San Joaquin County's unemployment rate showed a modest decline in February 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for the local labor market. According to the Employment Development Department, the county's unemployment rate dropped to 6.8%, down from a revised 6.9% in January 2025 and below the 7.0% recorded in February 2024.

This improvement comes as the county continues to navigate economic challenges. While the unemployment rate remains higher than California's unadjusted rate of 5.5% and the national rate of 4.5%, the decrease reflects progress in the region's employment landscape.

The civilian labor force in San Joaquin County held steady at 373,000 in February, with 347,500 individuals employed—a slight increase from January's figures. The total number of unemployed residents decreased to 25,500, marking a 1.2% decline from the previous month.

Industry-wise, the county saw mixed results. The private education and health services sector experienced significant growth, adding 700 jobs in February. Government employment also rose, with 600 new positions created. However, sectors such as trade, transportation, and utilities faced setbacks, losing 2,100 jobs during the same period.

California’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.4 percent despite California’s nonfarm payroll jobs decreasing by 7,500 jobs in February 2025, according to the latest Employment Development Department data coming from two separate surveys. February’s job reduction follows a downward revised job loss of 21,400 for January 2025.

The job market expansion reached 58 months in February 2025. California gained 3,083,700 jobs since April 2020, averaging 53,167 jobs per month. Year-over, California’s total nonfarm jobs increased by 78,200 between February 2024 and February 2025.

Three of California's 11 industry sectors gained jobs in February with Private Education and Health Services (+18,400) showing gains for the 37th straight month with above average gains in private elementary and secondary schools, and large gains in outpatient care services on the health services side.