Fort Myers' jobless rate was 5.2% in August, up from 4.8% a year earlier, with 152 more residents out of work. Lee County matched it; Florida was 4.6%.
Fort Myers’ unemployment rate was 5.2% in August, up from 4.8% in August 2025. About 2,258 city residents were out of work and looking for a job, 152 more than a year earlier.
The figures are the preliminary August estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which publishes a separate rate for the city. They are not seasonally adjusted, so the fair comparison is with the same month a year earlier.
Fort Myers against its neighbors
| Area | August 2026 | August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | 5.2% | 4.8% |
| Lee County | 5.2% | 4.7% |
| Cape Coral | 4.9% | 4.5% |
| Florida | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| United States | 4.3% | 4.5% |
All rates are not seasonally adjusted. Sources: BLS series for Lee County, Cape Coral, Florida and the United States.
Fort Myers matched Lee County at 5.2%. Cape Coral, about 11 miles west, was lower at 4.9%. All three local rates rose by 0.4 or 0.5 points from a year earlier.
The state rate rose too, from 4.3% to 4.6%. The national rate moved the other way, from 4.5% to 4.3%. That leaves the city nearly a point above the national figure.
The numbers behind the rate
In Fort Myers in August, according to the BLS:
- 43,492 people were in the labor force, against 43,517 a year earlier.
- 41,234 people had jobs, down from 41,411.
- 2,258 people were unemployed, up from 2,106.
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 Fort Myers residents, wherever they work. They are not counts of the jobs located in the city.
The labor force barely changed over the year. The rise in the rate came from about 177 fewer residents in work and about 152 more looking.
The past year, month by month
Fort Myers’ rate moved between 4.8% and 5.7% over the year. It was lowest in August 2025 and highest in January.
| Month | Fort Myers rate |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | 4.8% |
| September 2025 | 4.9% |
| October 2025 | not published |
| November 2025 | 5.5% |
| December 2025 | 5.0% |
| January 2026 | 5.7% |
| February 2026 | 5.4% |
| March 2026 | 4.9% |
| April 2026 | 5.1% |
| May 2026 | 5.0% |
| June 2026 | 5.2% |
| July 2026 | 5.3% |
| August 2026 | 5.2% (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. The BLS lists that month as unavailable because of the federal government shutdown that fall.
What it means for you
- If you are looking for work, the state’s Employ Florida job board lists openings in and around Fort Myers.
- The August numbers will change. The BLS marks the latest month as preliminary and revises it the following month.
- September’s figures for the city come in the next BLS release for local areas. We will update this story when they are out.
- For more on the local economy, see our pages on new businesses and home prices.
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