Inland Empire unemployment rate rose to 5.9% in August as region added 5,800 nonfarm jobs
State data put the August jobless rate at 6.2% in Riverside County and 5.7% in San Bernardino County. Health care led job gains over the year while construction and professional services declined.
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area had an unemployment rate of 5.9% in August, up from a revised 5.7% in July, the California Employment Development Department reported Sept. 18.
The rate was below the 6.2% estimate for August 2025, the department said. The figures are not seasonally adjusted.
By county, the August rate was 6.2% in Riverside County and 5.7% in San Bernardino County. The department put the comparable unadjusted rates at 5.4% for California and 4.3% for the nation.
The release counted 130,600 unemployed residents in the two-county area in August, compared with 125,400 in July and 138,300 a year earlier. The civilian labor force was 2,204,100, down 1.7% from August 2025.
Month-over-month changes
Total nonfarm employment rose by 5,800 jobs from July to August, to 1,712,200, state data show. Agricultural employment fell by 1,700.
The largest monthly gain, 2,200 jobs, was in private education and health services. Of those, 1,300 were in health care and social assistance and 900 in private educational services.
Government employment grew by 2,100. Local government educational services added 3,300 jobs, while state government lost 800, the department said.
Leisure and hospitality added 1,000 jobs. Other services lost 500 and information lost 100. Manufacturing, professional and business services, and mining and logging were unchanged.
Year-over-year changes
Compared with August 2025, nonfarm employment was up 12,700, or 0.7%, according to the release.
Private education and health services gained 17,900 jobs over the year, with 17,200 of them in health care and social assistance.
Trade, transportation and utilities grew by 5,900. Within that sector, the transportation, warehousing and utilities group was up 4,600 and retail trade was up 1,300. Wholesale trade was unchanged. The department's industry table showed warehousing and storage employment at 128,300, up 4.5% from a year earlier.
Leisure and hospitality was up 4,200 over the year.
Professional and business services had the largest decline, 5,700 jobs. The department said 3,800 of that loss was in the subsector covering administrative, support and waste management services.
Construction employment was down 4,600 from a year earlier and manufacturing was down 1,700. Government employment was 1,400 lower and information was 1,200 lower, the industry table showed.