From the late 19th century until the 1980s, the United States' unemployment rate was generally somewhere between three and ten percent of the total workforce. The periods when it peaked were in times of recession or depression - the Panic of 1893, which lasted until 1897, saw unemployment peak at over 18 percent, whereas the post-WWI recession saw unemployment spike to almost 12 percent in 1921.
However, the longest and most-severe period of mass unemployment in U.S. history came during the Great Depression - unemployment rose from just 3.2 percent in 1929 to one quarter of the total workforce in 1933, and it was not until the Second World War until it fell below five percent once more. Since this time, unemployment has never exceeded 10 percent, although it did come close during the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s.
More recent unemployment statistics for the U.S. can be found here.
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Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over (LNS14000024) from Jan 1948 to Jun 2025 about 20 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.
In 2024, the unemployment rate of people aged 20 to 29 years in South Korea was *** percent, down from *** percent in the previous year. The unemployment rate of people in their twenties in South Korea has significantly increased over the past 15 years.
The unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 24 in the United States in 202024 23 was 10 percent. However, this rate was much lower for people aged 45 and over, at 2.9 percent. U.S. unemployment The unemployment rate in the United States varies based on several factors, such as race, gender, and level of education. Black and African-American individuals had the highest unemployment rate in 2021 out of any ethnicity, and people who had less than a high school diploma had the highest unemployment rate by education level. Alaska is consistently the state with the highest unemployment rate, although the El Centro, California metropolitan area was the area with the highest unemployment rate in the country in 2019. Additionally, in August 2022, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had the highest unemployment rate in the United States Unemployment rate The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is the agency that researches and calculates the unemployment rate in the United States. Unemployment rises during recessions, which causes the cost of social welfare programs to increase. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says unemployed people are those who are jobless, have looked for employment within the last four weeks, and are free to work.
Throughout the 1920s, prices on the U.S. stock exchange rose exponentially, however, by the end of the decade, uncontrolled growth and a stock market propped up by speculation and borrowed money proved unsustainable, resulting in the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. This set a chain of events in motion that led to economic collapse - banks demanded repayment of debts, the property market crashed, and people stopped spending as unemployment rose. Within a year the country was in the midst of an economic depression, and the economy continued on a downward trend until late-1932.
It was during this time where Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was elected president, and he assumed office in March 1933 - through a series of economic reforms and New Deal policies, the economy began to recover. Stock prices fluctuated at more sustainable levels over the next decades, and developments were in line with overall economic development, rather than the uncontrolled growth seen in the 1920s. Overall, it took over 25 years for the Dow Jones value to reach its pre-Crash peak.
Data base of results of Reichstag elections between 1920 and 1933 as well as data on economic and social structure at various geographic aggregate levels (municipalities and districts); cross section analysis and longitudinal analysis possible. Topics: Identification variables for the area units: name of survey unit, constituency affiliation, aggregate codes; Reichstag election results (6.6.1920, 4.5.1924, 7.12.1924, 20.5.1928, 14.9.1930, 31.7.1932, 6.11.1932, 5.3.1933); social-structural collective characteristics of area units: number of residents, denominational structure, structure of the population according to economic divisions and professional position, unemployment. Datenbank der Ergebnisse der Reichstagswahlen zwischen 1920 und 1933 sowie Daten der Wirtschafts- und Sozialstruktur auf unterschiedlichem räumlichen Aggregierungsniveau (Gemeinde bzw. Kreise); Quer- und Längsschnittanalyse möglich. Themen: Identifikationsvariablen zu den Gebietseinheiten: Name der Erhebungseinheit, Wahlkreiszugehörigkeit, Aggregationscodes; Wahlergebnisse der Reichstagswahlen (6.6.1920, 4.5.1924, 7.12.1924, 20.5.1928, 14.9.1930, 31.7.1932, 6.11.1932, 5.3.1933); Sozialstrukturelle Kollektivmerkmale der Gebietseinheiten: Einwohnerzahl, Konfessionelle Gliederung, Gliederung der Bevölkerung nach Wirtschaftsabteilungen und nach beruflicher Stellung, Arbeitslosigkeit. Census Totalerhebung Sources: Official statistics (housing census, citizen and occupation census, unemployment statistics, election statistics). Quellen: Amtliche Statistik (Reichswohnungszählung, Volks- und Berufszählung, Arbeitslosenstatistik, Wahlstatistik).
