Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Madera, CA MSA — October 2026
Madera jobless rate eases to 7.0% but gap with state persists.
Madera County unemployment fell to 7.0% in September from 7.4% in August, yet remains nearly two points above California's 5.1% and three points above the national 4.1% rate.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Madera County unemployment rate: 7.0% — Down from 7.4% in August; vs 5.1% statewide
- National unemployment rate: 4.1% — Stable since March 2026 range of 4.1%-4.3%
- California unemployment rate: 5.1% — Flat 3rd month; down from 5.5% a year ago
- Registered Nurse advertised pay, metro: $126,360 — Up moderately vs $102,252 national median
Key takeaways
Unemployment gap with the state remains the defining local story.
Madera's 7.0% rate sits nearly two points above California's 5.1% and three points above the national 4.1%, placing it closer to Fresno (8.1%) than to coastal California metros. That persistent spread argues for caution in reading national labor-market tightness as a Madera-specific condition.
Two straight months of improvement deserve a watchful read.
The drop from 7.4% to 7.0% mirrors a statewide pattern of declining unemployment counts, with California logging ten consecutive months of falling unemployed persons. Whether Madera's improvement holds through winter will depend on agricultural seasonality and hospitality demand, both inherently volatile locally.
Healthcare wage strength outpaces most other tracked occupations in the metro.
Registered Nurse pay is up moderately to a $126,360 metro median, well above the $102,252 national figure, and Certified Nursing Assistant pay rose significantly to $47,923. Combined with continuous hospital recruitment activity, this points to healthcare as the most consistent source of wage-driven economic activity in the metro this month.
Public-sector recruitment signals institutional stability amid private-sector softness.
Madera County government's ongoing postings for Auditor-Appraiser, Public Health Microbiologist, Deputy Sheriff, and clinical roles reflect the kind of steady public employment base that state data shows fueling job gains elsewhere in California, including Orange County's government-driven growth. For commerce leaders, a stable public payroll base supports local consumer spending even when private hiring signals soften.
Median advertised pay by role — Madera, CA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $35,152 | $37,045 | $39,780 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $35,464 | $40,227 | $41,600 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $35,360 | $37,661 | $43,160 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $56,420 | $78,869 | $91,000 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $32,624 | $33,643 | $36,349 | Significant decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer * | $37,440 | $44,720 | $48,880 | Moderate increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $52,000 | $71,211 | $76,450 | Moderate decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $38,480 | $41,205 | $47,000 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $38,519 | $64,000 | $65,520 | Significant increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $38,065 | $49,920 | $49,920 | Moderate increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $39,291 | $47,923 | $55,120 | Significant increase | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $43,748 | $49,920 | $57,066 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician * | $63,440 | $78,000 | $84,208 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $109,793 | $126,360 | $140,400 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer * | $127,926 | $174,172 | $193,926 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $106,585 | $145,000 | $162,500 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $67,500 | $100,000 | $102,500 | Moderate decline | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $81,120 | $104,513 | $115,093 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $64,480 | $81,785 | $90,000 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $50,000 | $70,050 | $79,850 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $81,730 | $109,471 | $129,375 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $54,073 | $79,855 | $82,292 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager * | $70,000 | $100,021 | $125,000 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $74,500 | $94,853 | $102,750 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $84,848 | $101,463 | $115,397 | Stable | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $69,680 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $41,600 | Moderate decline | Significant decline |
| Retail Trade | $39,312 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $73,445 | Stable | Significant decline |
| Information | $58,500 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $53,441 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $64,436 | Significant decline | Significant decline |
| Education & Health Services | $65,520 | Stable | Moderate decline |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $40,560 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $69,555 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Madera County's unemployment rate fell to 7.0% in September from 7.4% in August, improving for a second straight month even as it remains well above the 5.1% state rate and more than double the 4.1% national rate. Local economic momentum continues to concentrate in healthcare, public-sector employment, and government recruitment, with Madera Community Hospital and county government postings anchoring labor demand while agriculture and hospitality provide seasonal variability tied to the broader Central Valley economy.
What it means
Madera's unemployment gap versus the state and nation signals persistent slack in available labor, a condition distinct from the tight national market and one that shapes how commerce leaders read expansion risk locally. Public-sector stability — visible in continuous county recruitment for correctional, health, and administrative roles — provides a counterweight to softer private hiring signals in hospitality and retail. Current conditions suggest monitoring whether the two-month unemployment decline reflects a durable labor-force absorption trend or a seasonal agricultural pattern before drawing conclusions about the pace of local business investment.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Whether Madera's unemployment decline extends into a third month in the October release will help distinguish a structural improvement from a seasonal agricultural pattern tied to harvest-cycle employment.
Emerging pressure point: Warehouse/fulfillment and delivery driver advertised pay are both trending down in the metro while holding stable nationally, a divergence worth monitoring as a signal of softening logistics-sector demand relative to peer metros.
Early indicator: California's SB 951 will require WARN notices to disclose AI-driven layoffs starting with EDD's quarterly displacement reports, a transparency shift that could eventually surface sector-specific detail relevant to inland metros like Madera.
Potential inflection point: Statewide leisure/hospitality losses (down 6,800 jobs in August) and food-service softening could pressure Madera's hospitality employers, even as local Food Service Worker advertised pay has risen moderately to $49,920, a divergence between wage levels and sector-wide job counts worth tracking.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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