In 1990, the unemployment rate of the United States stood at 5.6 percent. Since then there have been many significant fluctuations to this number - the 2008 financial crisis left millions of people without work, as did the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2022 and throughout 2023, the unemployment rate came to 3.6 percent, the lowest rate seen for decades. However, 2024 saw an increase up to four percent. For monthly updates on unemployment in the United States visit either the monthly national unemployment rate here, or the monthly state unemployment rate here. Both are seasonally adjusted. UnemploymentUnemployment is defined as a situation when an employed person is laid off, fired or quits his work and is still actively looking for a job. Unemployment can be found even in the healthiest economies, and many economists consider an unemployment rate at or below five percent to mean there is 'full employment' within an economy. If former employed persons go back to school or leave the job to take care of children they are no longer part of the active labor force and therefore not counted among the unemployed. Unemployment can also be the effect of events that are not part of the normal dynamics of an economy. Layoffs can be the result of technological progress, for example when robots replace workers in automobile production. Sometimes unemployment is caused by job outsourcing, due to the fact that employers often search for cheap labor around the globe and not only domestically. In 2022, the tech sector in the U.S. experienced significant lay-offs amid growing economic uncertainty. In the fourth quarter of 2022, more than 70,000 workers were laid off, despite low unemployment nationwide. The unemployment rate in the United States varies from state to state. In 2021, California had the highest number of unemployed persons with 1.38 million out of work.

This statistic displays the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate among persons between 16 and 24 years in the United States in 2012, by state. In California, youth unemployment stood at 20.2 percent in 2012.

The general unemployment rate by state can be found here, the annual national unemployment rate can be found here.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate for Youth in the United States (DISCONTINUED) (USAURYNAA) from 1970 to 2012 about unemployment, rate, and USA.

In 2025, it was estimated that over 163 million Americans were in some form of employment, while 4.16 percent of the total workforce was unemployed. This was the lowest unemployment rate since the 1950s, although these figures are expected to rise in 2023 and beyond. 1980s-2010s Since the 1980s, the total United States labor force has generally risen as the population has grown, however, the annual average unemployment rate has fluctuated significantly, usually increasing in times of crisis, before falling more slowly during periods of recovery and economic stability. For example, unemployment peaked at 9.7 percent during the early 1980s recession, which was largely caused by the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution on global oil prices and inflation. Other notable spikes came during the early 1990s; again, largely due to inflation caused by another oil shock, and during the early 2000s recession. The Great Recession then saw the U.S. unemployment rate soar to 9.6 percent, following the collapse of the U.S. housing market and its impact on the banking sector, and it was not until 2016 that unemployment returned to pre-recession levels. 2020s 2019 had marked a decade-long low in unemployment, before the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the sharpest year-on-year increase in unemployment since the Great Depression, and the total number of workers fell by almost 10 million people. Despite the continuation of the pandemic in the years that followed, alongside the associated supply-chain issues and onset of the inflation crisis, unemployment reached just 3.67 percent in 2022 - current projections are for this figure to rise in 2023 and the years that follow, although these forecasts are subject to change if recent years are anything to go by.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate in the United States (DISCONTINUED) (USAURNAA) from 1970 to 2012 about unemployment, rate, and USA.

United States Unemployment Rate: sa: Male: Age 16 to 17 data was reported at 11.300 % in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.600 % for Sep 2018. United States Unemployment Rate: sa: Male: Age 16 to 17 data is updated monthly, averaging 18.800 % from Jan 1948 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 850 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 36.400 % in Aug 2012 and a record low of 6.300 % in Feb 1953. United States Unemployment Rate: sa: Male: Age 16 to 17 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G021: Current Population Survey: Unemployment Rate: Seasonally Adjusted.

This statistic shows college majors with the highest unemployment rates in the United States between 2009 and 2012. The rate of unemployment for students with an international business major stood at 12.3 percent in 2012.

United States Unemployment Rate: Rhode Island data was reported at 3.600 % in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.800 % for May 2018. United States Unemployment Rate: Rhode Island data is updated monthly, averaging 6.050 % from Jan 1976 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 510 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.200 % in Jan 2012 and a record low of 2.400 % in May 1988. United States Unemployment Rate: Rhode Island data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G057: Unemployment Rate: By State.

Unemployment Rate in the United States (DISCONTINUED) was 8.10% in January of 2012, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Unemployment Rate in the United States (DISCONTINUED) reached a record high of 9.70 in January of 1982 and a record low of 4.00 in January of 2000. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Unemployment Rate in the United States (DISCONTINUED) - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

This paper evaluates the ability of autoregressive models, professional forecasters, and models that leverage unemployment flows to forecast the unemployment rate. We pay particular attention to flows-based approaches—the more reduced form approach of Barnichon and Nekarda (2012) and the more structural method in Tasci (2012)—to generalize whether data on unemployment flows is useful in forecasting the unemployment rate. We find that any approach that leverages unemployment inflow and outflow rates performs well in the near term. Over longer forecast horizons, Tasci (2012) appears to be a useful framework, even though it was designed to be mainly a tool to uncover long-run labor market dynamics such as the “natural” rate. Its usefulness is amplified at specific points in the business cycle when unemployment rate is away from the longer-run natural rate. Judgmental forecasts from professional economists tend to be the single best predictor of future unemployment rates. However, combining those guesses with flows-based approaches yields significant gains in forecasting accuracy.

In the latest recession, unemployment rates in the United States increased at a faster pace than in the average OECD country. Since the unemployment rate has been more sensitive to technological shocks in the United States in the past than in other OECD countries, I investigated whether increased sensitivity to such shocks was the reason for the recent relative increase in the U.S. unemployment rate. I find this was not the case.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate for Persons Ages 20 to 24 in the United States (DISCONTINUED) (USAUR24NAA) from 1970 to 2012 about 20 to 24 years, unemployment, rate, and USA.

