Unemployment Rate in the United States remained unchanged at 4.20 percent in May. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In February 2025, the national unemployment level of the United States stood at about 7.05 million unemployed persons. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method for removing the seasonal component of a time series that is used when analyzing non-seasonal trends.

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.

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

U.S. unemployment rate for 2024 was 4.11%, a 0.47% increase from 2023.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>U.S. unemployment rate for 2023 was <strong>3.64%</strong>, a <strong>0.01% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>U.S. unemployment rate for 2022 was <strong>3.65%</strong>, a <strong>1.7% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>U.S. unemployment rate for 2021 was <strong>5.35%</strong>, a <strong>2.71% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
</ul>Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over (LNU04000024) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about 20 years +, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Long term historical dataset of the united states national unemployment rate back to 1948. Compares the level and annual rate of change.

In 2023, the unemployment rate of Asian Americans stood at three percent, which was an increase from the previous year. The overall national unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in 2023 and can be found here.

This dataset provides values for UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Asian (LNU04032183) from Jan 2000 to May 2025 about asian, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

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.

United States Unemployment Rate: American Indian or Alaska Native data was reported at 5.500 % in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.600 % for Mar 2025. United States Unemployment Rate: American Indian or Alaska Native data is updated monthly, averaging 9.150 % from Jan 2000 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 304 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.600 % in Apr 2020 and a record low of 3.900 % in Mar 2024. United States Unemployment Rate: American Indian or Alaska Native 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.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, Black or African American Men (LNS14000031) from Jan 1972 to May 2025 about 20 years +, males, African-American, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

In 2023, it was estimated that over 161 million Americans were in some form of employment, while 3.64 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 - 20 Yrs. & over, Black or African American Women (LNS14000032) from Jan 1972 to Apr 2025 about 20 years +, females, African-American, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 16-24 Yrs. (LNS14024887) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about 16 to 24 years, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Hispanic or Latino (LNU04000009) from Mar 1973 to May 2025 about 16 years +, latino, hispanic, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

United States US: Unemployment Rate: % Change data was reported at -10.616 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -8.031 % for 2016. United States US: Unemployment Rate: % Change data is updated yearly, averaging -5.513 % from Dec 1949 (Median) to 2017, with 69 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 89.744 % in 1954 and a record low of -37.402 % in 1951. United States US: Unemployment Rate: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

United States Unemployment Rate: Black or African American: Female data was reported at 5.500 % in Apr 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.400 % for Mar 2025. United States Unemployment Rate: Black or African American: Female data is updated monthly, averaging 10.900 % from Jan 1972 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 640 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.100 % in Jun 1983 and a record low of 4.000 % in Apr 2023. United States Unemployment Rate: Black or African American: Female 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.