Press Release: Colorado Employment Situation — September 2025

Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Increase by 500 in September; Unemployment Rate Decreases to 4.1 Percent

Household survey data

• According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 4,800 to 134,300 from August to September. Colorado's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by one-tenth of a percentage point over the same time period to 4.1 percent. The national unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.4 percent from August to September.
  
• Colorado's labor force decreased by 3,400 in September to 3,272,300. The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force was 67.3 percent in September, one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the month prior, this marks the lowest labor force participation rate since November 2020. The U.S. labor force participation rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 62.4 percent in September.
  
• The number of individuals employed in Colorado increased by 1,400 in September to 3,137,900, which represents 64.5 percent of the state's 16+ population. Colorado's employment-population ratio of 64.5 percent in September decreased one-tenth of a percentage point from the month prior. The national employment-population ratio increased one-tenth of a percentage point from the month prior to 59.7 percent in September.

Establishment survey data

• Employers in Colorado gained 500 nonfarm payroll jobs from August to September for a total of 2,994,700 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs decreased by 200, while government gained 700 jobs.
  
• August estimates were revised up to 2,994,200, and the over the month change from July to August was an increase of 5,700 jobs rather than the originally estimated increase of 3,000 (monthly revisions are based on additional responses from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates).
  
• The private industry sectors with significant over the month job gains in September were: professional and business services (≈1,700) and other services (≈1,000). The private industry sectors with significant over the month job losses were: trade, transportation, and utilities (≈2,100) and construction (≈1,000).
  
• Since September 2024, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 18,100, with the private sector increasing by 10,400 and government adding 7,700 jobs. The largest private sector job gains were in educational and health services (≈9,200), leisure and hospitality (≈8,800), information (≈2,900), and professional and business services (≈1,600). During that same period, payroll jobs declined in financial activities (≈4,800), trade, transportation, and utilities (≈4,600), and construction (≈3,200). Colorado's rate of job growth over the past year is 0.6 percent, below the U.S. rate of 0.8 percent.
  
• Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased from 33.8 to 33.2 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $38.62 to $39.40, two dollars and seventy-three cents more than the national average hourly earnings of $36.67.

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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.

Government Shutdown

Due to the federal government shutdown that lasted from October 1st, 2025 to November 12th, 2025, publication of state data for September data was delayed by more than 7 weeks. Collection of September data for the household and establishment surveys had been completed in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)'s normal schedule prior to the federal government shutdown.

CDLE will not publish an October 2025 Employment Situation news release. Establishment survey data for October 2025 will be published with November 2025 data. Household survey data were not collected for the October 2025 reference period and will not be collected retroactively. BLS will publish national household and establishment data for November on December 16th, 2025. The release date for the November 2025 state employment data is still to be determined. For more information, see the BLS September Employment Situation and the revised release schedule following the government shutdown posted at BLS.gov. Updates for state releases will be published on LMI's Press Release page of cdle.colorado.gov.

Technical Notes

This release provides information on industry employment and labor force statistics for September 2025, 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

September 2025 Press Release