Brevard County's unemployment rate fell to 4.6% in September, down from 4.8% in August, according to FloridaCommerce data released Oct. 16. That's slightly higher than September 2025, when the rate was 4.5%.

Brevard's rate was above Florida's 4.2% and the national rate of 4.0%, but it was the lowest of the three counties in the CareerSource Brevard-Flagler-Volusia region. Volusia County was at 4.9% and Flagler County at 5.2%. The figures are not seasonally adjusted and are subject to revision. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' figure for the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metro area, posted on FRED, is also 4.6%.

Where the jobs are

The Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metro area, which covers Brevard, had 259,000 nonfarm jobs in September, up 500 jobs, or 0.2%, from a year earlier.

Gaining jobs over the year:

• Education and health services: up 1,500
• Manufacturing: up 700, to 36,300. The state says that tied for the second-largest manufacturing gain among Florida metro areas.
• Leisure and hospitality: up 400
• Trade, transportation and utilities: up 200
• Information: up 100

Losing jobs over the year:

• Professional and business services: down 900
• Mining, logging and construction: down 600
• Government: down 400
• Financial activities: down 300
• Other services: down 200

The same state report puts Brevard's 2025 average annual wage at $70,934, up 4% from 2024. That's still below the statewide average of $72,732.

October numbers are due Dec. 2, according to FRED's release calendar.