United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Doctoral Degree, 25 to 64 years, Women was 2.20% in August of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Doctoral Degree, 25 to 64 years, Women reached a record high of 5.90 in January of 2012 and a record low of 0.10 in April of 2006. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Doctoral Degree, 25 to 64 years, Women - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate for Women in the United States (DISCONTINUED) (USAURWNAA) from 1970 to 2012 about females, unemployment, rate, and USA.

United States Unemployment Rate: Female: PW: NA: Mfg: ND: Food Mfg data was reported at 5.400 % in Apr 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.700 % for Mar 2025. United States Unemployment Rate: Female: PW: NA: Mfg: ND: Food Mfg data is updated monthly, averaging 7.000 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 304 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.700 % in Mar 2012 and a record low of 0.800 % in Nov 2022. United States Unemployment Rate: Female: PW: NA: Mfg: ND: Food Mfg data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G: Current Population Survey: Unemployment Rate.

United States - Unemployment Rate - 16-17 Yrs., Men was 17.50% in August of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - 16-17 Yrs., Men reached a record high of 36.40 in August of 2012 and a record low of 6.30 in February of 1953. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - 16-17 Yrs., Men - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

With the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the subsequent financial crisis on Wall Street in 2007 and 2008, economies across the globe began to enter into deep recessions. What had started out as a crisis centered on the United States quickly became global in nature, as it became apparent that not only had the economies of other advanced countries (grouped together as the G7) become intimately tied to the U.S. financial system, but that many of them had experienced housing and asset price bubbles similar to that in the U.S.. The United Kingdom had experienced a huge inflation of housing prices since the 1990s, while Eurozone members (such as Germany, France and Italy) had financial sectors which had become involved in reckless lending to economies on the periphery of the EU, such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal. Other countries, such as Japan, were hit heavily due their export-led growth models which suffered from the decline in international trade. Unemployment during the Great Recession As business and consumer confidence crashed, credit markets froze, and international trade contracted, the unemployment rate in the most advanced economies shot up. While four to five percent is generally considered to be a healthy unemployment rate, nearing full employment in the economy (when any remaining unemployment is not related to a lack of consumer demand), many of these countries experienced rates at least double that, with unemployment in the United States peaking at almost 10 percent in 2010. In large countries, unemployment rates of this level meant millions or tens of millions of people being out of work, which led to political pressures to stimulate economies and create jobs. By 2012, many of these countries were seeing declining unemployment rates, however, in France and Italy rates of joblessness continued to increase as the Euro crisis took hold. These countries suffered from having a monetary policy which was too tight for their economies (due to the ECB controlling interest rates) and fiscal policy which was constrained by EU debt rules. Left with the option of deregulating their labor markets and pursuing austerity policies, their unemployment rates remained over 10 percent well into the 2010s. Differences in labor markets The differences in unemployment rates at the peak of the crisis (2009-2010) reflect not only the differences in how economies were affected by the downturn, but also the differing labor market institutions and programs in the various countries. Countries with more 'liberalized' labor markets, such as the United States and United Kingdom experienced sharp jumps in their unemployment rate due to the ease at which employers can lay off workers in these countries. When the crisis subsided in these countries, however, their unemployment rates quickly began to drop below those of the other countries, due to their more dynamic labor markets which make it easier to hire workers when the economy is doing well. On the other hand, countries with more 'coordinated' labor market institutions, such as Germany and Japan, experiences lower rates of unemployment during the crisis, as programs such as short-time work, job sharing, and wage restraint agreements were used to keep workers in their jobs. While these countries are less likely to experience spikes in unemployment during crises, the highly regulated nature of their labor markets mean that they are slower to add jobs during periods of economic prosperity.

This statistic shows the average annual change in real GDP per capita in the United States from President Hoover to Obama, as of 2011. The biggest economic growth happened during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. The Real Gross Domestic Product per capita increased by 5.25 percent each year.

Additional information on President Barack Obama’s first term economic policy performance

“It’s the economy, stupid” as the now famous saying by former President Bill Clinton goes is often used to demonstrate the importance continuants place on the economy’s performance. Appointed to President of the United States in 2008, President Obama entered the job in the early stages of a global economic crisis. The unemployment rate in the United States since 1990 demonstrates that Obama oversaw a reduction in unemployment rate since an initially sharp increase to over 9 percent in 2009 and 2010. Prior to the reduction, public approval of President Obama and the Republicans in congress in handling the economy shows that the public’s trust in Obama waned from 61 percent in February 2009 to 42 percent in November 2011. The fluctuation of America’s economy meant that Obama’s first term saw him reach an average of 76 thousand private sector jobs created per month as of June 2012, leaving him sixth in private sector job creation on the list of post-war presidents.

As leader of the most economically influential country on the planet, praise and criticism of Obama’s economic performance is also a global issue. In 2012, opinion on Obama’s management of global economic issues by country demonstrates the variety in opinion held in and across countries. While countries such as Britain and Germany whose economies appeared to be recovering held Obama’s economic policy in a positive light, opinion was more negative in Egypt and Greece were the economic situation was less optimistic.

United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Professional Degree, 45 to 54 years, Women was 1.30% in August of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Professional Degree, 45 to 54 years, Women reached a record high of 8.40 in October of 2012 and a record low of 0.10 in August of 2006. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - College Graduates - Professional Degree, 45 to 54 years, Women - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Black or African American (LNS14000006) from Jan 1972 to Sep 2025 about African-American, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.