Consumer Sentiment Dips as US Job Growth Slows in June

WHO:

ABC News - Americans' attitudes toward the economy are being assessed.

AP News - The Labor Department reported on job growth and unemployment rates.

WHAT:

ABC News - The consumer confidence index rose 0.6 points to 91.2 in June.

AP News - U.S. employers added only 57,000 jobs in June, less than half of the previous month’s total.

AP News - The unemployment rate declined to 4.2% from 4.3% in May.

AP News - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell by 1,000 to 215,000 in the week ending June 27.

AP News - The four-week moving average of jobless claims fell by 2,500 to 222,000.

AP News - The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell to 6.43% from 6.49% in the latest week.

WHERE:

AP News - The data regarding job growth and unemployment benefits pertains to the United States.

WHEN:

AP News - The consumer confidence index data is from June.

AP News - The job growth figures are for June.

AP News - The unemployment benefits data is for the week ending June 27.

WHY:

AP News - Consumer attitudes worsened due to the impact of the Iran war, which caused oil and gas prices to spike and inflation to rise.

AP News - Companies remain cautious about the economy's health amid inflation at a three-year high and consumer confidence near post-pandemic lows.

HOW:

AP News - The decline in the unemployment rate occurred primarily because many people out of work stopped looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.

(UPDATED July 4, 2026 23:14 UTC)

Americans' attitudes toward the economy are being assessed, revealing a slight increase in the consumer confidence index, which rose by 0.6 points to 91.2 in June. However, U.S. employers added only 57,000 jobs during the same month, a figure that is less than half of the previous month’s total, even as the unemployment rate declined to 4.2%. The decline in unemployment was largely due to many individuals ceasing their job search, which means they are no longer counted as unemployed, while inflation continues to rise amid concerns about the ongoing impact of the Iran war.