Unemployment rate
4.1%-0.1 percentage points month over monthJuly 2026 · Seasonally adjustedBLS · BEA · U.S. Census Bureau data · Updated 2026-08-26
U.S. Economic Data Snapshot for July 2026
The latest releases span different reference periods: BLS labor and CPI through July 2026, BEA income and spending through July 2026, Census retail sales through July 2026, and BEA output data through 2026-Q2. Each is labeled separately rather than combined into one figure.
Latest labor and CPI observations: July 2026 · Data changed 2026-08-26
At a glance
Nonfarm payroll employment
158,858k-23k month over monthJuly 2026 · Seasonally adjustedConsumer Price Index
333.9+3.4% year over yearJuly 2026 · Not seasonally adjustedPersonal income
$27.1T+0.4% month over monthJuly 2026 · BEA · level seriesConsumer spending
$22.3T+0.2% month over monthJuly 2026 · BEA · level seriesRetail sales
$660B-0.8% month over monthJuly 2026 · Census · seasonally adjustedReal gross domestic product
$24.3T+0.4% quarter over quarter2026-Q2 · BEA · chained dollarsPCE price index
131.3+1.3% quarter over quarter2026-Q2 · BEA · index levelWhat changed in July 2026
Unemployment: The unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points from May to 4.1% in July 2026. Compared with July 2025, it was lower by 0.2 percentage points.
Payrolls: Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 23 thousand from May. Over the latest three months, payroll employment changed by +60 thousand; over 12 months, it changed by +316 thousand.
Prices: The all-items CPI decreased 0% from May and was +3.4% higher than a year earlier. CPI is an index, not a percent; the percentage changes on this page are calculated from the published index values.
Income, spending, and retail: In July 2026, personal income was $27.1T and personal consumption expenditures were $22.3T. Their prior-month changes were +0.4% and +0.2%. Census retail sales were $660B, -0.8% from the prior month.
Output and PCE prices: In 2026-Q2, real gross domestic product was $24.3T and +0.4% from the prior quarter. The PCE price index was 131.3, +1.3% from the prior quarter. These quarterly observations are not substituted for the newer monthly releases.
Data-guided summary
In July 2026, the unemployment rate fell from the prior month and was lower than a year earlier. Nonfarm payroll employment decreased from the prior month and increased over the latest three months. The Consumer Price Index decreased from the prior month and was higher than a year earlier.
These measures describe different parts of the economy and should be read with their definitions and release methods.
Generated locally from verified directional facts · Ollama · qwen3:30b-a3b-instruct-2507-q4_K_M
What these measures mean
Unemployment rate
The share of the civilian labor force that is unemployed and actively looking for work. This monthly series is seasonally adjusted.
Nonfarm payroll employment
The number of employees on nonfarm payrolls, reported here in thousands of persons. This monthly series is seasonally adjusted.
Consumer Price Index
An index of prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of goods and services. The all-items series used here is not seasonally adjusted.
BEA income, spending, and output
BEA supplies the personal income, personal consumption expenditures, real gross domestic product, and PCE price index lines used here. Monthly and quarterly series retain their original reference periods.
Census retail sales
The Census economic indicators API supplies the selected national monthly retail-sales category. It is presented separately from BEA personal consumption expenditures.
Latest data by source
Each table retains its source series and reference period. Changes are calculated only within the same series.
Unemployment rate
| Period | Value | Change from prior month |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 4.1% | -0.1 percentage points |
| June 2026 | 4.2% | -0.1 percentage points |
| May 2026 | 4.3% | +0 percentage points |
| April 2026 | 4.3% | +0 percentage points |
| March 2026 | 4.3% | -0.1 percentage points |
| February 2026 | 4.4% | +0.1 percentage points |
| January 2026 | 4.3% | -0.1 percentage points |
| December 2025 | 4.4% | -0.1 percentage points |
| November 2025 | 4.5% | n/a |
| September 2025 | 4.4% | +0.1 percentage points |
| August 2025 | 4.3% | +0 percentage points |
| July 2025 | 4.3% | +0.2 percentage points |
| June 2025 | 4.1% | -0.2 percentage points |
Nonfarm payroll employment
| Period | Value | Change from prior month |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 158,858 thousand | -23 thousand |
| June 2026 | 158,881 thousand | +20 thousand |
| May 2026 | 158,861 thousand | +63 thousand |
| April 2026 | 158,798 thousand | +148 thousand |
| March 2026 | 158,650 thousand | +214 thousand |
| February 2026 | 158,436 thousand | -156 thousand |
| January 2026 | 158,592 thousand | +160 thousand |
| December 2025 | 158,432 thousand | -17 thousand |
| November 2025 | 158,449 thousand | +41 thousand |
| October 2025 | 158,408 thousand | -140 thousand |
| September 2025 | 158,548 thousand | +76 thousand |
