Yuba County recorded an average of 20,622 payroll jobs during the first quarter of 2026, marking a slight decline of 52 positions, or 0.3 percent, compared to the same period a year earlier, as Yuba-Sutter News - The Sidekick reported.
The figures, which reflect employment counts from January through March 2026, show local job counts trailing broader statewide and national trends. Across California as a whole, payroll employment increased by 0.9 percent over the same period. Nationwide, payroll jobs rose by 0.2 percent compared to the first quarter of 2025.
Despite the slight year-over-year dip, the first-quarter total of 20,622 jobs remains among the highest historic payroll counts recorded in the county for the opening three months of a year. Of every first-quarter figure recorded since 2004, including the 2026 total, 96 percent were at or below this level.
The data comes from official statistics released on October 1, 2026, by the California Employment Development Department through its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. The underlying figures are compiled directly from mandatory reports submitted by employers to the state's unemployment insurance system.
The state program tracks payroll positions across public and private sector employers but excludes specific segments of the local workforce. Self-employed individuals are not included in the quarterly census totals. Additionally, the data leaves out workers employed by most religious organizations as well as uniformed military personnel stationed within the county. For commercial establishments and businesses whose individual employment numbers are kept confidential by state policy, figures are still incorporated into the overall county totals.
Changes in job numbers are calculated by taking the total value for the current period and subtracting the total value from the exact same period in the previous year. The percentage change is determined by taking that difference, dividing it by the value from the same period last year, and multiplying the result by 100. Percentile standings reflect the share of same-quarter historical values up to and including the reported figure that fall at or below that benchmark.
These employment metrics provide a localized snapshot of payroll trends across Yuba County using official public records without adjustments for non-covered employment sectors. Future updates will continue to track quarterly changes as subsequent employment reports are released by state agencies.
