San Diego Jobs Report: Unemployment Dips to 4.7% as Health Care Keeps Hiring

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego County's unemployment rate slipped to 4.7% in September, down from a revised 4.9% in August and below California's 5.1%, according to the California Employment Development Department. The latest San Diego jobs report also shows the region added 19,900 payroll jobs over the past year. Health care did most of that work, and the rest of the economy was a mixed bag.

Fewer people out of work, a hospital and clinic boom that keeps rolling, and a soft end to tourist season. Where you look for work this fall matters more than the headline rate.

Ready to search? Jump to job links in the sectors still hiring →

📊 The San Diego Jobs Report at a Glance

County figures are preliminary and not seasonally adjusted.

Unemployment rate, September	4.7%
Unemployment rate, August (revised)	4.9%
California, September	5.1%
People unemployed	78,200 out of a labor force of 1,656,700
Total payroll jobs	1,572,500
Change since August	+4,400
Change since September 2025	+19,900

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the same 1,572,500 job count for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad area at 1.3% above a year ago.

🏥 Health Care Is Carrying San Diego Hiring

Health care and social assistance added 15,100 jobs over the year, according to the state figures as reported by 10News. That is more than three-quarters of the county's entire net gain from a single field. BLS counts education and health services at 287,700 jobs, up 5.3%, about four times the region's overall growth rate.

That tracks with who signs the paychecks here. Sharp, Scripps, UC San Diego Health, Kaiser Permanente and Rady Children's are among the region's biggest employers, with hospitals and clinics running from Chula Vista to Oceanside. The San Diego Workforce Partnership called health care a leading source of job creation in its October labor market update.

You do not need a nursing license to get in. Medical assistants, patient registration, caregivers, environmental services and hospital IT all sit inside that growth.

🌴 Tourism Cooled for the Season, Government Is Shrinking

Leisure and hospitality shed 4,000 jobs between August and September as summer wound down in Mission Beach, the Gaslamp and the North County coast. Over the full year, though, the sector is still up 5,300 jobs. Hotel, restaurant and attraction work is seasonal here, and the yearly number is the one to trust.

Government is the opposite story. It jumped 9,800 jobs in a single month, most of it school staff returning to classrooms, yet it is still down 2,400 from a year ago. The Workforce Partnership's August figures traced the sector's yearly decline almost entirely to federal job losses, a real concern in a region with deep Navy and federal roots.

Professional and business services, home to much of the Sorrento Valley and UTC tech and biotech base, added 3,200 jobs over the year. Construction lost 1,700.

What It Means for San Diego Job Seekers

A 4.7% rate means about one in 21 people in the county's labor force is looking for work. Not a tight market, but an improving one. Some practical takeaways:

Health care experience is the strongest card in the deck. Even nonclinical hospital experience transfers between systems.
Hospitality workers laid off at summer's end should look at hospital food service, patient transport and front desk roles, which value the same guest-service skills.
Federal or construction workers changing lanes can aim at facilities, maintenance and IT inside health systems and school districts.

🔎 Start Searching San Diego Jobs in Growing Sectors

These searches aim at the parts of the county economy still adding people, from Hillcrest's hospital row to Kearny Mesa and the South Bay.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the unemployment rate in San Diego County?

The EDD reported 4.7% for September 2026, not seasonally adjusted, down from a revised 4.9% in August. California's rate was 5.1%.

How many jobs did San Diego add this year?

The county had 1,572,500 nonfarm payroll jobs in September 2026, up 19,900 from September 2025.

Which San Diego industries are growing fastest?

Health care and social assistance added 15,100 jobs over the year. Leisure and hospitality added 5,300 and professional and business services 3,200.

Is San Diego still losing government jobs?

Yes. Government is down 2,400 jobs from a year ago, even after school staff returned in September.

Put Your Search Where the Growth Is

An improving market still rewards a focused search. Create a free LocalJobPage account to set alerts for San Diego health care and other growing fields, and browse the Career Center for role-by-role guides.

Employers: hiring in San Diego County? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach local job seekers every day.