September 2026 nonfarm payrolls rose 29,000 against a consensus of roughly 84,000, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1%. July was revised to a loss of 10,000 from a gain of 21,000 and August to 133,000 from 162,000, leaving the two months 60,000 lower than previously reported. Average hourly earnings rose 0.1% to $37.81, up 3.0% on the year - below the 3.4% CPI of the prior month, so real wages fell again - and participation was 61.8%. The unemployment rate has held between 4.1% and 4.3% since March.