Published 3:49 pm Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Nine states and the District of Columbia lost jobs in the year ending in September, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hit hard by the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce , the District of Columbia suffered the largest percentage job loss, down 3.5% or 25,800 jobs. Montana, which lost jobs for the first time since 2020, shed 1% of its total workforce, or 5,300 jobs. Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia all experienced declines of less than 1%.

The state that gained the most jobs was South Carolina, up 2.3% or 55,200 jobs, followed by Louisiana (up 1.8% or 36,000), and Nevada (up or 1.6% or 25,300).

South Carolina’s job growth was concentrated in construction, health care, and leisure and hospitality, said William Floyd, the state’s employment and workforce executive director, in a statement .

In addition, car parts manufacturers in the state have been…