Youth unemployment stood at 9.7 percent in February 2025. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method for removing the seasonal component of a time series that is used when analyzing non-seasonal trends. The unemployment rate by state can be found here, and the annual national unemployment rate can be found here. Youth unemployment in the United States The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics track unemployment of persons between the ages of 16 and 24 years each month. In analyzing the data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics performed a seasonal adjustment—removing seasonal influences from the time series, such that one month’s rate of unemployment could be analyzed in comparison with another month’s rate of unemployment. During the period in question, youth unemployment ranged from a high of 9.9 percent in April 2021, to a low of 6.5 percent in April 2023. The national youth unemployment rate can be compared to the monthly national unemployment rate in the United States, although youth unemployment tends to be much higher due to higher rates of participation in education. In May 2023, U.S. unemployment was at 3.7 percent, compared with 7.4 percent amongst those 16 to 24 years old. Additionally, as of May 2023, Nevada had the highest state unemployment rate of all U.S. states, at 5.4 percent.
Sources: Official statistics (housing census, citizen and occupation census, unemployment statistics, election statistics).
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Datenbank der Ergebnisse der Reichstagswahlen zwischen 1920und 1933 sowie Daten der Wirtschafts- und Sozialstruktur aufunterschiedlichem räumlichen Aggregierungsniveau (Gemeindebzw. Kreise); Quer- und Längsschnittanalysemöglich. Themen: Identifikationsvariablen zu den Gebietseinheiten:Name der Erhebungseinheit, Wahlkreiszugehörigkeit,Aggregationscodes; Wahlergebnisse der Reichstagswahlen(6.6.1920, 4.5.1924, 7.12.1924, 20.5.1928, 14.9.1930,31.7.1932, 6.11.1932, 5.3.1933); SozialstrukturelleKollektivmerkmale der Gebietseinheiten: Einwohnerzahl,Konfessionelle Gliederung, Gliederung der Bevölkerung nachWirtschaftsabteilungen und nach beruflicher Stellung,Arbeitslosigkeit. Data base of results of Reichstag elections between 1920 and 1933 as well as data on economic and social structure at various geographic aggregate levels (municipalities and districts); cross section analysis and longitudinal analysis possible. Topics: Identification variables for the area units: name of survey unit, constituency affiliation, aggregate codes; Reichstag election results (6.6.1920, 4.5.1924, 7.12.1924, 20.5.1928, 14.9.1930, 31.7.1932, 6.11.1932, 5.3.1933); social-structural collective characteristics of area units: number of residents, denominational structure, structure of the population according to economic divisions and professional position, unemployment. Quellen: Amtliche Statistik (Reichswohnungszählung, Volks- und Berufszählung, Arbeitslosenstatistik, Wahlstatistik). Sources: Official statistics (housing census, citizen and occupation census, unemployment statistics, election statistics). Gemeinden und Kreise des Deutschen Reiches Municipalities and districts of the German Empire Auswahlverfahren Kommentar: Totalerhebung
The Long Depression was, by a large margin, the longest-lasting recession in U.S. history. It began in the U.S. with the Panic of 1873, and lasted for over five years. This depression was the largest in a series of recessions at the turn of the 20th century, which proved to be a period of overall stagnation as the U.S. financial markets failed to keep pace with industrialization and changes in monetary policy. Great Depression The Great Depression, however, is widely considered to have been the most severe recession in U.S. history. Following the Wall Street Crash in 1929, the country's economy collapsed, wages fell and a quarter of the workforce was unemployed. It would take almost four years for recovery to begin. Additionally, U.S. expansion and integration in international markets allowed the depression to become a global event, which became a major catalyst in the build up to the Second World War. Decreasing severity When comparing recessions before and after the Great Depression, they have generally become shorter and less frequent over time. Only three recessions in the latter period have lasted more than one year. Additionally, while there were 12 recessions between 1880 and 1920, there were only six recessions between 1980 and 2020. The most severe recession in recent years was the financial crisis of 2007 (known as the Great Recession), where irresponsible lending policies and lack of government regulation allowed for a property bubble to develop and become detached from the economy over time, this eventually became untenable and the bubble burst. Although the causes of both the Great Depression and Great Recession were similar in many aspects, economists have been able to use historical evidence to try and predict, prevent, or limit the impact of future recessions.
