Who's hiring in San Diego, and what's the job market like right now?
San Diego County's unemployment rate was 4.7% in September 2026, below California's 5.1%. Health care added 15,100 jobs over the year, while federal jobs fell. The Navy, UC San Diego, the County, Sharp and Scripps are the biggest employers.
- County unemployment
- 4.7%
- Jobs added in a year
- +19,900
- Biggest gainer
- Health care +15,100
- Free career centers
- 4
September 2026; California 5.1%
Sept. 2025 to Sept. 2026, nonfarm
Health care and social assistance, year over year
San Diego Workforce Partnership
The short version
- San Diego County unemployment was 4.7% in September 2026, down from 4.9% in August, according to EDD data released October 16, 2026; California was 5.1%.
- From September 2025 to September 2026 the county added 19,900 nonfarm jobs, led by health care and social assistance (+15,100); government lost 2,400.
- The County of San Diego's 2025 financial report lists the U.S. Navy (91,317), the Marine Corps (42,687) and UC San Diego (41,698) as the top three employers.
- The San Diego Workforce Partnership runs four free career centers, in Southeastern San Diego, Chula Vista, El Cajon and Oceanside, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- City jobs are posted at governmentjobs.com/careers/sandiego and County jobs at governmentjobs.com/careers/sdcounty; CalJOBS is the state's free job board.
"Who's hiring" changes weekly, but the official numbers show where the jobs have been growing. We checked the California EDD's September 2026 release (via City News Service and San Diego Workforce Partnership summaries), the County of San Diego's 2025 financial report, the Workforce Partnership's career center listings, and the City and County job portals on November 9, 2026.
4.7%
San Diego County unemployment
September 2026, from a revised 4.9% in August
5.1%
California
September 2026
1,572,500
Nonfarm jobs in the county
September 2026
What the latest numbers say
Unemployment in San Diego County fell to 4.7% in September 2026, from a revised 4.9% in August and about 4.9% a year earlier. That compares with 5.1% statewide and 4% nationally. The county gained 4,400 nonfarm jobs in the month. Most of that came from government (+9,800), as public schools reopened after summer, while leisure and hospitality shed 4,000 jobs at the end of the summer season.
| Industry | Change, Sept. 2025 to Sept. 2026 |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | +15,100 |
| Leisure and hospitality | +5,300 |
| Professional and business services | +3,200 |
| Construction | -1,700 |
| Government | -2,400 |
| All nonfarm jobs | +19,900 |
Health care and social assistance
+15,100
Leisure and hospitality
+5,300
Professional and business services
+3,200
Construction
-1,700
Government
-2,400
All nonfarm jobs
+19,900
California EDD data for San Diego County as reported by City News Service on October 18, 2026. Farm jobs fell by 400 over the same period.
The government loss is mostly federal. The Workforce Partnership's October 2026 update, which covered August data, put the year-over-year drop in government at 4,200 jobs, 4,100 of them federal. Construction was also down 3,200 over that year. In short, hospitals, clinics and care providers have been the main source of new jobs, while federal agencies and builders have been cutting.
The region's largest employers
We didn't build our own ranking. This one comes from the County of San Diego's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the year ended June 30, 2025, which uses employment data from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Together the top 10 account for about 17% of the county's 1.59 million jobs.
| Rank | Employer | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | U.S. Navy | 91,317 |
| 2 | U.S. Marine Corps (listed as MCCS MCRD San Diego) | 42,687 |
| 3 | University of California, San Diego | 41,698 |
| 4 | County of San Diego | 20,471 |
| 5 | Sharp HealthCare | 20,432 |
| 6 | Scripps Health | 17,760 |
| 7 | Kaiser Permanente | 12,859 |
| 8 | UC San Diego Health | 12,675 |
| 9 | Merchants Building Maintenance | 6,000 |
| 10 | Cubic Corporation | 6,000 |
1
- Employer
- U.S. Navy
- Employees
- 91,317
2
- Employer
- U.S. Marine Corps (listed as MCCS MCRD San Diego)
- Employees
- 42,687
3
- Employer
- University of California, San Diego
- Employees
- 41,698
4
- Employer
- County of San Diego
- Employees
- 20,471
5
- Employer
- Sharp HealthCare
- Employees
- 20,432
6
- Employer
- Scripps Health
- Employees
- 17,760
7
- Employer
- Kaiser Permanente
- Employees
- 12,859
8
- Employer
- UC San Diego Health
- Employees
- 12,675
9
- Employer
- Merchants Building Maintenance
- Employees
- 6,000
10
- Employer
- Cubic Corporation
- Employees
- 6,000
County of San Diego ACFR FY2025, Table 14, Principal Employers (2025). The report lists UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health separately and doesn't say whether military counts include uniformed personnel.
