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Colorado loses 7,200 jobs in February with unemployment steady at 3.9%
ColoradoBiz Staff //April 23, 2026//
Colorado unemployment vs. US unemployment. Courtesy of Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
Colorado unemployment vs. US unemployment. Courtesy of Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
Colorado loses 7,200 jobs in February with unemployment steady at 3.9%
ColoradoBiz Staff //April 23, 2026//
Colorado employers shed 7,200 nonfarm payroll jobs from January to February, while the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.9%, according to data released April 22 by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
In Brief:
- Colorado employers shed 7,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in February
- Unemployment rate steady at 3.9% in Colorado
- Labor force participation rate fell to 66.6%, lowest since 2020
- Average hourly earnings rose to $39.79, above national average
The number of unemployed residents increased by 1,000 to 127,300 during the month. Nationally, the unemployment rate rose to 4.4%.
Colorado’s labor force declined by 10,300 to 3,238,500, and the labor force participation rate fell to 66.6%, its lowest level since September 2020. The number of employed residents dropped by 11,300 to 3,111,200, with the employment-population ratio slipping to 64.0%.
Job losses were concentrated in several sectors. Other services lost about 2,200 jobs, trade, transportation and utilities declined by about 1,700, and education and health services fell by about 1,000. Construction added roughly 1,000 jobs.
January job estimates were revised down by 5,300 positions, resulting in a gain of 1,300 jobs for that month instead of the previously reported 6,600 increase.
Over the past year, Colorado lost 9,100 jobs, including 5,600 in the private sector and 3,500 in government. The state’s job growth rate was -0.3%, compared with 0.1% nationally.
Average hourly earnings in Colorado rose to $39.79 from $39.72 a year earlier, remaining above the national average of $37.29. The average workweek edged down to 33.3 hours.
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