From 1920 until 1970, the workforce of the United States grew from approximately 27 million people to 79 million people. Despite this growth, the share of the workforce employed in agriculture fell, dropping from around 11 to 3.5 million people. In 1920, there were approximately three nonagricultural workers in the U.S. for every two agricultural workers; by 1970, this ratio had shifted to roughly 22 to one. Employment in nonagricultural sectors grew in most years, yet there were regular declines that coincided with recessions or war; the largest dip came during the Great Depression in the early-1930s. Agricultural employment peaked at 11.5 million in 1907, but went into decline thereafter, with the sharpest fall coming after the Second World War.
In 1800, the region of Germany was not a single, unified nation, but a collection of decentralized, independent states, bound together as part of the Holy Roman Empire. This empire was dissolved, however, in 1806, during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras in Europe, and the German Confederation was established in 1815. Napoleonic reforms led to the abolition of serfdom, extension of voting rights to property-owners, and an overall increase in living standards. The population grew throughout the remainder of the century, as improvements in sanitation and medicine (namely, mandatory vaccination policies) saw child mortality rates fall in later decades. As Germany industrialized and the economy grew, so too did the argument for nationhood; calls for pan-Germanism (the unification of all German-speaking lands) grew more popular among the lower classes in the mid-1800s, especially following the revolutions of 1948-49. In contrast, industrialization and poor harvests also saw high unemployment in rural regions, which led to waves of mass migration, particularly to the U.S.. In 1886, the Austro-Prussian War united northern Germany under a new Confederation, while the remaining German states (excluding Austria and Switzerland) joined following the Franco-Prussian War in 1871; this established the German Empire, under the Prussian leadership of Emperor Wilhelm I and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. 1871 to 1945 - Unification to the Second World War The first decades of unification saw Germany rise to become one of Europe's strongest and most advanced nations, and challenge other world powers on an international scale, establishing colonies in Africa and the Pacific. These endeavors were cut short, however, when the Austro-Hungarian heir apparent was assassinated in Sarajevo; Germany promised a "blank check" of support for Austria's retaliation, who subsequently declared war on Serbia and set the First World War in motion. Viewed as the strongest of the Central Powers, Germany mobilized over 11 million men throughout the war, and its army fought in all theaters. As the war progressed, both the military and civilian populations grew increasingly weakened due to malnutrition, as Germany's resources became stretched. By the war's end in 1918, Germany suffered over 2 million civilian and military deaths due to conflict, and several hundred thousand more during the accompanying influenza pandemic. Mass displacement and the restructuring of Europe's borders through the Treaty of Versailles saw the population drop by several million more.
Reparations and economic mismanagement also financially crippled Germany and led to bitter indignation among many Germans in the interwar period; something that was exploited by Adolf Hitler on his rise to power. Reckless printing of money caused hyperinflation in 1923, when the currency became so worthless that basic items were priced at trillions of Marks; the introduction of the Rentenmark then stabilized the economy before the Great Depression of 1929 sent it back into dramatic decline. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, the Nazi government disregarded the Treaty of Versailles' restrictions and Germany rose once more to become an emerging superpower. Hitler's desire for territorial expansion into eastern Europe and the creation of an ethnically-homogenous German empire then led to the invasion of Poland in 1939, which is considered the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. Again, almost every aspect of German life contributed to the war effort, and more than 13 million men were mobilized. After six years of war, and over seven million German deaths, the Axis powers were defeated and Germany was divided into four zones administered by France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the U.S.. Mass displacement, shifting borders, and the relocation of peoples based on ethnicity also greatly affected the population during this time. 1945 to 2020 - Partition and Reunification In the late 1940s, cold war tensions led to two distinct states emerging in Germany; the Soviet-controlled east became the communist German Democratic Republic (DDR), and the three western zones merged to form the democratic Federal Republic of Germany. Additionally, Berlin was split in a similar fashion, although its location deep inside DDR territory created series of problems and opportunities for the those on either side. Life quickly changed depending on which side of the border one lived. Within a decade, rapid economic recovery saw West Germany become western Europe's strongest economy and a key international player. In the east, living standards were much lower, although unemployment was almost non-existent; internationally, East Germany was the strongest economy in the Eastern Bloc (after the USSR), though it eventually fell behind the West by the 1970s. The restriction of movement between the two states also led to labor shortages in t...
