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The unemployment rate* in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.8% (not seasonally adjusted) in October 2023 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In October 2023, the transportation sector unemployment rate rose 1.1 percentage points from 3.7% in October 2022 and was above the pre-pandemic October 2019 level of 2.7% but still below the October 2020 and October 2021 rates. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.
Seasonally adjusted, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector fell to 6,686,200 in October 2023 – down 0.2% from the previous month and down 0.8% from October 2022. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 16.9% in October 2023 from the pre-pandemic October 2019 level of 5,717,900.
By mode (seasonally adjusted):
- Air transportation rose to 555,100 in October 2023 — up 0.6% from the previous month and up 7.4% from October 2022.
- Truck transportation fell to 1,578,600 in October 2023 — down 0.3% from the previous month and down 1.7% from October 2022.
- Transit and ground passenger transportation fell to 434,200 in October 2023 — down 0.2% from the previous month but up 4.1% from October 2022.
- Rail transportation remained virtually unchanged in October 2023 at 150,200 from the previous month but up 1.8% from October 2022.
- Water transportation rose to 70,300 in October 2023 — up 1.7% from the previous month and up 6.2% from October 2022.
- Pipeline transportation fell to 48,000 in October 2023 — down 1.0% from the previous month and down 0.2% from October 2022.
- Warehousing and storage fell to 1,871,000 in October 2023 — down 0.6% from the previous month and down 4.0% from October 2022.
All-time highs (seasonally adjusted) with records beginning in 1990: air March 2001 (633,600); pipeline July 1991 (61,200); rail January 1990 (278,100); transit June 2019 (503,800); truck January 2023 (1,611,400); warehousing and storage June 2022 (1,960,300); and water October 2023 (70,300)
*The unemployment rate is the total number of unemployed persons, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force. The civilian labor force includes all persons aged 16 and older who are employed and unemployed – meaning they are either currently working or actively looking for work.
- Unemployed persons include those who actively sought a job within the last four weeks.
- People waiting to start a new job who have not actively sought a job in the last four weeks are not counted as employed or unemployed; they are considered to be out of the labor force.
- An unemployed person’s industry is the industry for the last job they held in the workforce, which may or may not reflect their current job search field or industry.
Mixed Signals in October US Transportation Employment
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The unemployment rate* in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.8% (not seasonally adjusted) in October 2023 according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In October 2023, the transportation sector unemployment rate rose 1.1 percentage points from 3.7% in October 2022 and was above the pre-pandemic October 2019 level of 2.7% but still below the October 2020 and October 2021 rates. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.
Seasonally adjusted, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector fell to 6,686,200 in October 2023 – down 0.2% from the previous month and down 0.8% from October 2022. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 16.9% in October 2023 from the pre-pandemic October 2019 level of 5,717,900.
By mode (seasonally adjusted):
All-time highs (seasonally adjusted) with records beginning in 1990: air March 2001 (633,600); pipeline July 1991 (61,200); rail January 1990 (278,100); transit June 2019 (503,800); truck January 2023 (1,611,400); warehousing and storage June 2022 (1,960,300); and water October 2023 (70,300)
*The unemployment rate is the total number of unemployed persons, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force. The civilian labor force includes all persons aged 16 and older who are employed and unemployed – meaning they are either currently working or actively looking for work.