DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – The unemployment rate in Northeast Florida rose to 4.8% in August, according to the latest employment report by CareerSource covering Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
The rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than the region’s 4.5% rate in August 2025. The region’s unemployment rate was also 0.2 percentage points higher than Florida’s 4.6% rate.
The region’s labor force totaled 877,991, down by 2,287 people, or 0.3%, from a year earlier. There were 42,342 unemployed residents in the region.
Putnam County had the highest unemployment rate in the region at 5.6%, followed by:
Baker County: 5.0%
Duval County: 4.9%
Clay County: 4.7%
St. Johns County: 4.7%
Nassau County: 4.6%
The Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area had an unemployment rate of 4.8% in August, down from 4.9% in July but up from 4.4% a year earlier.
Jacksonville-area jobs
Nonagricultural employment in the Jacksonville MSA totaled 803,800 in August, an increase of 500 jobs, or 0.1%, over the year.
The industries that gained jobs over the year were:
Education and health services: 4,500 jobs
Professional and business services: 2,300 jobs
Manufacturing: 500 jobs
Mining, logging and construction: 400 jobs
Trade, transportation and utilities: 200 jobs
Other services: 200 jobs
Education and health services grew 3.3% over the year, while professional and business services grew 2%. Manufacturing grew 1.4%, mining, logging and construction grew 0.7% and other services grew 0.7%.
Those industries grew faster in the Jacksonville MSA than statewide, according to the report.
The Jacksonville MSA tied for the highest annual job growth among the state’s metropolitan areas in the other services industry, which added 200 jobs. The area also had the third-fastest annual job growth rate among the state’s metropolitan areas in mining, logging and construction, which grew 0.7%.
Most in-demand jobs
The report listed these as the region’s most in-demand jobs, based on current job openings:
Retail salespersons: 1,376 openings
Fast food and counter workers: 1,041
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers: 955
Registered nurses: 901
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers: 892
The data are subject to revision.
The report was prepared by CareerSource Northeast Florida using data from the Florida Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Workforce Statistics and Economic Research.
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