Fresno County’s unemployment rate held steady at 7.7% in July, even as the county’s labor force and number of employed residents declined from the previous month, according to preliminary data from the California Employment Development Department.

The county had a labor force of about 472,200 people in July, including 435,600 employed residents and 36,500 unemployed residents. In June, Fresno County’s labor force stood at about 473,000, with 436,400 people employed and 36,600 unemployed.

The county’s labor force declined by about 800 people from June to July, while the number of employed residents also fell by about 800. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.7%.

State Unemployment Rate Sees Slight Dip

Fresno County’s July unemployment rate remained above California’s seasonally adjusted statewide rate of 5.1%, which fell from 5.2% in June and reached its lowest level since February 2024.

Among neighboring Central Valley counties, Madera County recorded a 7.4% unemployment rate in July, while unemployment stood at 9.1% in Merced County, 8.6% in Kings and Kern counties, and 10.3% in Tulare County.

Statewide, the number of unemployed Californians declined by 18,000 during July to about 1.01 million.

The improvement in California’s unemployment rate came even as employers shed 20,500 nonfarm payroll jobs in July. Despite the monthly decline, California has added 70,500 jobs since the beginning of 2026.

Four of the state’s 11 major industry sectors added jobs in July. Construction led the gains with 2,900 jobs, followed by trade, transportation and utilities with 2,800. Professional and business services recorded the largest decline, losing 15,300 jobs, while leisure and hospitality lost 7,400.

California had 112,700 more nonfarm jobs in July than it did a year earlier, an increase of 0.6%. Agriculture employment fell by 4,200 jobs from June but remained 15,600 jobs higher than in July 2025.

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