California Holds May Unemployment at 5.3% as Mother Lode Drops to 4.8%
Updated
Updated · mymotherlode.com · Jun 20
California Holds May Unemployment at 5.3% as Mother Lode Drops to 4.8%
3 articles · Updated · mymotherlode.com · Jun 20
Summary
3,100 nonfarm jobs were added in California in May, while the state unemployment rate stayed at 5.3% for a third straight month and the number of unemployed fell to 1,037,500.
8,800 fewer Californians were unemployed than in April and 46,400 fewer than a year earlier, extending the state's decline in unemployment to six consecutive months.
4.8% unemployment in the Mother Lode marked a drop from 5.2% in April, and Calaveras County improved to 5.4% from 5.8%.
6 of California's 11 industries added jobs, led by private education and health services with 6,200 and leisure and hospitality with 5,900, while professional and business services lost 6,900.
103,600 jobs have been added in California since the start of 2026—18.2% of U.S. job growth—even as the state's jobless rate remains above the national 4.3%.