US Transportation Sector Unemployment Drops to 4.7% in August 2026
The US transportation sector unemployment rate fell to 4.7% (not seasonally adjusted) in August 2026, down from 5.9% a year earlier. Seasonally adjusted employment in transportation and warehousing rose 0.1% month-over-month but declined 0.8% year-over-year. Air transportation employment fell 0.9% annually, rail fell 2.4%, and warehousing fell 1.7%.
Impact and considerations
Transportation employment data indicate industry health, informing business travel demand and capacity planning.
Key points
- Transportation unemployment at 4.7%, below overall 4.3%
- Transportation and warehousing employment down 0.8% YoY
- Air transportation employment down 0.9% YoY
- Rail employment down 2.4% YoY
Sources and time
- Primary source
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 4 Sept 2026, 08:00
- Page published
- 8 Sept 2026, 18:42
- Last updated
- 4 Sept 2026, 08:00
- Original links
- US BTS Statistical Releases：August 2026 U.S. Transportation Sector Unemployment (4.7%) Falls Below the August 2025 Level (5.9%) | Bureau of Transportation StatisticsLockU.S. Department of TransportationUnited States Department of Transportation(link is external)(link is external)(link is external)(link is external)(link is external)(link sends email)(link is external)(link is external) (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 4 Sept 2026, 08:00