Press Release: Colorado Employment Situation – March 2026

Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Increase by 1,400 in March; Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 3.9 Percent

Household survey data

• According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 100 to 127,100 from February to March. Colorado's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged over the same time period at 3.9 percent. The national unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.3 percent from February to March.
  
• Colorado's labor force decreased by 10,600 in March to 3,227,900. The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force was 66.3 percent in March, three-tenths of a percentage point lower than in February, this marks the lowest labor force participation rate since August 2020. The U.S. labor force participation rate decreased one-tenth of a percentage point to 61.9 percent in March.
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  The number of individuals employed in Colorado decreased by 10,400 in March to 3,100,800, which represents 63.7 percent of the state's 16+ population. Colorado's employment-population ratio of 63.7 percent in March decreased three-tenths of a percentage point from February. The national employment-population ratio decreased one-tenth of a percentage point from the month prior to 59.2 percent in March.

Establishment survey data

• Employers in Colorado gained 1,400 nonfarm payroll jobs from February to March for a total of 2,954,600 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs increased by 1,300, while government increased by 100.
  
• February estimates were revised down to 2,953,200, and the over the month change from January to February was a decrease of 7,500 jobs rather than the originally estimated decrease of 7,200 (monthly revisions are based on additional responses from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates).
  
• The private industry sector with significant over the month job gains in March were: educational and health services (≈2,200) and leisure and hospitality (≈1,800). There were no private industry sectors with significant over the month job losses.
  
• Since March 2025, nonfarm payroll jobs have decreased by 8,800, with the private sector decreasing by 5,700 and government losing 3,100 jobs. The largest private sector job gains were in educational and health services (≈16,000) and construction (≈1,700). During that same period, payroll jobs declined in financial activities (≈4,500), trade, transportation, and utilities (≈4,300), professional and business services (≈3,900), information (≈3,900), manufacturing (≈3,700), other services (≈1,500), and mining and logging (≈1,000). Colorado's rate of job growth over the past year is -0.3 percent, below the U.S. rate of 0.2 percent.
  
• Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased from 33.5 to 33.4 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $39.32 to $39.82, two dollars and forty-four cents more than the national average hourly earnings of $37.38.

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Informational Section

All Colorado estimates from the establishment and household surveys, including greater geographic detail, are available at Colorado LMI Gateway. Estimates for all states and the nation are available at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For data visualizations, visit CDLE's Labor Market Information on Tableau.

The April 2026 Colorado Employment Situation will be released at 8:00 AM on Friday, May 22, 2026. Due to the federal government shutdown that occurred in October 2025, there is no household survey data available for October 2025 and subsequent releases for monthly state level estimates from the household and establishment surveys have been delayed by approximately three weeks. Typical production schedules are set to resume in June 2026 with the release of May 2026 data. The full schedule of release dates for calendar year 2026 estimates is available at Labor Market Information.

Technical Notes

This release provides information on industry employment and labor force statistics for March 2026, the most current estimates available from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The reference period for the establishment survey was the pay period or week that includes the 12th of the month.

The unemployment rate, labor force, labor force participation, total employment, and the number of unemployed are based on a survey of households. The total employment estimate derived from this survey is intended to measure the number of people employed.

Nonfarm payroll jobs estimates are based on a survey of business establishments and government agencies, and are intended to measure the number of jobs, not the number of people employed. Other series based on this survey include private sector average weekly hours, average hourly earnings, and average weekly earnings.

The business establishment survey covers about seven times the number of households surveyed and is therefore considered a more reliable indicator of economic conditions. Because the estimates are based on two separate surveys, one measuring jobs by worksite and the other measuring persons employed and unemployed by household, estimates based on these surveys may provide seemingly conflicting results.

Resources Mentioned

March 2026 Press Release