Los Angeles is one of the largest business economies in the United States. Los Angeles County recorded $802.0 billion in real GDP in 2023, while the Los Angeles metropolitan area had 6,258.8 thousand nonfarm jobs in January 2026. The figures below show the region’s economic scale, employment mix, labor-market conditions, compensation, and occupational pay.
Contents
- Economic scale
- Employment by industry
- Year-over-year employment changes
- Unemployment and labor force
- Private-industry compensation
- Occupational wages
Economic scale
The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that Los Angeles County’s real GDP was $802.0 billion in 2023. In the BEA’s county comparison, that was the highest county GDP in the United States. The same $802.0 billion figure placed Los Angeles County at the top of the large-county comparison for counties with populations above 500,000.
The 2023 result describes real GDP, a measure designed to track the volume of economic production after accounting for price changes. It is a county-level measure, so it should not be read as a direct estimate of the city of Los Angeles alone or as a measure of business revenue. The source also reported that real GDP increased in 142 of 147 large counties in 2023, placing Los Angeles within a broadly expanding large-county peer group.
Source: BEA Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area, 2023.
The employment figures use a different geography. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Los Angeles metropolitan statistics describe the labor market across the metro area rather than only Los Angeles County or the city. That distinction matters when comparing GDP with jobs, wages, and unemployment.
Employment by industry
The Los Angeles metropolitan area recorded 6,258.8 thousand total nonfarm jobs in January 2026, according to the BLS Los Angeles Area Economic Summary. Education and health services was the largest listed private-sector industry, with 1,317.9 thousand jobs. Trade, transportation, and utilities followed with 1,056.7 thousand, while professional and business services accounted for 970.4 thousand.
The complete January 2026 employment profile was:
| Industry | Employment (thousand) |
|---|---|
| Education and health services | 1,317.9 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 1,056.7 |
| Professional and business services | 970.4 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 761.1 |
| Government | 749.1 |
| Manufacturing | 445.6 |
| Financial activities | 304.9 |
| Construction | 242.7 |
| Other services | 215.1 |
| Information | 193.2 |
| Mining and logging | 2.1 |
These categories show a diversified regional employment base. Education and health services represented the largest listed sector, while trade, transportation, and utilities formed another major block of jobs connected with commerce, movement of goods, and everyday services. Professional and business services also represented a substantial portion of the metro economy, including business-oriented work across many occupations.
The January 2026 figures are seasonally interpreted within the BLS employment series and represent jobs rather than unique employed residents. A person holding more than one job can be counted in employment measures more than once, while the civilian employment measure discussed below counts people.
Source: BLS Los Angeles Area Economic Summary, updated April 16, 2026.
Year-over-year employment changes
Total nonfarm employment increased by 36.3 thousand jobs from January 2025 to January 2026. The largest reported increase was in education and health services, up 53.8 thousand. Leisure and hospitality increased by 15.9 thousand, professional and business services by 8.0 thousand, and other services by 6.7 thousand.
Smaller increases occurred in financial activities, up 0.4 thousand, and mining and logging, up 0.2 thousand. Information employment was unchanged year over year at 0.0 thousand.
Several industries recorded declines. Government employment fell by 27.2 thousand jobs. Manufacturing declined by 10.1 thousand, trade, transportation, and utilities by 6.0 thousand, and construction by 5.4 thousand.
| Industry | Change from January 2025 to January 2026 (thousand) |
|---|---|
| Education and health services | +53.8 |
| Leisure and hospitality | +15.9 |
| Professional and business services | +8.0 |
| Other services | +6.7 |
| Financial activities | +0.4 |
| Mining and logging | +0.2 |
| Information | 0.0 |
| Construction | -5.4 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | -6.0 |
| Manufacturing | -10.1 |
| Government | -27.2 |
The pattern indicates that the year-over-year gain in total metro nonfarm employment was concentrated in a few expanding industries, particularly education and health services. At the same time, the government and manufacturing declines were large enough to remain important parts of the overall employment story. These are changes in payroll employment and do not by themselves explain why individual employers added or reduced staffing.
Source: BLS Los Angeles Area Economic Summary, updated April 16, 2026.
Unemployment and labor force
The BLS Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana Economy at a Glance reported a 5.3% unemployment rate in October 2025, followed by 4.8% in November, 5.1% in December, and 5.2% in January 2026. These monthly figures show movement over a short period rather than a long-term trend.
