Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.8% in September, down from 4.9% in August and the third monthly decline in a row. Part of that is good news: the number of unemployed people fell by about 4,400 over the month. Part of it is not: the labor force was about 11,600 people smaller than a year earlier, a sign that some people have stopped looking for work.

Employers cut an estimated 15,400 jobs in September, 5,000 in private businesses and 10,400 in government. The biggest monthly gains were in professional and business services (+1,800), construction (+1,500) and information (+1,400).

Over the year the picture is steadier: 9,200 more jobs than in September 2025, a 0.3% rise. Health care added the most, followed by leisure and hospitality and manufacturing, where aerospace led. Professional and business services lost 11,000 jobs, most of them in administrative and support services. Retail, wholesale and warehousing were also down on the year.

County rates, which are not seasonally adjusted, ran from 2.4% in Asotin County to 5.6% in Wahkiakum. Among the largest counties, Pierce was highest at 5.1%.

Texas’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.4% in September, unchanged from August. Employers shed an estimated 11,100 jobs in the month, leaving 14,461,300 nonfarm jobs. Over the year the state added 154,300 jobs, a 1.1% rise and 0.8 points faster than the national rate.

Unlike Washington’s, the Texas labor force is growing: 15,948,400 people in September, up 15,800 over the month and 3,600 over the year.

Professional and business services added the most jobs over the year (+69,400), followed by trade, transportation and utilities (+28,600), the group that includes retail and warehousing, and leisure and hospitality (+24,900). Information (−8,700), government (−6,100) and financial activities (−2,000) shrank. In September alone, manufacturing led with 4,700 new jobs.

Among the largest metro areas, unemployment was 4.1% in Dallas–Fort Worth, 4.6% in Houston, 4.3% in San Antonio and 3.7% in Austin, not seasonally adjusted. The highest rates were along the border, at 6.2% in Eagle Pass and 5.9% in Brownsville–Harlingen. Midland was lowest at 3.2%.

These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. They are five-year averages, so they show who is most affected rather than month-to-month change. The statewide rate in this data is 5.1%, higher than the monthly 4.8% because it comes from a different survey and time period.

Education is the biggest divide. Among adults aged 25 to 64, unemployment is 7.2% for those without a high school diploma, 5.6% for high school graduates, 4.6% for those with some college or an associate’s degree and 3.0% for bachelor’s graduates. Without a diploma, the rate is more than double that of college graduates. About 97,000 of the state’s roughly 142,000 unemployed adults in that age range, close to 7 in 10, do not have a bachelor’s degree.

Young workers are hit hardest. Unemployment is 16.8% for 16 to 19 year olds, more than three times the statewide rate, and 9.0% for 20 to 24 year olds. Workers under 25 make up about 28% of everyone unemployed in Washington.

Poverty and disability compound it. People below the poverty line face 22.9% unemployment, six times the 3.7% for everyone else. For people with a disability the rate is 10.2%, double the statewide figure.

Some communities face higher rates. American Indian and Alaska Native workers 8.0%, Black workers 7.6%, people of two or more races 6.8%, Hispanic or Latino workers 6.2%, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander workers 6.2%, white workers 4.8% and Asian workers 3.6%.

These are the job seekers NoProbJobs is built for: people ready to work who are short on degrees or work history.

Counts and shares are NoProbJobs calculations from the published rates.

These are the same Census figures used for Washington: five-year averages from the American Community Survey. The statewide rate in this data is 5.3%, higher than the monthly 4.4% because it comes from a different survey and time period.

Education is the biggest divide. Among adults aged 25 to 64, unemployment is 6.1% for those without a high school diploma, 5.6% for high school graduates, 4.9% for those with some college or an associate’s degree and 2.8% for bachelor’s graduates. Without a diploma, the rate is more than double that of college graduates. About 408,000 of the state’s roughly 541,000 unemployed adults in that age range, about 3 in 4, do not have a bachelor’s degree.

Young workers are hit hardest. Unemployment is 15.0% for 16 to 19 year olds, nearly three times the statewide rate, and 9.2% for 20 to 24 year olds. Workers under 25 make up about 29% of everyone unemployed in Texas.

Poverty and disability compound it. People below the poverty line face 17.9% unemployment, almost five times the 3.8% for everyone else. For people with a disability the rate is 9.7%, nearly double the statewide figure.

Some communities face higher rates. Black workers 8.3%, people of two or more races 5.8%, Hispanic or Latino workers 5.6%, people of some other race 5.2%, American Indian and Alaska Native workers 5.1%, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander workers 4.9%, white workers 4.4% and Asian workers 4.0%.

Against white non-Hispanic workers, the gap for Black workers is wider in Texas than in Washington: 8.3% against 4.2%, compared with 7.6% against 4.8%. The gaps by education and poverty are somewhat narrower.

Counts and shares are NoProbJobs calculations from the published rates.