Los Angeles employment statistics show a large, diverse labor market with 6.29 million nonfarm payroll jobs in August 2026 and a preliminary unemployment rate of 4.8%. The figures below describe the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area, which includes Los Angeles and Orange counties in the occupational wage data and is broader than Los Angeles city or Los Angeles County alone.
Contents
- Labor force and unemployment
- Total payroll employment
- Employment by industry
- Latest monthly industry totals
- Occupation shares and wages
- Office and administrative occupations
Labor force and unemployment
The annual unemployment rate for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area averaged 8.2% in 2021, then fell to 4.6% in 2022 and 4.7% in 2023. It averaged 5.3% in 2024 and 5.3% in 2025. These annual averages come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics series Unemployment Rates for Large Metropolitan Areas, Annual Averages.
The 2025 figure needs a measurement caveat: the BLS estimate is an 11-month average that excludes October because data were not collected during the federal government shutdown. It is therefore not fully comparable with ordinary full-year averages.
The latest resident-based monthly estimates, from August 2026, were preliminary and not seasonally adjusted. The civilian labor force contained 6,592.4 thousand people, or about 6.592 million. Resident employment was estimated at 6,274.2 thousand, while unemployment was estimated at 318.1 thousand. The resulting unemployment rate was 4.8% (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA Economy at a Glance).
| Labor-market measure | Period | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Civilian labor force | August 2026, preliminary | 6,592.4 thousand |
| Resident employment | August 2026, preliminary | 6,274.2 thousand |
| Unemployment | August 2026, preliminary | 318.1 thousand |
| Unemployment rate | August 2026, preliminary | 4.8% |
These resident labor-force figures count people by place of residence. They should not be read as a count of jobs located in the area, because the payroll series below counts jobs reported by nonfarm establishments.
Total payroll employment
The metropolitan area averaged 6,226.0 thousand nonfarm payroll jobs in 2023, 6,288.0 thousand in 2024, and 6,281.3 thousand in 2025. In August 2026, the preliminary total was 6,289.1 thousand nonfarm payroll jobs, up 0.6% over 12 months. The annual figures are from Table 2. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by States, selected metropolitan areas, and metropolitan divisions; the August estimate is from the BLS Economy at a Glance.
| Payroll measure | Period | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 2023 annual average | 6,226.0 thousand |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 2024 annual average | 6,288.0 thousand |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | 2025 annual average | 6,281.3 thousand |
| Nonfarm payroll jobs | August 2026, preliminary | 6,289.1 thousand |
The distinction between these measures matters for interpreting Los Angeles employment statistics. A resident can live in the metropolitan area and work elsewhere, while a payroll job is recorded where a nonfarm establishment reports it. One person can also hold more than one job, so the two series are not interchangeable measures of employed residents and employment locations.
Employment by industry
The 2025 annual-average payroll profile was led by education and health services, with 1,291.2 thousand jobs. Trade, transportation, and utilities accounted for 1,056.0 thousand, and professional and business services accounted for 977.4 thousand. Leisure and hospitality had 769.1 thousand jobs, while government had 762.2 thousand.
Other 2025 annual-average totals were 453.1 thousand jobs in manufacturing, 306.9 thousand in financial activities, 250.4 thousand in construction, 213.7 thousand in other services, 199.4 thousand in information, and 2.0 thousand in mining and logging. These figures are from the BLS annual payroll table.
| Industry | 2025 annual-average payroll jobs |
|---|---|
| Education and health services | 1,291.2 thousand |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 1,056.0 thousand |
| Professional and business services | 977.4 thousand |
| Leisure and hospitality | 769.1 thousand |
| Government | 762.2 thousand |
| Manufacturing | 453.1 thousand |
| Financial activities | 306.9 thousand |
| Construction | 250.4 thousand |
| Other services | 213.7 thousand |
| Information | 199.4 thousand |
| Mining and logging | 2.0 thousand |
This distribution illustrates why a single “Los Angeles job market” number can hide important differences. Health and education, logistics and trade, professional services, hospitality, and public employment each represent substantial payroll categories, while mining and logging are comparatively small in the metropolitan total.
