Colorado Employment Situation – May 2025 – Unemployment rate unchanged

Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Increase by 3,400 in May; Unemployment Rate Unchanged at 4.8 Percent

Household survey data

• According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals decreased by 100 to 158,700 from April to May. Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged over the same time period at 4.8 percent. The national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2 percent from April to May.
• Colorado’s labor force decreased by 700 in May to 3,282,800. The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force was 67.7 percent in May, one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the month prior. The U.S. labor force participation rate decreased two-tenths of a percentage point to 62.4 percent in May.
• The number of individuals employed in Colorado decreased by 600 in May to 3,124,100, which represents 64.5 percent of the state’s 16+ population. Colorado’s employment-population ratio of 64.5 in May remained unchanged from the month prior. The national employment-population ratio decreased three-tenths of a percentage point to 59.7 percent from April to May.

Establishment survey data

• Employers in Colorado gained 3,400 nonfarm payroll jobs from April to May for a total of 2,991,900 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs increased by 3,700, while government lost 300 jobs.
• April estimates were revised up to 2,988,500, and the over the month change from March to April was an increase of 14,900 jobs rather than the originally estimated increase of 8,400 (monthly revisions are based on additional responses from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates).
• The private industry sectors with significant over the month job gains in May were: educational and health services (≈2,400), other services (≈1,200), leisure and hospitality (≈1,100), and information (≈1,000). The private industry sector with significant over the month job losses was: trade, transportation, and utilities (≈1,200).
• Since May 2024, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 22,200, with the private sector increasing by 10,200 and government adding 12,000 jobs. The largest private sector job gains were in educational and health services (≈9,200), leisure and hospitality (≈8,900), and information (≈2,200). During that same period, payroll jobs declined in professional and business services (≈3,800), trade, transportation, and utilities (≈3,400), construction (≈2,300), and financial activities (≈1,200). Colorado’s rate of job growth over the past year is 0.7 percent, below the U.S. rate of 1.1 percent.
• Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased from 33.4 to 33.0 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $37.81 to $39.00, two dollars and seventy-six cents more than the national average hourly earnings of $36.24.

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