The Las Vegas unemployment rate held steady at 4.8% in September, unchanged from August but down sharply from 5.7% in September 2025. Despite the year-over-year improvement, Las Vegas continues to experience one of the highest metropolitan unemployment rates nationwide.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the metropolitan statistical area for Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas ranked 328th among the 387 monitored areas across the country. Each metropolitan statistical area must include at least one core urban center with a population of 50,000 or more.
The federal agency reported that of the 1.22 million-person civilian labor force in Las Vegas, 59,310 workers were unemployed as of September 2026. About 20,000 jobs were added in the Las Vegas metro from September 2025 to September 2026, with “professional and business services” accounting for the bulk of the hirings at 11,100 positions.
Unemployment Remains High
Las Vegas managed to reduce unemployment by 0.9% year-over-year, but at 4.8%, joblessness in the casino capital remains widespread.
By comparison, the metropolitan statistical areas for Bismarck, ND, Rapid City, SD, and Sioux Falls, SD, led the way with unemployment of just 1.7%. Other major cities with low unemployment included Cleveland at 1.9% (ranked No. 5), Raleigh, NC, at 2.7% (No. 25), and Nashville at 2.8% (No. 34). Reno’s unemployment rate of 3.5% ranked No. 124.
Las Vegas’ laboring gaming and hospitality industries are weighing heavily on unemployment. The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) reported that Las Vegas casino hotels cut approximately 700 jobs between September 2025 and September 2026. Jobs directly on the casino floor remained flat from a year ago.
Statewide, Nevada unemployment stood at 4.7% in September, down from 5.2% in September 2025. But David Schmidt, chief economist at DETR, said the reduction wasn’t due to a hiring spree.
The unemployment rate edged down to 4.7%, as the labor force participation rate fell to 62.3%. The unemployment rate is now 0.5 percentage points higher than the U.S. rate,” Schmidt said.
While gaming and hospitality jobs remain sluggish, Schmidt said Nevada has seen job growth in health care, business services, and construction.
Las Vegas Jobs
As of September, nearly 303,000 people worked in leisure and hospitality in Southern Nevada, the largest industry in the region. MGM Resorts, the largest employer in Las Vegas, accounts for approximately 50,000 jobs on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, both affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent around 60,000 casino resort workers in Las Vegas and Reno.
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