Between the 1880s and the 1970s, the total number of strikes and lockouts saw an overall upward trend, while the number of workers involved rose until the Second World War, after which point it fluctuated. Compared to later years, the number of strikes were lowest in the late-19th century and again in the 1920s. While this was partly due to a smaller workforce and economic stability during these periods, it was also because there were fewer legal protections for workers who went on strike - as these protections improved over time, workers felt more secure in protesting. Workers rights in the U.S. As the industrial revolution progressed during the 19th century, the share of the U.S. workforce employed in manufacturing industries rose accordingly. Prior to this, labor movements and unions were generally viewed as detrimental to business and treated with disdain by authorities and business leaders - as industrialization changed the working landscape in the U.S., workers began to demand better wages and working conditions.
Apart from some movement on local and state level, it was not until the Great Depression when the federal government began to expand workers rights on a national level; this included a minimum wage, federal pensions, unemployment securities, and the right to unionize, among others. While these New Deal improvements did expand job security in some form for most workers, they did not completely remove discrimination in areas such as age, disability, gender, or race - it would take decades for legal protections to be expanded for workers belonging to these other groups. However, the 1970s and 1980s also saw the the government begin to strip away workers' rights on both state and national levels - deregulation was seen as the key to promoting enterprise, and this often involved dismantling labor unions and removing workers' rights.
In 1820, the islands of present-day New Zealand had a population of approximately 100,000 people. This figure would fall until the early 1840s, partly as a result of European diseases brought by colonizers, and a series of destructive inter-tribal wars among the Māori peoples. These conflicts were named the Musket Wars due to the European weapons whose introduction instigated the conflicts, and the wars saw the deaths of between 20,000 and 40,000 Māori, from 1807 to 1837. After falling to just 82 thousand in the 1840s, the population would begin to rise again in 1841 following the establishment of New Zealand as an official British colony, with a strong promotion of European settlement by British citizens sponsored by the Church of England. European migration to New Zealand was low in these early decades, but increased in the mid-19th century, particularly following the discovery of gold in New Zealand’s South Island in the 1860s. This growth would continue throughout the 1870s, in part the result of a strong promotion of mass migration from Britain by Premier Julius Vogel’s administration.
Early 20th century However, between 1881 and the 1920s, the New Zealand government heavily restricted Asiatic migration to the islands, resulting in a fall of population growth rate, which would remain until the Second World War. The country would experience a dip in population during the First World War, in which New Zealand would suffer approximately 18,000 military fatalities, and another 9,000 lost to the coinciding Spanish Flu epidemic. The population would stagnate again in the Second World War, which resulted in the death of almost 12,000 New Zealanders. In the years following the war, New Zealand would see a significant increase in population due to the mixture of a baby boom and a migrant spike from Europe and Asia, following a large demand for unskilled labor. Recent decades This increase continued for several decades, until international factors, such as the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, and the UK's accession to the European Economic Communities (which ended most of New Zealand's trade agreements with Britain; it's largest trade partner), greatly weakened New Zealand's economy in the 1970s. As a result, population growth stagnated during the 1970s, while economic problems persisted into the early 2000s. In contrast, the Great Recession of 2008 did not impact New Zealand as severely as most other developed nations, which allowed the economy to emerge as one of the fastest growing in the world, also leading to dropped unemployment levels and increased living standards. In 2020, with a population of almost five million people, New Zealand is regarded as one of the top countries in the world in terms of human development, quality of life and social freedoms.
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From the late 19th century until the 1980s, the United States' unemployment rate was generally somewhere between three and ten percent of the total workforce. The periods when it peaked were in times of recession or depression - the Panic of 1893, which lasted until 1897, saw unemployment peak at over 18 percent, whereas the post-WWI recession saw unemployment spike to almost 12 percent in 1921.
However, the longest and most-severe period of mass unemployment in U.S. history came during the Great Depression - unemployment rose from just 3.2 percent in 1929 to one quarter of the total workforce in 1933, and it was not until the Second World War until it fell below five percent once more. Since this time, unemployment has never exceeded 10 percent, although it did come close during the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s.
More recent unemployment statistics for the U.S. can be found here.