Jacksonville’s unemployment rate rose slightly in June, but area businesses reported a net gain on their payrolls for the first time this year.
The unemployment rate in the Jacksonville metropolitan area of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties rose to 4.8% in June from 4.7% in May, the Florida Department of Commerce reported July 17.
Rising unemployment in June is a normal seasonal trend as high school and college graduates enter the work force and look for jobs. The number of people in the Jacksonville labor force – consisting of those with jobs and those actively looking for work – rose by about 7,500 in June to 851,661.
The Department of Commerce does not adjust local area unemployment rates for seasonal factors in its monthly reports.
The agency reported Florida’s statewide unemployment rate rose 4.4% to 4.6% in June, without adjustment, but when the data is seasonally adjusted, the state’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage point to 4.7%.
All five counties in the Jacksonville area saw an increased unemployment rate by 0.1 or 0.2 percentage points in June, without adjustment.
Dual and Baker counties were the highest at 4.9%, with Clay at 4.8%, St. Johns at 4.7% and Nassau at 4.5%.
Despite the rising unemployment rate, nonfarm businesses in the Jacksonville area reported a 2,600 increase in jobs from June 2025 through June 2026.
That’s only a 0.3% gain, but it was the first increase in 2026 after five straight months of job losses.
The biggest gains came in the sector of private education and health services, which added 6,400 jobs in the 12-month period, a 4.8% increase.
Professional, scientific and technical services added 2,300 jobs, or 2%.
However, several industries continued to lose jobs, including a 4,000 drop in the financial activities sector, a 5% decline.
Federal government jobs fell by 1,900, or 9.3%. Government jobs began dropping in the spring of 2025 after cuts recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Florida had a net gain of 30,700 jobs in the 12-month period, a 0.3% increase.