Nonfarm Payroll Jobs Decline by 8,900 in February;
Unemployment Rate Remains Unchanged at 4.7 Percent
Strike Activity During the Reference Week in February Important note: Strike activity at a major retail grocery company lasted for the duration of the February reference week, which was February 9th through February 15th . These workers are not counted in payroll job estimates in the establishment survey for February. Impacts at the industry and substate level are described below. For more information, visit BLS Current Employment Statistics Strike Report. |
Household survey data
- According to the survey of households, the number of unemployed individuals increased by 2,500 to 155,300 from January to February. Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged over the same time period at 4.7 percent. The national unemployment rate increased one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.1 percent from January to February.
- Colorado’s labor force decreased by 1,400 in February to 3,283,100. The share of Coloradans participating in the labor force decreased to 67.9 percent in February, compared to 68.0 percent the month prior. The U.S. labor force participation rate decreased two-tenths of a percentage point to 62.4 percent in February.
- The number of individuals employed in Colorado decreased by 4,000 in February to 3,127,800, which represents 64.7 percent of the state’s 16+ population. Colorado’s employment-population ratio of 64.7 in February decreased one-tenth of a percentage point from the month prior. The national employment-population ratio decreased two-tenths of a percentage point to 59.9 percent from January to February.
Establishment survey data
- Employers in Colorado lost 8,900 nonfarm payroll jobs from January to February for a total of 2,968,700 jobs, according to the survey of business establishments. Private sector payroll jobs decreased by 10,300, while government added 1,400 jobs.
- January estimates were revised down to 2,977,600, and the over the month change from December to January was an increase of 500 jobs rather than the originally estimated increase of 3,900 (monthly revisions are based on additional responses from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates).
- The private industry sector with significant over the month job gains in February was: education and health services (≈1,100). The private industry sectors with significant over the month job losses were: trade, transportation, and utilities (≈11,000), and other services (≈1,000). Strike activity at a major retail grocery company in the Denver, Boulder, and Pueblo Metropolitan Statistical Areas contributed to the declines in trade, transportation, and utilities in February.
- Since February 2024, nonfarm payroll jobs have increased 500, with the private sector declining by 14,700 and government adding 15,200 jobs. The largest private sector job gains were in educational and health services (≈4,800) and leisure and hospitality (≈4,400). During that same period, payroll jobs declined in professional and business services (≈9,100), trade, transportation, and utilities (≈8,500), information (≈2,600), construction (≈1,900), and financial activities (≈1,500). Colorado’s rate of job growth over the past year is 0.0 percent, below the U.S. rate of 1.2 percent.
- Over the year, the average workweek for all Colorado employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased from 33.0 to 33.4 hours, while average hourly earnings grew from $37.42 to $40.31, four dollars and thirty-eight cents more than the national average hourly earnings of $35.93.
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Informational Section
All Colorado estimates from the establishment and household surveys, including greater geographic detail, are available at Colorado LMI Gateway. Estimates for all states and the nation are available at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For data visualizations, visit CDLE’s Labor Market Information on Tableau.
The March 2025 Colorado Employment Situation will be released at 8:00 AM on Friday, April 18, 2025. The full schedule of release dates for calendar year 2025 estimates is available at Labor Market Information.
Technical Notes
This release provides information on industry employment and labor force statistics for February 2025, the most current estimates available from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The reference period for the establishment survey was the pay period or week that includes the 12th of the month.
The unemployment rate, labor force, labor force participation, total employment, and the number of unemployed are based on a survey of households. The total employment estimate derived from this survey is intended to measure the number of people employed.
Nonfarm payroll jobs estimates are based on a survey of business establishments and government agencies, and are intended to measure the number of jobs, not the number of people employed. Other series based on this survey include private sector average weekly hours, average hourly earnings, and average weekly earnings.
The business establishment survey covers about seven times the number of households surveyed and is therefore considered a more reliable indicator of economic conditions. Because the estimates are based on two separate surveys, one measuring jobs by worksite and the other measuring persons employed and unemployed by household, estimates based on these surveys may provide seemingly conflicting results.
Resources Mentioned