4%
Florida	67	5.2%	2.7%	8.4%
Oregon	36	5.3%	3.8%	7.7%
Kentucky	120	5.3%	4.1%	10.1%
Michigan	83	5.3%	3.5%	8.3%
California	58	5.5%	3.8%	19.7%
New Mexico	33	5.7%	2.7%	12.8%
Arizona	15	5.8%	3.8%	18.9%
Connecticut	9	5.8%	4.9%	6.5%
District of Columbia	1	5.8%	5.8%	5.8%

About county unemployment data

The BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics program estimates employment and unemployment for every county each month by combining national survey data with state unemployment-insurance claims and payroll records. County estimates are not seasonally adjusted, so rates in tourist areas, college towns and farming regions can swing noticeably through the year. Very small counties can show large month-to-month moves from small changes in the number of people looking for work.

Persistently high rates are concentrated in a few kinds of places: parts of the Mississippi Delta and the rural South, tribal lands in the Mountain West and Great Plains, California’s Central Valley farm counties and parts of Alaska. Many of the lowest rates are found in the agricultural and energy-producing counties of the northern Plains. For a closer look at one state, see the Georgia county comparison.