Unemployment rate
4.1%-0.1 percentage points month over monthOctober 2026 · Seasonally adjustedBLS · BEA · U.S. Census Bureau data · Updated 2026-11-10
U.S. Economic Data Snapshot for October 2026
The latest releases span different reference periods: BLS labor and CPI through October 2026, BEA income and spending through September 2026, Census retail sales through September 2026, and BEA output data through 2026-Q3. Each is labeled separately rather than combined into one figure.
Latest labor and CPI observations: October 2026 · Data changed 2026-11-10
At a glance
Nonfarm payroll employment
159,293k+165k month over monthOctober 2026 · Seasonally adjustedConsumer Price Index
337.5n/a year over yearOctober 2026 · Not seasonally adjustedPersonal income
$27.7T+0.2% month over monthSeptember 2026 · BEA · level seriesConsumer spending
$22.5T+0.5% month over monthSeptember 2026 · BEA · level seriesRetail sales
$652.1B+0.7% month over monthSeptember 2026 · Census · seasonally adjustedReal gross domestic product
$24.6T+0.8% quarter over quarter2026-Q3 · BEA · chained dollarsPCE price index
131.7+0.5% quarter over quarter2026-Q3 · BEA · index levelWhat changed in October 2026
Unemployment: The unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points from May to 4.1% in October 2026. Compared with October 2025, it is not available.
Payrolls: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 165 thousand from May. Over the latest three months, payroll employment changed by +411 thousand; over 12 months, it changed by +885 thousand.
Prices: The all-items CPI increased 0.2% from May and was n/a 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 September 2026, personal income was $27.7T and personal consumption expenditures were $22.5T. Their prior-month changes were +0.2% and +0.5%. Census retail sales were $652.1B, +0.7% from the prior month.
Output and PCE prices: In 2026-Q3, real gross domestic product was $24.6T and +0.8% from the prior quarter. The PCE price index was 131.7, +0.5% from the prior quarter. These quarterly observations are not substituted for the newer monthly releases.
Data-guided summary
In October 2026, the unemployment rate fell from the prior month and was unchanged than a year earlier. Nonfarm payroll employment increased from the prior month and increased over the latest three months. The Consumer Price Index increased from the prior month and was unchanged 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 |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 4.1% | -0.1 percentage points |
| September 2026 | 4.2% | +0.1 percentage points |
| August 2026 | 4.1% | +0 percentage points |
| 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 |
Nonfarm payroll employment
| Period | Value | Change from prior month |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 159,293 thousand | +165 thousand |
| September 2026 | 159,128 thousand | +60 thousand |
| August 2026 | 159,068 thousand | +186 thousand |
| July 2026 | 158,882 thousand | -10 thousand |
| June 2026 | 158,892 thousand | +31 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 |
Consumer Price Index
| Period | Value | Change from prior month |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 337.5 | +0.6 index points |
| September 2026 | 336.9 | +2 index points |
| August 2026 | 335 | +1.1 index points |
| 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 |
Personal income (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | $27,707,845 million | +0.2% |
| August 2026 | $27,653,372 million | +0.3% |
| July 2026 | $27,570,024 million | +0.3% |
| June 2026 | $27,479,311 million | +0.2% |
| May 2026 | $27,417,104 million | +0.7% |
| April 2026 | $27,219,334 million | +0.1% |
| March 2026 | $27,188,124 million | +0.7% |
| February 2026 | $27,009,938 million | +0.1% |
| January 2026 | $26,973,497 million | +0.6% |
| December 2025 | $26,813,567 million | +0.3% |
| November 2025 | $26,731,371 million | +0.4% |
| October 2025 | $26,627,710 million | +0.1% |
| September 2025 | $26,604,910 million | +0.4% |
Personal consumption expenditures (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | $22,452,780 million | +0.5% |
| August 2026 | $22,339,658 million | +0.9% |
| July 2026 | $22,146,038 million | +0.2% |
| June 2026 | $22,095,481 million | +0.3% |
| May 2026 | $22,027,178 million | +0.8% |
| April 2026 | $21,856,874 million | +0.8% |
| March 2026 | $21,692,919 million | +0.9% |
| February 2026 | $21,501,952 million | +0.6% |
| January 2026 | $21,383,079 million | +0.2% |
| December 2025 | $21,336,049 million | +0.3% |
| November 2025 | $21,274,206 million | +0.4% |
| October 2025 | $21,196,365 million | +0.3% |
| September 2025 | $21,126,488 million | +0.5% |
Retail sales (U.S. Census Bureau)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | $652,115 million | +0.7% |
| August 2026 | $647,440 million | +1.3% |
| July 2026 | $639,263 million | -0.5% |
| June 2026 | $642,793 million | +0.1% |
| May 2026 | $641,883 million | +1% |
| April 2026 | $635,221 million | +0.5% |
| March 2026 | $631,907 million | +1.9% |
| February 2026 | $620,373 million | +0.9% |
| January 2026 | $614,871 million | -0.7% |
| December 2025 | $619,122 million | +0.2% |
| November 2025 | $618,029 million | +0.7% |
| October 2025 | $613,900 million | -0% |
| September 2025 | $614,111 million | +0.1% |
Real gross domestic product (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $24,611,077 million chained dollars | +0.8% |
| Q2 2026 | $24,408,011 million chained dollars | +0.6% |
| Q1 2026 | $24,274,383 million chained dollars | +0.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $24,125,479 million chained dollars | +0.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $24,112,966 million chained dollars | +1% |
| Q2 2025 | $23,884,563 million chained dollars | +1% |
| Q1 2025 | $23,650,213 million chained dollars | +0% |
| Q4 2024 | $23,641,759 million chained dollars | +0.6% |
| Q3 2024 | $23,501,760 million chained dollars | +0.8% |
| Q2 2024 | $23,320,074 million chained dollars | +0.9% |
| Q1 2024 | $23,115,975 million chained dollars | n/a |
PCE price index (BEA)
| Period | Value | Change from prior period |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 131.7 | +0.5% |
| Q2 2026 | 131 | +1.2% |
| Q1 2026 | 129.4 | +1% |
| Q4 2025 | 128.1 | +0.7% |
| Q3 2025 | 127.2 | +0.6% |
| Q2 2025 | 126.4 | +0.6% |
| Q1 2025 | 125.7 | +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 October 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 October 2026?
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1% in October 2026. This is the seasonally adjusted BLS series.
How much did nonfarm payroll employment change in October 2026?
Total nonfarm payroll employment changed by +165 thousand from the prior month, reaching 159,293 thousand persons in October 2026.
What was the CPI inflation rate in October 2026?
The all-items Consumer Price Index was n/a from a year earlier in October 2026. The index level was 337.5.