BALTIMORE — Maryland’s unemployment rate fell to 3.9% in September, its lowest since April 2025, even as federal estimates showed the state losing 8,800 jobs for the month, according to the Maryland Department of Labor.
The two numbers point in opposite directions because they come from different surveys. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics measures unemployment by surveying households and counts jobs by surveying employers. The state labor department said the employer-based estimates for Maryland and other states have swung sharply in recent months, likely because of problems collecting the data rather than real changes in employment.
It is the second straight month of reported losses. In August, the state shed 8,200 jobs and unemployment stood at 4.1%.
Other signs
The department pointed to unemployment claims as evidence the job losses may be overstated. Fewer Marylanders filed claims in September than in August, and September’s claims were lower than in the same month of 2024 or 2025, the department said.
Maryland’s rate is below the national rate of 4.2%. The state’s labor force participation rate held at 63.7%, compared with 61.8% nationally.
Where jobs moved
Health care and hospitality led the estimated losses:
- Health care and social assistance: down 2,400
- Accommodation and food services: down 2,000
- Arts, entertainment and recreation: down 1,700
- Administrative, support and waste management services: down 1,500
- Private educational services: down 900
The largest gains were in transportation, warehousing and utilities (700 jobs), manufacturing (600), professional, scientific and technical services (200) and government (200).
Southern Maryland
County figures for September are not out yet. In August, the latest month available, unemployment was 3.5% in Calvert County, 4.6% in Charles County and 3.7% in St. Mary’s County, according to federal data compiled by USAFacts. All three were lower than a year earlier: Calvert by 0.6 percentage points and Charles and St. Mary’s by 0.4 each. County rates are not seasonally adjusted, so they are not directly comparable with the statewide figure.
St. Mary’s, home to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, had about 46,600 jobs in March with an average weekly wage of $1,833, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Charles had about 42,600 jobs averaging $1,204 a week, and Calvert about 22,300 averaging $1,273.
The labor department said it will keep tracking several measures to judge state and national employment trends while the federal estimates remain volatile.
