Rock Hill's jobless rate was 5% in August, down from 5.4% a year earlier, as 1,510 more residents had jobs. It is still above York County's 4.2%.
Rock Hill’s unemployment rate was 5% in August, down from 5.4% in August 2025. About 1,510 more city residents had jobs than a year earlier, and 120 fewer were out of work.
Updated Nov. 7: the rate fell to 4.4% in September. Read our September story.
The figures are the preliminary August estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics program. The BLS publishes a separate rate for Rock Hill, not only for York County. The figures are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
Rock Hill against its neighbors
Rock Hill’s rate fell, but it remains higher than the county’s, the state’s and the nation’s.
| Area | August 2026 | August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Mill | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| York County | 4.2% | 4.9% |
| South Carolina | 4.3% | 4.8% |
| United States | 4.3% | 4.5% |
| Rock Hill | 5.0% | 5.4% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS series for Fort Mill, York County, South Carolina and the United States.
Fort Mill, about seven miles north, had the lowest rate in the group at 3.7%. York County as a whole fell 0.7 points to 4.2%. Rock Hill’s drop of 0.4 points was smaller than the county’s.
The numbers behind the rate
In Rock Hill in August, according to the BLS:
- 41,737 people were in the labor force, up from 40,347 a year earlier.
- 39,671 people had jobs, up from 38,161.
- 2,066 people were unemployed, down from 2,186.
The labor force counts people who have a job or are looking for one. The unemployment rate is the share of the labor force without a job and looking for one. These are counts of Rock Hill residents, wherever they work.
The labor force grew by 1,390 people over the year. More people had jobs, more than enough to absorb the newcomers, so the number out of work fell.
The past year, month by month
Rock Hill’s rate moved between 4.4% and 6% over the year. It was lowest in April and highest in January and February.
| Month | Rock Hill rate |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | 5.4% |
| September 2025 | 4.9% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 5.6% |
| December 2025 | 5.5% |
| January 2026 | 6.0% |
| February 2026 | 6.0% |
| March 2026 | 4.9% |
| April 2026 | 4.4% |
| May 2026 | 4.8% |
| June 2026 | 5.2% |
| July 2026 | 5.0% |
| August 2026 | 5.0% (preliminary) |
Because the figures are not seasonally adjusted, a change from one month to the next can reflect the season, not a change in the job market. There is no October 2025 figure in the BLS series. That was the month of the federal government shutdown.
What it means for you
- Looking for work: fewer Rock Hill residents were unemployed in August than a year earlier, but the city’s rate is still higher than Fort Mill’s or the county’s.
- Training: the Rock Hill City Council voted Sept. 14 to give $250,000 each to Winthrop University and York Technical College to encourage manufacturing and job growth, Winthrop said in a Sept. 15 release. The $500,000 comes from the city’s economic development fund.
- Next figures: the August numbers are preliminary and can be revised. The September figures for cities and counties are due from the BLS later this fall. We will update this page then.
For new employers and openings, see our list of new businesses in Rock Hill.
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