SOUTHBURY, CT — Southbury's unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent in September, up from 3.9 percent in August, according to data released Monday by the Connecticut Department of Labor.
The town's rate remained below Connecticut's, which held at 5.1 percent for a second straight month. The state's rate has now topped the national rate of 4.2 percent for nine consecutive months.
Of Southbury's estimated labor force of 9,623 residents in September, 9,190 were employed and 433 were unemployed, the data show. That is 59 more unemployed residents than in August. The August estimates, published last month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, counted 374 unemployed out of a labor force of 9,497.
The town figures come from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program and are not seasonally adjusted. On that same unadjusted basis, the statewide rate in September was 5.1 percent, with 96,521 of Connecticut's 1,907,124 labor force participants out of work.
Of the state's 169 towns, 89 had a lower rate than Southbury's 4.5 percent and 66 had a higher one.
Among its neighbors, Southbury's rate was higher than in Oxford (4.1 percent), Middlebury (4 percent) and Roxbury (3.1 percent) but lower than in Newtown (4.6 percent). It matched Woodbury at 4.5 percent.
Statewide, town rates ranged from 2.8 percent in Warren to 8.5 percent in Waterbury.
Southbury's rate was 3.8 percent in September 2025, so the town's jobless rate is up seven-tenths of a percentage point over the year. Last year, the rate held at 3.8 percent in both August and September.
Southbury is part of the Waterbury-Shelton labor market area, which lost 700 jobs in September, a 0.4 percent decline, to 159,500, the only one of the state's five major areas to shrink. The area is up 300 jobs, or 0.2 percent, from a year earlier.
Connecticut's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in September, the same as in August, the department said. A year earlier the rate was 4.2 percent.
The state's employers added 1,400 jobs in September, a 0.1 percent increase, bringing nonfarm employment to 1,731,600. The department said that's a new all-time high. Over the year, the state has gained 15,200 jobs, or 0.9 percent.
Last month's report had put August's job loss at 300. With Monday's revision, the department now says the state lost 600 jobs that month.
Six of the state's 10 major industry sectors added jobs in September. Education and health services led with 2,200, followed by manufacturing with 900 and trade, transportation and utilities with 800.
Professional and business services lost the most, 2,700 jobs. Other services lost 600 and information lost 400. Construction and mining was unchanged.
"Payroll jobs hit a new all-time high in September. Manufacturing has added more jobs than any other industry so far this year and construction remains at its highest level since May 2008," Patrick Flaherty, director of the Office of Research at the Connecticut Department of Labor, said in a statement. "The unemployment rate has been stable since late spring and unemployment insurance claims are below last year's level."
First-time unemployment claims averaged 1,842 a week in September, down 64.9 percent from September 2025, the department said.
Private sector average hourly earnings rose 2.1 percent over the year to $40.06. That trailed inflation: the national consumer price index was up 3.7 percent over the same period.
The labor department's monthly comparison of state and national unemployment rates shows Connecticut's seasonally adjusted rate at 5.1 percent in both August and September.
The state's rate climbed through the first half of the year, from 4.5 percent in January to a peak of 5.2 percent in June and July. It then eased to 5.1 percent in August and held there in September.
The national rate moved the other way last month. The U.S. rate rose to 4.2 percent in September from 4.1 percent in August, its first increase since February, according to federal figures in the state's comparison.
As a result, the gap between Connecticut and the nation narrowed to nine-tenths of a percentage point in September, down from a full point in August. The gap was widest in July, at 1.1 points.
Connecticut's rate has been higher than the national rate in every month of 2026, starting in January at 4.5 percent compared with 4.3 percent. A year ago, the state's rate was lower than the nation's: 4.1 percent compared with 4.3 percent in August 2025, and 4.2 percent compared with 4.4 percent in September 2025.
The comparison has no figures for October 2025. They weren't produced because of the 2025 federal government shutdown.
| Month (2026) | Connecticut | U.S. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.5 percent | 4.3 percent | 0.2 points |
| February | 4.7 percent | 4.4 percent | 0.3 points |
| March | 4.8 percent | 4.3 percent | 0.5 points |
| April | 5.0 percent | 4.3 percent | 0.7 points |
| May | 5.1 percent | 4.3 percent | 0.8 points |
| June | 5.2 percent | 4.2 percent | 1.0 points |
| July | 5.2 percent | 4.1 percent | 1.1 points |
| August | 5.1 percent | 4.1 percent | 1.0 points |
| September | 5.1 percent | 4.2 percent | 0.9 points |
State and national rates are seasonally adjusted; town rates are not, so direct comparisons should be made with caution. All figures are preliminary and subject to revision. The department will release its preliminary October report on Thursday, Nov. 19.
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