The Inland Empire’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November 2025 was 5.5%, reflecting a 0.4% decrease from the previous month’s revised 5.9% unemployment rate. The California unemployment rate ticked up by 0.1% over the two-month period, decreasing from 5.6% in September to a 5.5% unemployment rate in November. The national unemployment rate ticked up by 0.2% over the month, the 4.6% national unemployment rate is less than that of the Inland Empire and California as a whole. In November, 17,300 individuals joined the labor force, increasing the total civilian labor force in Riverside and San Bernardino to 2.28 million people.

The labor force expanded in November as employment increased by 27,000 residents, while the number of unemployed residents declined by 9,700 compared to September. This combination indicates that job growth was strong enough not only to absorb new and returning workers but also to reduce unemployment, signaling an improvement in regional labor market conditions.