Published on Thursday, January 22, 2026
CRANSTON, R.I. – Jobs at Rhode Island businesses fell by 500 in December as the state’s unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent. Over the year, jobs were down 1,400 from December 2024, and the unemployment rate was down two-tenths of a percentage point.
Rhode Island’s Labor Force
The December unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, unchanged from the November rate. Last year, the rate was 4.5 percent in December.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in December, down one-tenth of a percentage point from November. The U.S. rate was 4.1 percent in December 2024.
The number of unemployed Rhode Island residents — those residents classified as available for and actively seeking employment — was 25,600, up 400 from November. The number of unemployed residents was down 1,200 over the year.
The number of employed Rhode Island residents was 564,800, down 1,100 over the month and up 100 over the year.
The Rhode Island labor force totaled 590,400 in December, down 700 over the month and down 1,000 from December 2024.
The labor force participation rate was 63.8 percent in December, down one-tenth from November and down from 64.2 percent in December 2024. Nationally, 62.4 percent of U.S. residents participated in the labor force.
Unemployment Insurance claims* for first-time filers averaged 1,140 in December, up from 789 in November. Claims were down an average of 136 a week from December 2024.
Rhode Island-based Jobs
The number of total nonfarm jobs in Rhode Island was 513,100 in December, a decrease of 500 jobs from the November jobs figure of 513,600. Over the year, total nonfarm jobs are down 1,400 or -0.3 percent. Nationally, jobs were up 0.4 percent or 584,000 from a year ago. The number of private sector jobs in Rhode Island was down 700 in December and down 1,100 from December 2024.
December Nonfarm Payroll Notes…
- A loss of 500 jobs was reported in both the Administrative & Waste Services and Transportation & Utilities sectors. Both sectors have reported job declines for four consecutive months.
- In addition, the Retail Trade sector lost 400 jobs in December, while the Educational Services sector lost 200 jobs.
- Offsetting the job declines, there was a gain of 300 jobs reported in the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation sector, and a gain of 200 jobs reported in each of the Government, Health Care & Social Assistance, and Professional & Technical Services sectors.
- Over the past three months, the Rhode Island economy has lost 1,600 jobs, or an average loss of over 500 jobs per month.
- The November jobs report was revised down by 300, from a reported gain of 200 jobs, to a loss of 100 jobs.
Manufacturing Hours and Earnings
In December, production workers in the Manufacturing sector earned $25.53 per hour, down sixty-three cents from November but up one cent from December 2024.
Manufacturing employees worked an average of 42.0 hours per week in December, down two-tenths of an hour over the month but up an hour and a half from a year ago.
*The average number of verified initial claims filed during the week includes the 12th of the month and the previous three weeks.
The Department of Labor and Training will post the 2026 release schedule at https://dlt.ri.gov/labor-market-information/other-resources/release-dates-labor-force-statistics when it becomes available.
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