Unemployment is rising in Florida, including in Jacksonville and nearby counties in Northeast Florida.
The latest report from the Florida Department of Commerce comes just after CSX, a large employer in Jacksonville, announced layoffs of more than 160 workers.
The report shows that Jacksonville’s unemployment rate surged higher in the latter months of 2025, despite national numbers trending down.
The unemployment rate in the Jacksonville metro area (Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, St. Johns counties) rose to 5.1% in November.
It had been 4.3% in September, according to data from the Florida Department of Commerce.
The November unemployment rate was the highest in Northeast Florida since the coronavirus pandemic.
National numbers
According to national data, the number of Americans filing for jobless claims for the week ending Jan. 3 rose by 8,000 to 208,000, up from 200,000 the previous week
Applications for unemployment aid are viewed as a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.
Last month, the Labor Department reported that reported that the U.S. gained a decent 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October as federal workers departed after cutbacks by the Trump administration. That helped to push the unemployment rate up to 4.6%, the highest since 2021.
The government’s December jobs report will be released Friday, with analysts expecting that the U.S. added 55,000 non-farm jobs.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that the four-week average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 7,250 to 211,750.
The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week ending Dec. 27 jumped by 56,000 to 1.91 million, the government said.
Copyright 2026 WJXT and The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.