The U.S. transportation sector's unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in August 2026, down from 5.9% a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The rate remained higher than overall U.S. unemployment, which was 4.3% (not seasonally adjusted) and 4.1% (seasonally adjusted).
Seasonally adjusted employment in the transportation and warehousing sector totaled 6,606,300 in August 2026, up 0.1% from the previous month but down 0.8% from August 2025. Results varied by mode: truck transportation rose to 1,470,300 (up 0.3% monthly, down 0.7% annually); transit and ground passenger transportation increased to 496,900 (up 0.8% monthly, up 1.3% annually); air transportation fell to 566,100 (down 0.3% monthly, down 0.9% annually); rail transportation rose to 150,400 (up 0.6% monthly, down 2.4% annually); water transportation rose to 70,600 (up 0.4% monthly, down 1.3% annually); pipeline transportation fell to 56,900 (down 0.4% monthly, flat annually); and warehousing and storage fell to 1,837,400 (down 0.1% monthly, down 1.7% annually).
The transportation sector's unemployment had reached 15.7% during the COVID-19 pandemic in May and July 2020.