U.S. transportation sector unemployment ticks up in April

Transportation unemployment.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reports that the unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 3.9% in April 2026. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The data has been updated on the BTS Unemployment in Transportation dashboard. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

The April numbers are 0.3 percent above from the 3.6% figure from April 2025. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.

However, unemployment in the transportation sector was lower than overall unemployment in the U.S. BLS reports that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in April 2026 was 4.0%, 0.1 percent above the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in April 2026 was 4.3%.

Seasonally adjusted, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector rose to 6,584,300 in April 2026, up 0.5% from the previous month but down 1.1% from April 2025.

The seasonally adjusted figures by modes relevant to this site:

• Truck transportation rose to 1,469,600 in April 2026, up 0.3% from the previous month. This is down 1.4% from April 2025.
• Further, transit and ground passenger transportation also fell, to 482,500 in April 2026, which is down 1.5% from the previous month and also down 1.4% from April 2025.

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