Florida’s jobless figure went down last month as the national figure rose.
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Florida’s unemployment rate fell for the fourth straight month in September, dropping to 4.4%.
That’s a decline of 0.1 percentage point from the August figure of 4.5%, according to FloridaCommerce, the state’s economic development bureau. It is an increase, though, compared to September 2025 when the rate was 4.2%.
Still, the steady decline of the jobless rate started in the Summer after peaking at 4.8% in April and May. The rate has decreased by 0.1 percentage point each month since.
The unemployment figures have been dropping as Florida’s first-time filings for unemployment benefits have been mostly declining in recent months.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reports that the latest initial jobless filings saw an increase for the week ending Oct. 10 when there were 5,793 in Florida, up by 481 from the 5,312 filed for the week ending Oct. 3. That was the second straight increase, after DOL revised the Oct. 3 figure up from an initial 5,111, and it came in the week Hurricane Isaias made landfall in the Panhandle.
Weekly decreases persisted for most of the Summer into Fall.
FloridaCommerce officials said there were 11.11 million in Florida’s workforce last month. The total for nonagricultural employment in the state amounted to about 10.05 million. That’s an increase of about 5,300 jobs in the monthly comparison, and the state gained about 59,800 jobs over the year.
The majority of major industries in the state saw annual growth in September. Education and health services posted a gain of 40,300 compared to September 2025. Professional and business services had an annual increase of 19,300 jobs. The leisure and hospitality industry experienced an annual uptick of 16,800. Trade, transportation and utilities added 8,300 workers, construction added 3,300 and manufacturing added 2,100 jobs.
There were some downsides in the September report as four key industries reported losses. Financial activities saw an annual decrease of 15,800 jobs. Government also took a hit with a loss of 8,900 workers, information lost 3,600 and other services dropped about 2,100 jobs.
Miami-Dade County posted the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 1.9%. Taylor County recorded the highest jobless figure at 7.7% in September.
While Florida’s unemployment rate is heading in a positive direction, it’s still higher than the national figure. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the unemployment rate across America for September was 4.2%. That’s an increase from the August figure of 4.1%.
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