Latest monthly industry totals
The August 2026 preliminary payroll profile provides a more current monthly snapshot. Education and health services had 1,324.0 thousand jobs, followed by trade, transportation, and utilities at 1,048.9 thousand and professional and business services at 974.2 thousand. Leisure and hospitality had 795.8 thousand jobs, and government had 731.8 thousand.
The remaining August totals were 447.2 thousand in manufacturing, 303.5 thousand in financial activities, 252.6 thousand in construction, 218.6 thousand in other services, 190.4 thousand in information, and 2.1 thousand in mining and logging. The August 2026 values are preliminary and not seasonally adjusted (BLS Economy at a Glance).
| Industry | August 2026 payroll jobs, preliminary |
|---|---|
| Education and health services | 1,324.0 thousand |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 1,048.9 thousand |
| Professional and business services | 974.2 thousand |
| Leisure and hospitality | 795.8 thousand |
| Government | 731.8 thousand |
| Manufacturing | 447.2 thousand |
| Financial activities | 303.5 thousand |
| Construction | 252.6 thousand |
| Other services | 218.6 thousand |
| Information | 190.4 thousand |
| Mining and logging | 2.1 thousand |
The annual and monthly series use different periods: the first is a 2025 annual average, while the second is a preliminary, non-seasonally adjusted August 2026 observation. They are useful for context, but a direct annual-to-monthly change should not be treated as a seasonally adjusted trend.
Occupation shares and wages
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wages release for May 2024 reports occupation shares and mean hourly wages for wage-and-salary workers in nonfarm establishments. Detailed occupation estimates exclude self-employed workers. The metropolitan area in this release includes Los Angeles County and Orange County, so it is broader than Los Angeles city or Los Angeles County alone. Source: Occupational Employment and Wages in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim — May 2024.
Office and administrative support was the largest listed occupation group at 11.8% of metropolitan employment, followed by food preparation and serving related occupations at 9.5%. Sales and related occupations and transportation and material moving each represented 8.2%; healthcare support represented 7.8%; management represented 7.2%; and business and financial operations represented 6.9%.
Mean hourly wages varied widely across these groups. Legal occupations had a $94.18 mean hourly wage, management $76.23, computer and mathematical occupations $60.21, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations $57.98, and architecture and engineering occupations $57.02. At the lower end of the listed groups, healthcare support averaged $19.31 per hour, food preparation and serving $20.26, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance $21.17, and personal care and service $21.60.
| Occupation group | Employment share | Mean hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| Office and administrative support | 11.8% | $27.35 |
| Food preparation and serving related | 9.5% | $20.26 |
| Sales and related | 8.2% | $28.47 |
| Transportation and material moving | 8.2% | $25.43 |
| Healthcare support | 7.8% | $19.31 |
| Management | 7.2% | $76.23 |
| Business and financial operations | 6.9% | $49.35 |
| Educational instruction and library | 5.6% | $38.86 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical | 5.2% | $57.98 |
| Production | 4.8% | $24.74 |
Other May 2024 occupation shares and mean wages included construction and extraction at 3.0% and $37.00 per hour; computer and mathematical occupations at 2.9% and $60.21; arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media at 2.8% and $52.13; installation, maintenance, and repair at 2.8% and $33.73; building and grounds cleaning and maintenance at 2.6% and $21.17; protective service at 2.5% and $33.13; personal care and service at 2.4% and $21.60; community and social service at 2.3% and $35.19; architecture and engineering at 1.5% and $57.02; legal at 1.1% and $94.18; life, physical, and social science at 0.8% and $48.04; and farming, fishing, and forestry at 0.1% and $23.54.
Office and administrative occupations
Within office and administrative support, general office clerks were the largest selected occupation, with 111,440 jobs and a $23.99 mean hourly wage in May 2024. Customer service representatives accounted for 66,800 jobs and had a $25.04 mean hourly wage. Secretaries and administrative assistants, excluding legal, medical, and executive roles, had 62,890 jobs and a $26.51 mean hourly wage.
Medical secretaries and administrative assistants had 45,160 jobs and a $25.17 mean hourly wage. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants had 22,660 jobs and a $41.18 mean hourly wage. These are mean hourly wages for the May 2024 OEWS measurement period, not medians or forecasts.
The selected occupations show why the broad office and administrative support average of $27.35 per hour should not be interpreted as the expected wage for every role. Job counts and mean wages differ substantially within the same occupational group, depending on the specific work category.