The civilian labor force was 6,864.7 thousand in October 2025, 6,791.3 thousand in November, 6,717.6 thousand in December, and 6,715.7 thousand in January 2026. BLS reported civilian employment of 6,502.1 thousand in November, 6,467.9 thousand in December, and 6,372.3 thousand in January. Civilian unemployment was 362.7 thousand in October, 323.3 thousand in November, 345.3 thousand in December, and 348.1 thousand in January.
| Month | Unemployment rate | Civilian labor force (thousand) | Civilian unemployment (thousand) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 5.3% | 6,864.7 | 362.7 |
| November 2025 | 4.8% | 6,791.3 | 323.3 |
| December 2025 | 5.1% | 6,717.6 | 345.3 |
| January 2026 | 5.2% | 6,715.7 | 348.1 |
The labor-force series measures people who are working or actively seeking work. It is therefore different from the nonfarm payroll series, which counts jobs by establishment. The two series answer different business questions: payroll employment describes the scale of jobs at employers, while the labor force and unemployment figures describe the available and active worker population.
Source: BLS Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana Economy at a Glance.
Private-industry compensation
In December 2025, total compensation for private-industry workers in the Los Angeles metro area averaged $54.56 per hour. The comparable Pacific Census division figure was $46.15 per hour. Los Angeles metro wages and salaries averaged $37.52 per hour, compared with $32.36 in the Pacific division. Total benefits averaged $17.04 per hour locally, versus $13.79 across the division.
The benefit components reported by BLS were also higher in Los Angeles than in the Pacific comparison area. Paid leave cost $4.42 per hour in Los Angeles and $3.52 in the Pacific division. Vacation benefits were $2.18 and $1.75, respectively. Supplemental pay was $2.56 locally and $1.87 in the comparison area.
Insurance benefits averaged $3.85 per hour in Los Angeles, compared with $3.51 in the Pacific division. Retirement and savings benefits were $2.06 versus $1.55, while legally required benefits were $4.15 versus $3.34.
These figures are employer compensation costs per hour, not take-home pay. Total compensation combines wages and salaries with the value of employer-provided benefits. The comparison uses the Pacific Census division and the December 2025 measurement period.
Source: BLS Los Angeles Area Economic Summary, updated April 16, 2026.
Occupational wages
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wages release for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim reported an average hourly wage of $36.64 for all occupations in May 2024, compared with $32.66 nationally. The metro average was also above the national figure in each listed occupational group below, although pay varied substantially by type of work.
Management occupations averaged $76.23 per hour locally versus $68.15 nationally. Business and financial operations averaged $49.35 versus $45.04, and computer and mathematical occupations averaged $60.21 versus $56.16. Architecture and engineering averaged $57.02 compared with $49.99, while life, physical, and social science occupations averaged $48.04 compared with $43.12.
Community and social service occupations averaged $35.19 per hour in the metro area, versus $30.31 nationally. Legal occupations had the highest listed local average at $94.18, compared with $66.19 nationally. Educational instruction and library occupations averaged $38.86 locally and $31.69 nationally.
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations averaged $52.13 per hour in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, versus $37.04 nationally. Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations averaged $57.98 compared with $50.59. Healthcare support occupations were lower at $19.31 locally and $19.06 nationally.
Protective service occupations averaged $33.13 per hour in the metro area, compared with $29.33 nationally. Food preparation and serving related occupations averaged $20.26 locally versus $17.32 nationally.
The occupational figures are May 2024 wage estimates and should not be confused with the December 2025 compensation-cost measures. Occupational wages describe average pay for workers in an occupation, while compensation data include employer benefits and use a different date and statistical framework.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wages in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, May 2024.
Occupational wage comparison
| Occupational group | Los Angeles metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Management | $76.23/hour | $68.15/hour |
| Business and financial operations | $49.35/hour | $45.04/hour |
| Computer and mathematical | $60.21/hour | $56.16/hour |
| Legal | $94.18/hour | $66.19/hour |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | $52.13/hour | $37.04/hour |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical | $57.98/hour | $50.59/hour |
| Food preparation and serving related | $20.26/hour | $17.32/hour |
Together, these statistics describe a large and varied Los Angeles business environment: countywide real GDP reached $802.0 billion in 2023, metro payroll employment exceeded 6.2 million jobs in January 2026, and the area’s wage profile differed by occupation while exceeding national averages in the listed groups.