District of Columbia Unemployment Rate at 6.5 Percent in February

Washington, DC - The District of Columbia's Department of Employment Services reported today that the seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in February 2026, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the revised January 2026 rate of 6.7 percent.

The District's preliminary February job estimate shows an increase of 2,100 jobs, for a total of 714,400 jobs in the District. The private sector increased by 3,100 jobs. The public sector decreased by 1,000. The numbers are drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) through its monthly survey of the District of Columbia's employers.

The number of employed District residents decreased by 500 from 380,800 in January 2026 to 380,300 in February 2026. The civilian labor force for the District decreased by 1,100 from 408,000 in January 2026 to 406,900 in February 2026. The labor force participation rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points from 71.3 percent in January 2026 to 71.1 percent in February 2026.

Employment Overview

• Manufacturing sector remained the same as the prior month, after remaining the same in the prior month. With employment at 1,000 jobs, jobs decreased by 100 or 9.09 percent from a year ago.
• Mining, Logging and Construction sector decreased by 200 jobs, after decreasing by 300 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 13,800 jobs, jobs increased by 300 or 2.22 percent from a year ago.
• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector decreased by 300 jobs, after decreasing by 1,000 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 29,100 jobs, jobs decreased by 500 or 1.69 percent from a year ago.
• Information sector decreased by 200 jobs, after decreasing by 1,100 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 17,200 jobs, jobs decreased by 1,600 or 8.51 percent from a year ago.
• Financial Activities sector increased by 200 jobs, after decreasing by 300 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 24,700 jobs, jobs decreased by 300 or 1.2 percent from a year ago.
• Professional and Business Services sector increased by 700 jobs, after decreasing by 2,800 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 160,400 jobs, jobs decreased by 7,700 or 4.58 percent from a year ago.
• Educational and Health Services sector increased by 1,400 jobs, after decreasing by 1,300 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 127,400 jobs, jobs decreased by 1,900 jobs or 1.47 percent from a year ago.
• Leisure and Hospitality sector increased by 800 jobs, after decreasing by 3,500 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 72,400 jobs, jobs decreased by 2,400 jobs or 3.21 percent from a year ago.
• Other Services sector increased by 700 jobs, after decreasing by 1,400 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 61,700 jobs, jobs decreased by 2,900 or 4.49 percent from a year ago.

Labor Force Overview

• The number of employed District residents decreased by 500 over the month to 380,300. The civilian labor force decreased by 1,100 to 406,900.
• One year ago, total employment was 390,900 and the civilian labor force was 415,200. The number of unemployed was 24,400, and the unemployment rate was 5.9 percent.

Technical Notes: Estimates of industry employment and unemployment levels are determined through the use of two different monthly surveys.

Industry employment data is derived from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, a monthly survey of business establishments conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the US Department of Labor, which provides estimates of employment, hours, and earnings data broken down by industry for the nation as a whole, all states, and most major metropolitan areas (often referred to as the "establishment" survey).

Resident employment and unemployment data are mainly derived from the District's portion of the national Current Population Survey (CPS), a household survey conducted each month by the US Census Bureau under contract with BLS, which provides input to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program (often referred to as the "household" survey).

Both industry and household estimates are revised each month based on additional information from updated survey reports compiled by BLS. In addition, these estimates are benchmarked (revised) annually based on actual counts from the District's Unemployment Compensation Law administrative records and other data.

Data reflects 2025 annual benchmark revisions.
Industry employment data is not seasonally adjusted.