Pasco County's unemployment rate was 5.0% in August, up from 4.6% a year earlier. About 15,164 residents were looking for work, 1,326 more than in August 2025.
Pasco County’s unemployment rate was 5.0% in August, up from 4.6% a year earlier. The figure is the latest from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it is preliminary.
That puts Pasco above Florida, at 4.6%, and the nation, at 4.3%, for the same month. Of the four Tampa Bay counties we compared, only Hernando County was higher.
The numbers
The bureau’s figures for Pasco County, which includes Wesley Chapel, show:
| August 2026 | August 2025 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 4.6% | up 0.4 points |
| People unemployed | 15,164 | 13,838 | up 1,326 |
| People employed | 287,461 | 286,594 | up 867 |
| Labor force | 302,625 | 300,432 | up 2,193 |
The labor force is everyone working or looking for work. It grew by 2,193 people over the year. Employment grew too, but by less, so the number of people out of work rose.
August’s rate was down slightly from 5.2% in July. The bureau’s figures have sat between 4.9% and 5.5% every month this year. In spring 2025 the county’s rate was below 4%: it was 3.6% in April 2025.
How Pasco compares
The August rates, all from the bureau and not seasonally adjusted:
- Hernando County: 5.4%
- Pasco County: 5.0%
- Hillsborough County: 4.6%
- Florida: 4.6%
- Pinellas County: 4.3%
- United States: 4.3%
Hillsborough County’s rate was 4.6%, up from 4.3% a year earlier.
Reading the figures
These are county figures. The bureau does not publish a separate monthly rate for Wesley Chapel, which is unincorporated.
County rates are not seasonally adjusted, so they rise and fall with the seasons. That is why we compare August with August, not with July. The bureau published no figure for October 2025, so the county’s monthly series has a gap there.
The August county figures are marked preliminary, and the bureau can revise them when it publishes the next month’s data.
What it means for you
- Looking for work? CareerSource Pasco Hernando, the region’s public workforce board, runs job listings, training help and hiring events at careersourcepascohernando.com.
- Out of work in Florida? Reemployment assistance claims are filed online through FloridaCommerce’s application portal.
- Housing costs: The typical Wesley Chapel home value and rent are on our home prices page, updated each month.
- New businesses hiring nearby are tracked on our new businesses page.
We will report the county’s September figures when the bureau publishes them.
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