TULARE COUNTY — October 26, 2026. Tulare County’s September labor market looks markedly different from California’s statewide average, according to the latest county figures from the Employment Development Department. EDD estimated a labor force of 217,400, with 196,100 employed and 21,300 unemployed. That produces a 9.8% unemployment rate for September 2026.

The state’s comparable not-seasonally-adjusted rate was 5.1%. Among nearby counties, EDD reports Fresno at 7.4%, Kern at 7.9% and Kings at 8.1% for the same month. The Tulare figure is a countywide indicator; it does not establish the unemployment rate in an individual town such as Visalia, Tulare or Porterville, and it does not directly measure people who have stopped seeking work.

What the figure tells residents—and what it does not

This is a September estimate released in October, not a live count of vacancies as of today. A relatively high unemployment rate signals a challenging regional labor market, but explaining why would require detailed industry data and interviews, not an unsupported guess. Residents searching for work can use CalJOBS and the state’s employment services.

Original statistical table: California EDD, September 2026 monthly county labor force data. California58 separates raw county figures from statewide seasonally adjusted rates.

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