District of Columbia Unemployment Rate at 6.0 Percent in August

(WASHINGTON, DC) - The District of Columbia's Department of Employment Services (DOES) reported today that the seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate is 6.0 percent in August 2025, unchanged from the revised July 2025 rate of 6.0 percent.

The District's preliminary August job estimate shows a decrease of 21,900 jobs, for a total of 751,000 jobs in the District. The private sector decreased by 7,400 jobs. The public sector decreased by 14,500 jobs. 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 Bowser Administration's goal is to ensure Washingtonians and businesses across all in all eight wards have access to quality workforce development resources, supports, and training," said DOES Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes. "We remain committed to providing pathways to in-demand careers that allow residents to live, work and thrive in the District of Columbia."

The number of employed District residents decreased by 1,600 from 395,300 in July 2025 to 393,700 in August 2025.The civilian labor force for the District decreased by 1,300 from 420,300 in July 2025 to 419,000 in August 2025. The labor force participation rate declined by 0.3 percentage points from 71.9 percent in July 2025 to 71.6 percent in August 2025.

Employment Overview

• The Manufacturing sector remained the same, after remaining the same in the prior month. With employment at 1,200 jobs, jobs remained the same from a year ago.
• The Mining, Logging and Construction sector increased by 100 jobs, after increasing by 300 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 15,400 jobs, jobs increased by 900 or 6.21 percent from a year ago.
• The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector decreased by 100 jobs, after increasing by 100 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 28,900 jobs, jobs decreased by 1,200 or 3.99 percent from a year ago.
• The Information sector decreased by 300 jobs, after increasing by 100 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 18,000 jobs, jobs decreased by 500 or 2.7 percent from a year ago.
• The Financial Activities sector decreased by 300 jobs, after increasing by 100 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 25,400 jobs, jobs remained the same from a year ago.
• The Professional and Business Services sector decreased by 3,500 jobs, after decreasing by 700 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 166,800 jobs, jobs decreased by 5,500 or 3.19 percent from a year ago.
• The Educational and Health Services sector decreased by 1,400 jobs, after decreasing by 5,800 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 121,600 jobs, jobs decreased by 900 or 0.73 percent from a year ago.
• The Leisure and Hospitality sectors decreased by 1,600 jobs, after decreasing by 200 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 79,200 jobs, jobs increased by 3,100 jobs or 4.07 percent from a year ago.
• Other Services sector decreased by 300 jobs, after increasing by 200 jobs in the prior month. With employment at 68,600 jobs, jobs increased by 1,600 jobs or 2.39 percent from a year ago.

Labor Force Overview

• The number of employed District residents decreased by 1,600 over the month to 393,700. The civilian labor force decreased by 1,300 to 419,000.
• One year ago, total employment was 393,500 and the civilian labor force was 415,500. The number of unemployed was 22,100, and the unemployment rate was 5.3 percent.

NOTES: The August 2025 final and September 2025 preliminary unemployment rates will be released on Tuesday October 21, 2025. Historical jobs and labor force estimates for the District of Columbia and detailed labor market information is available at: Labor Market Awareness Dashboard.

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 2024 annual benchmark revisions. Industry employment data is not seasonally adjusted.