West Palm Beach's jobless rate was 4.3% in August, up from 4% a year earlier, with 168 more residents out of work. Palm Beach County and Florida were 4.6%.
West Palm Beach’s unemployment rate was 4.3% in August, up from 4% in August 2025. About 168 more city residents were out of work than a year earlier, and about 157 fewer had jobs.
The figures are the preliminary August estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. The BLS publishes a rate for West Palm Beach itself, not only for Palm Beach County. The figures are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
West Palm Beach against its neighbors
| Area | August 2026 | August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Beach Gardens | 4.1% | 3.7% |
| Palm Springs | 4.1% | 3.6% |
| West Palm Beach | 4.3% | 4% |
| Royal Palm Beach | 4.4% | 4.1% |
| Greenacres | 4.5% | 3.9% |
| Palm Beach County | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Florida | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Riviera Beach | 5.3% | 5% |
| United States | 4.3% | 4.5% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS series for Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Springs, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres, Palm Beach County, Florida, Riviera Beach and the United States.
West Palm Beach’s rate was below the county and state rates of 4.6% and level with the national rate. Riviera Beach, about four miles north, was highest in the group at 5.3%. Palm Beach Gardens, about eight miles north, and Palm Springs, about eight miles southwest, were lowest at 4.1%.
Every city in the group, the county and the state had a higher rate than a year earlier. The national rate went the other way, down from 4.5% to 4.3%. West Palm Beach’s rise of 0.3 points matched the county, the state, Riviera Beach and Royal Palm Beach. Greenacres rose most, by 0.6 points.
The numbers behind the rate
In West Palm Beach in August, according to the BLS:
- 67,354 people were in the labor force, up from 67,343 a year earlier.
- 64,461 people had jobs, down from 64,618.
- 2,893 people were unemployed, up from 2,725.
The labor force counts people who have a job or are looking for one. The unemployment rate is the share of the labor force without a job and looking for one. These are counts of West Palm Beach residents, wherever they work. They are not counts of the jobs in the city’s downtown offices.
The past year, month by month
West Palm Beach’s rate moved between 4% and 4.6% over the year. It was lowest in August and September 2025 and highest in November 2025 and January 2026.
| Month | West Palm Beach rate |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | 4% |
| September 2025 | 4% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 4.6% |
| December 2025 | 4.2% |
| January 2026 | 4.6% |
| February 2026 | 4.5% |
| March 2026 | 4.2% |
| April 2026 | 4.3% |
| May 2026 | 4.1% |
| June 2026 | 4.1% |
| July 2026 | 4.4% |
| August 2026 | 4.3% (preliminary) |
Because the figures are not seasonally adjusted, a change from one month to the next can reflect the season, not a change in the job market. There is no October 2025 figure. The BLS did not publish one because of the federal government shutdown that fall.
What it means for you
- If you are looking for work, CareerSource Palm Beach County runs the public job centers for the county and lists openings in and around West Palm Beach.
- The August numbers will change. The BLS marks the latest month as preliminary and revises it the following month.
- September’s figures for the city come in the next BLS monthly release. We will update this story when they are out.
- For more on the local economy, see our pages on new businesses and home prices.
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