Free help: Workforce Partnership career centers
The San Diego Workforce Partnership runs America's Job Center of California career centers that are free to county job seekers 16 and older, regardless of income or background, with priority for veterans and their families. You can walk in. All four are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and share one phone line, (619) 319-9675. Partnership services pause from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month.
| Center | Address | Also on site |
|---|---|---|
| Metro Career Center | 4389 Imperial Ave., San Diego 92113 | EDD, Dept. of Rehabilitation, Five Keys |
| South Bay Career Center | 333 H St., Suite 1055, Chula Vista 91910 | EDD, SER Jobs for Progress, Dept. of Rehabilitation |
| East County Career Center | 151 Van Houten Ave., El Cajon 92020 | Job Corps, Dept. of Rehabilitation |
| North County Coastal Career Center | 3708 Ocean Ranch Blvd., Oceanside 92056 | Inside the North Coastal Live Well Center |
Metro Career Center
- Address
- 4389 Imperial Ave., San Diego 92113
- Also on site
- EDD, Dept. of Rehabilitation, Five Keys
South Bay Career Center
- Address
- 333 H St., Suite 1055, Chula Vista 91910
- Also on site
- EDD, SER Jobs for Progress, Dept. of Rehabilitation
East County Career Center
- Address
- 151 Van Houten Ave., El Cajon 92020
- Also on site
- Job Corps, Dept. of Rehabilitation
North County Coastal Career Center
- Address
- 3708 Ocean Ranch Blvd., Oceanside 92056
- Also on site
- Inside the North Coastal Live Well Center
Source: San Diego Workforce Partnership, checked November 9, 2026.
Where to search
- CalJOBS (caljobs.ca.gov): California's free state job board, run by EDD. You can apply online, and the career centers will help if you'd rather not do it alone.
- City of San Diego (governmentjobs.com/careers/sandiego): more than 12,000 employees. Sign up for "Job Interest Cards" to get alerts when a job class opens.
- County of San Diego (governmentjobs.com/careers/sdcounty): the county's openings and job class specs, with pay ranges.
- Federal jobs (usajobs.gov): civilian openings at the region's Navy and Marine Corps commands.
Weighing an offer? Check San Diego's minimum wage, which rises to $18.35 inside city limits on January 1, 2027. If you won't have a car, see whether rail transit reaches the main job centers.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on November 9, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
Prices, fees, hours and rules change, often at the start of a year or season. Confirm with the official source linked below before you rely on a number.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
10News (KGTV) / City News Service · Published October 18, 2026
EDD September 2026 county figures: 4.7% rate, monthly and yearly industry changes, nonfarm totals
California Employment Development Department · Published October 16, 2026
Statewide 5.1% rate; October 2026 data scheduled for November 20
San Diego Workforce Partnership · Published October 21, 2026
August 2026 county data: government down 4,200 year over year, 4,100 federal; construction down 3,200
- PrimaryAnnual Comprehensive Financial Report FY2025, Statistical Section, Table 14 Principal Employers
County of San Diego Auditor and Controller · Checked November 9, 2026
Top 10 employers and headcounts (data from San Diego Regional Chamber); total county employment 1,590,900 (June 2025)
San Diego Workforce Partnership · Checked November 9, 2026
Four career center addresses, hours, phone, eligibility, last-Thursday closure
California Employment Development Department · Checked November 9, 2026
CalJOBS is the state's online job search system; no-cost help at AJCCs
- PrimaryCity of San Diego Jobs
City of San Diego · Checked November 9, 2026
GovernmentJobs portal, Job Interest Cards, 12,000+ employees
- PrimaryHiring Process Questions
County of San Diego Department of Human Resources · Checked November 9, 2026
County openings and class specs on GovernmentJobs (sdcounty)
Naval Air Systems Command · Checked November 9, 2026 (undated page)
Navy civilian openings in San Diego are posted on USAJOBS
City of San Diego · Published September 30, 2026
$18.35 from January 1, 2027