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U.S.-born vs. foreign-born jobs: October 2026
In October 2026, 32.1 million foreign-born people were employed in the U.S. and 5.7 million U.S.-born people were unemployed, 4.1% of U.S.-born workers. The foreign-born unemployment rate was 3.2%. Of every 100 people in the labor force, 81 were born in the U.S. and 19 were born abroad.
Data: Oct 2026 · Released Nov 6, 2026 by BLS · Checked Nov 6, 2026
The full count
| U.S.-born | Foreign-born | |
|---|---|---|
| Employed, Oct 2026 | 132,121,000 | 32,062,000 |
| Unemployed, Oct 2026 | 5,664,000 | 1,059,000 |
| Unemployment rate, Oct 2026 | 4.1% | 3.2% |
| Employed, Sept 2026 | 132,185,000 | 31,253,000 |
| Change in employed, Sept 2025 to Sept 2026 | −965,000 | +509,000 |
| Change in employed, Sept to Oct 2026 (not seasonally adjusted) | −64,000 | +809,000 |
Read with care. October 2025 wasn't surveyed because of the federal shutdown, so October 2026 has no year-earlier comparison; September is the latest year-over-year change. Month-to-month changes in this table aren't seasonally adjusted and come from a survey of about 60,000 households, so a single month can swing by hundreds of thousands. “Foreign-born” means not a citizen at birth and includes naturalized citizens, green card holders, refugees, temporary workers and undocumented people.
Source: BLS Employment Situation, table A-7, October 2026, released November 6, 2026.
What this doesn't show
- That any visa worker replaced any laid-off worker. No public data links the two.
- Hires. Certified positions and visas issued are steps before or around hiring, not head counts.
- Immigration status. “Foreign-born” includes naturalized citizens, green card holders and others.