U.S. Transportation Industry Unemployment Rate Rose to 4.7% in September 2026

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in September 2026, the U.S. transportation industry unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 4.7%, up 0.4 percentage points from 4.3% in September 2025, and also higher than the national unemployment rate of 4.0% that month. On a seasonally adjusted basis, employment in the transportation and warehousing industry rose to 6,608,700 in September, up 0.1% month over month, but down 0.1% year over year. By mode, rail transportation employment fell 3.1% year over year, warehousing and storage fell 1.2% year over year, and truck transportation rose 0.1% year over year.