US economy adds 165,000 jobs in October, blowing past expectations

This story about the October 2026 jobs report will be updated with further details.

The U.S. economy added jobs at a strong pace in October, rebounding from a softer September amid economic uncertainty.

What are the findings of the October 2026 jobs report?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported that employers added 165,000 jobs in October. That figure was well above the 65,000 estimate of economists polled by LSEG.

The unemployment rate decreased slightly to 4.1%, which was lower than the expectations of economists who predicted it would hold steady at 4.2%.

Revisions were made to the payroll numbers for the prior two months, with August revised up by 53,000 from a gain of 133,000 jobs to 186,000 jobs; while the change for September was revised up by 31,000 jobs from a gain of 29,000 to 60,000.

Taken together, employment in August and September was 84,000 higher than previously reported.