Nonfarm payrolls roar back in September, unemployment rate slips to 4.1%

The U.S. economy added far more jobs than expected in September, pointing to a vital labor market as the unemployment rate edged lower.

Nonfarm payrolls surged by 254,000 for the month, up from a revised 159,000 in August and better than the 150,000 Dow Jones consensus forecast. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, down 0.1 percentage point.

• September U.S. nonfarm payrolls: +254K vs. 132.5K expected and +159K prior (revised from +142K).
• Unemployment rate: 4.1% vs. 4.2% expected and 4.2% in August.