Arkansas jobless rate falls to 3.9%
According to the Arkansas Department of Commerce, the state's seasonally adjusted jobless rate edged down to 3.9% in August, a tenth of a point lower than July's 4%. Nationally, the figure stayed at 4.1%. A Friday report from the department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the civilian labor force expanded by 192 people, with 1,972 additional residents employed and 1,780 fewer people unemployed and actively looking for work.[S1]
Both the civilian labor force and employment remain at record highs in Arkansas. The number of unemployed residents looking for work has fallen throughout the year, and the jobless rate has now dropped for four straight months. Compared with August 2025, there were 22,140 more employed Arkansans. Population growth and a larger civilian labor force have pushed the labor force participation rate up four-tenths of a percentage point this year.[S1]
Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 12,200 in August, largely because of seasonal hiring. Government added 5,700 positions and private education and health services gained 3,200, tied to the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Professional-business services added 1,700 jobs and leisure and hospitality added 1,500, also linked in part to school-year hiring. On an annual basis, nonfarm payrolls were up 11,300 from August 2025, with leisure and hospitality up 6,200, professional-business services up 3,400, trade-transportation-utilities up 2,800 and construction up 1,500. Government jobs fell 1,300, financial activities lost 1,200 and other services declined 1,100.[S1]
Across the country, hiring picked up in August with employers adding 162,000 jobs, recovering from a sluggish summer. That number was well above the 65,000 positions predicted in a FactSet survey. Revisions from the Labor Department boosted June and July payrolls by a combined 55,000. July's job creation was revised upward to 21,000, a significant change from the department's initial estimate of a 23,000-job loss.[S1]
Vermont rate holds at 2.6%
Vermont's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.6% in August, unchanged from the prior month's revised estimate, the Vermont Department of Labor reported. The civilian labor force participation rate also held steady at 62.1%. The labor force and employment, which had been shrinking by more than 1,000 workers a month, posted smaller declines of 167 and 113, respectively. Both remain down from a year ago, by 10,138 and 9,751. Unemployment fell by 54 in August and by 387 from last year. The matching declines in the labor force and unemployment explain why the jobless rate has been relatively stable over the past year.[S2]
Vermont Department of Labor Commissioner Kendal Smith noted that the state's unemployment rate ranks third lowest nationally, with 1.6 job openings for each unemployed resident. Smith explained that retirements are shrinking the workforce, yet employers statewide remain eager to hire, whether to backfill departing workers or add new positions. He characterized these demographic shifts as both a hurdle for businesses and a chance for job seekers, and mentioned that the department will hold multiple fall events to link employers with local workers, with details at vermontjoblink.com/events.[S2]
The comparable U.S. rate in August was 4.1%, unchanged from the revised July estimate. Seasonally adjusted Vermont data showed the civilian labor force down 167 from the prior month's revised estimate, employed persons down 113 and unemployed persons down 54. None of the changes were statistically significant. August unemployment rates across Vermont's 14 counties ranged from 2.3% in Addison and Chittenden counties to 3.3% in Bennington County; county rates are not seasonally adjusted. The unadjusted Vermont rate was 2.5%, unchanged from the revised unadjusted July level and down one-tenth of a percentage point from a year earlier.[S2]
Seasonally adjusted data showed a decrease of 400 jobs from revised July figures. An increase of 100 jobs between the preliminary and revised July estimates reflected the inclusion of more data. Industry changes in August varied: accommodation and food services added 300 jobs, or 1.0%, while state government shed 600 jobs, or 3.2%, and local government lost 400 jobs, or 1.3%.[S2]
Nebraska rate drops to 2.8%
Nebraska's August unemployment figures showed a decline in the statewide rate, based on unadjusted seasonal data rather than seasonally adjusted numbers to give the most precise picture. The year's peak rate occurred in February at 3.5%, representing about 38,000 jobless residents. Since then, the rate has decreased to 2.8%, or roughly 31,000 unemployed, a drop of about 2,000 from July and lower than the national 4.1% rate.[S3]
In Lincoln, the rate reached a high of 3.3%, or about 5,400 unemployed, in February and a low of 2.4%, or 4,300, in April. The city now stands at 2.6%, or roughly 4,552 people out of work. Omaha's high for the year was 3.8%, or just under 10,000 unemployed, and its low came in May at 2.9%, or around 8,000. The city is now at 3.1%, or about 8,400 unemployed.[S3]
In the Tri-Cities area, Hall County experienced a steep drop in January to 5.4%, with nearly 2,000 people out of work. The rate has gradually declined, hitting 2.9% in July and 2.7% in August, or just over 900 unemployed. Adams County's peak came in January at 3.6%, about 618 unemployed, and now stands at 2.5%, roughly 430 people, a 0.5 percentage point decrease from July. Buffalo County's rate also fell, to 2.5% from a July high of 2.8%, with approximately 735 unemployed.[S3]
In North Platte, Lincoln County's unemployment rose to about 550 people in June and has since gradually decreased. The current rate is 2.5%, or roughly 467 people. Dawson County has been impacted since the Tyson meat processing plant in Lexington closed in January, pushing the county's unemployment rate to around one in five residents. After climbing to 18.8% in July, the rate has now fallen to 16.4%, or approximately 2,000 people out of work.[S3]