| August 2025 | 158,472 thousand | -70 thousand |
| July 2025 | 158,542 thousand | +64 thousand |
Consumer Price Index
| Period | Value | Change from prior month |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 333.9 | -0 index points |
| June 2026 | 334 | -1.2 index points |
| May 2026 | 335.1 | +2.1 index points |
| April 2026 | 333 | +2.8 index points |
| March 2026 | 330.2 | +3.4 index points |
| February 2026 | 326.8 | +1.5 index points |
| January 2026 | 325.3 | +1.2 index points |
| December 2025 | 324.1 | -0.1 index points |
| November 2025 | 324.1 | n/a |
| September 2025 | 324.8 | +0.8 index points |
| August 2025 | 324 | +0.9 index points |
| July 2025 | 323 | +0.5 index points |
| June 2025 | 322.6 | +1.1 index points |
Personal income (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | $27,114,792 million | +0.4% |
| June 2026 | $26,999,687 million | +0.2% |
| May 2026 | $26,951,347 million | +0.7% |
| April 2026 | $26,766,030 million | +0.1% |
| March 2026 | $26,739,879 million | +0.5% |
| February 2026 | $26,597,656 million | -0% |
| January 2026 | $26,610,613 million | +0.5% |
| December 2025 | $26,483,207 million | +0.2% |
| November 2025 | $26,426,338 million | +0.2% |
| October 2025 | $26,365,140 million | -0.1% |
| September 2025 | $26,381,035 million | +0.4% |
| August 2025 | $26,278,064 million | +0.5% |
| July 2025 | $26,149,649 million | +0.7% |
Personal consumption expenditures (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | $22,250,420 million | +0.2% |
| June 2026 | $22,214,157 million | +0.3% |
| May 2026 | $22,136,771 million | +0.9% |
| April 2026 | $21,949,451 million | +0.6% |
| March 2026 | $21,814,730 million | +0.9% |
| February 2026 | $21,611,393 million | +0.6% |
| January 2026 | $21,478,720 million | +0.2% |
| December 2025 | $21,445,932 million | +0.4% |
| November 2025 | $21,355,995 million | +0.3% |
| October 2025 | $21,288,128 million | +0.4% |
| September 2025 | $21,202,446 million | +0.4% |
| August 2025 | $21,123,787 million | +0.6% |
| July 2025 | $21,007,264 million | +0.7% |
Retail sales (U.S. Census Bureau)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | $660,047 million | -0.8% |
| June 2026 | $665,054 million | +0.2% |
| May 2026 | $663,604 million | +0.9% |
| April 2026 | $657,830 million | +0.6% |
| March 2026 | $653,772 million | +2% |
| February 2026 | $641,038 million | +1% |
| January 2026 | $634,949 million | +0% |
| December 2025 | $634,830 million | +0.1% |
| November 2025 | $634,477 million | +0.5% |
| October 2025 | $631,346 million | -0.2% |
| September 2025 | $632,395 million | +0% |
| August 2025 | $632,149 million | +0.6% |
| July 2025 | $628,581 million | +1.3% |
Real gross domestic product (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $24,269,613 million chained dollars | +0.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $24,180,419 million chained dollars | +0.5% |
| Q4 2025 | $24,055,749 million chained dollars | +0.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $24,026,834 million chained dollars | +1.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $23,770,976 million chained dollars | +0.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $23,548,210 million chained dollars | -0.2% |
| Q4 2024 | $23,586,542 million chained dollars | +0.5% |
| Q3 2024 | $23,478,570 million chained dollars | +0.8% |
| Q2 2024 | $23,286,508 million chained dollars | +0.9% |
| Q1 2024 | $23,082,119 million chained dollars | n/a |
PCE price index (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 131.3 | +1.3% |
| Q1 2026 | 129.7 | +1.1% |
| Q4 2025 | 128.2 | +0.7% |
| Q3 2025 | 127.3 | +0.7% |
| Q2 2025 | 126.4 | +0.5% |
| Q1 2025 | 125.8 | +0.8% |
| Q4 2024 | 124.7 | +0.6% |
| Q3 2024 | 123.9 | +0.4% |
| Q2 2024 | 123.4 | +0.6% |
| Q1 2024 | 122.6 | n/a |
Methodology and sources
Official source documentation: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API · U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis API · U.S. Census Bureau Economic Indicators Time Series API.
Changes are calculated from saved observations within the same source series. Monthly and quarterly releases keep their original reference periods and are not merged into a single composite indicator. The local AI summary receives verified directional facts only; output containing new numbers, causal explanations, forecasts, recommendations, or unverified claims is rejected.
Coverage in this report runs from January 2024 through July 2026. BLS, BEA, and Census can revise historical estimates. This report is informational and is not investment, employment, or policy advice.
Frequently asked questions
What was the U.S. unemployment rate in July 2026?
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in July 2026. This is the seasonally adjusted BLS series.
How much did nonfarm payroll employment change in July 2026?
Total nonfarm payroll employment changed by -23 thousand from the prior month, reaching 158,858 thousand persons in July 2026.
What was the CPI inflation rate in July 2026?
The all-items Consumer Price Index was +3.4% from a year earlier in July 2026. The index level was 333.9.