September Jobless Rate Up Slightly For State, Steady For Mother Lode

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Sonora, CA — California’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.7 percent in September as the state’s employers added 8,700 nonfarm payroll jobs to the economy, according to data released Friday by the California Employment Development Department (EDD) from two surveys. As of September 2023, California has added 436,400 more nonfarm jobs than it had in February 2020, the state’s pre-pandemic high.

The Mother Lode fared slightly better as its numbers held steady for the month of September. Tuolumne County’s rate remained at 5.1 percent and Calaveras at 4.2 percent.

Five of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs last month, with private education and health services leading the way with 18,200 new jobs. Leisure and hospitality followed with 11,300. The largest job loss was in professional and business services, down 10,900 jobs.

The national unemployment rate was also unchanged from August at 3.8 percent.