Inland Empire unemployment rate fell to 5.7% in September as region added 3,800 nonfarm jobs
State data put the September jobless rate at 5.9% in Riverside County and 5.5% in San Bernardino County. Nonfarm employment grew by 3,800 from August, led by 6,500 added in local government education.
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area had an unemployment rate of 5.7% in September, down from a revised 5.9% in August, the California Employment Development Department reported Oct. 16.
The September rate was also below the 5.9% estimate for September 2025, the department said. The figures are not seasonally adjusted.
By county, the rate was 5.9% in Riverside County and 5.5% in San Bernardino County. The department put the comparable unadjusted rates at 5.1% for California and 4.0% for the nation.
The release's labor force table counted 126,500 unemployed residents in the two counties in September, compared with 130,700 in August and 133,900 a year earlier. The civilian labor force was 2,222,700, down 1.7% from September 2025.
Month-over-month changes
Total nonfarm employment rose by 3,800 jobs from August to September, reaching 1,714,900, according to the department. Agricultural employment rose by 1,100.
Government posted the largest gain, 6,600 jobs. Local government added 6,300; within it, local government educational services added 6,500. State government added 300. Federal employment did not change.
Private education and health services grew by 1,000 jobs. Private educational services gained 1,200, while health care and social assistance lost 200. Trade, transportation and utilities gained 400.
Construction had the largest monthly loss, 1,600 jobs, with 1,400 of those among specialty trade contractors, the department said. Leisure and hospitality lost 1,000 jobs and manufacturing lost 700. Employment in mining and logging was unchanged, as was employment in professional and business services.
Year-over-year changes
Compared with September 2025, nonfarm employment was up 10,800, or 0.6%.
Private education and health services added 18,400 jobs over the year, 17,500 of them in health care and social assistance. The department's industry table showed hospital employment at 55,600, up 6.1%.
Trade, transportation and utilities grew by 5,200. Within that sector, the transportation, warehousing and utilities group was up 4,300 and retail trade was up 900, while wholesale trade was flat. Warehousing and storage employment stood at 129,300, up 3.6% from 124,800 a year earlier, the table showed.
Leisure and hospitality was up 2,700 over the year.
Professional and business services lost 5,800 jobs. The department said 4,100 of that loss was in administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, and 1,600 was in professional, scientific and technical services.
Construction employment was down 3,900 from a year earlier and manufacturing was down 1,900. Government employment was 1,500 lower, information was 1,100 lower and financial activities was 800 lower, according to the table.
