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.

Unemployment Rate in the United States increased to 4.40 percent in September from 4.30 percent in August of 2025. 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.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Total: 15 Years or over for United States (LRUNTTTTUSQ156S) from Q1 1955 to Q2 2025 about 15 years +, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Total: From 15 to 64 Years for United States (LRUN64TTUSQ156S) from Q1 1970 to Q2 2025 about 15 to 64 years, unemployment, rate, and USA.

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 Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Monthly Unemployment Rate Total: 15 Years or over for United States (LRHUTTTTUSM156S) from Jan 1955 to Aug 2025 about harmonized, persons, unemployment, rate, and USA.

The seasonally-adjusted national unemployment rate is measured on a monthly basis in the United States. In August 2025, the national unemployment rate was at 4.3 percent. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method of removing the seasonal component of a time series that is used when analyzing non-seasonal trends.

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 Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Total: From 15 to 24 Years for United States (LRUN24TTUSM156S) from Jan 1955 to Aug 2025 about 15 to 24 years, unemployment, rate, and USA.

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.

Ukraine Labour Force: 15 to 70 Years: Urban: ILO: Unemployment Rate data was reported at 9.300 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 9.200 % for 2016. Ukraine Labour Force: 15 to 70 Years: Urban: ILO: Unemployment Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 8.300 % from Dec 2004 (Median) to 2017, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 9.600 % in 2009 and a record low of 6.700 % in 2008. Ukraine Labour Force: 15 to 70 Years: Urban: ILO: Unemployment Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by State Statistics Service of Ukraine. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ukraine – Table UA.G010: Labour Force: Annual.

United States US: Employment Rate: Age 15-74 data was reported at 67.118 % in 2026. This records an increase from the previous number of 66.828 % for 2025. United States US: Employment Rate: Age 15-74 data is updated yearly, averaging 65.646 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2026, with 42 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 69.750 % in 2000 and a record low of 61.414 % in 2010. United States US: Employment Rate: Age 15-74 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.OECD.EO: Employment and Unemployment: Forecast: OECD Member: Annual.

Unemployment Rate: Aged 15-24: Females for the United States was 8.10% in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Unemployment Rate: Aged 15-24: Females for the United States reached a record high of 16.20 in January of 1982 and a record low of 7.08 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Unemployment Rate: Aged 15-24: Females for the United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

2004 to 2021 Virginia Employment Status of the Civilian Non-Institutional Population by Sex, by Race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and detailed by Age, by Year. Annual averages, numbers in thousands.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Expanded State Employment Status Demographic Data Data accessed from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (https://www.bls.gov/lau/ex14tables.htm)

Statewide data on the demographic and economic characteristics of the labor force are published on an annual-average basis from the Current Population Survey (CPS), the sample survey of households used to calculate the U.S. unemployment rate (https://www.bls.gov/cps/home.htm). For each state and the District of Columbia, employment status data are tabulated for 67 sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, marital status, and detailed age categories and evaluated against a minimum base, calculated to reflect an expected maximum coefficient of variation (CV) of 50 percent, to determine reliability for publication.

The CPS sample was redesigned in 2014–15 to reflect the distribution of the population as of the 2010 Census. At the same time, BLS developed improved techniques for calculating minimum bases. These changes resulted in generally higher minimum bases of unemployment, leading to the publication of fewer state-demographic groups beginning in 2015. The most notable impact was on the detailed age categories, particularly the teenage and age 65 and older groups. In an effort to extend coverage, BLS introduced a version of the expanded state employment status demographic table with intermediate age categories, collapsing the seven categories historically included down to three. Ages 16–19 and 20–24 were combined into a 16–24 year-old category, ages 25–34, 35–44, and 45–54 were combined into a 25–54 year-old category, and ages 55–64 and 65 and older were combined into a 55-years-and-older category. These intermediate age data are tabulated for the total population, as well as the four race and ethnicity groups, and then are evaluated against the unemployment minimum bases. The more detailed age categories continue to be available in the main version of the expanded table, where the minimum base was met.

Additional information on the uses and limitations of statewide data from the CPS can be found in the document Notes on Using Current Population Survey (https://www.bls.gov/lau/notescps.htm) Subnational Data and in Appendix B of the bulletin Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment (https://www.bls.gov/opub/geographic-profile/home.htm).

Unemployment Rate: 3 Month Moving Average: NC: Republic of Dagestan data was reported at 11.800 % in Mar 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.700 % for Dec 2024. Unemployment Rate: 3 Month Moving Average: NC: Republic of Dagestan data is updated monthly, averaging 11.800 % from Aug 2009 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 186 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.000 % in Feb 2010 and a record low of 9.900 % in Sep 2014. Unemployment Rate: 3 Month Moving Average: NC: Republic of Dagestan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Demographic and Labour Market – Table RU.GB008: Unemployment Rate: by Region: Three Month Moving Average. Since January 2018, the data covers the population aged 15 and above, while prior to January 2018 it used to cover the population aged 15-72.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by province, gender and age group. Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Female: 15 Years or over for United States (LRUNTTFEUSA156S) from 1955 to 2024 about 15 years +, females, unemployment, rate, and USA.

The statistic shows the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in EU member states as of July 2025. The source defines youth unemployment as unemployment of those younger than 25 years. In July 2025, the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in Spain was at 26.6 percent. Youth unemployment rate in EU member states Unemployment is a crucial economic factor for a country; youth unemployment is often examined separately because it tends to be higher than unemployment in older age groups. It comprises the unemployment figures of a country’s labor force aged 15 to 24 years old (i.e. the earliest point at which mandatory school education ends). Typically, teenagers and those in their twenties who are fresh out of education do not find jobs right away, especially if the country’s economy is experiencing difficulties, as can be seen above. Additionally, it also tends to be higher in emerging markets than in industrialized nations. Worldwide, youth unemployment figures have not changed significantly over the last decade, nor are they expected to improve in the next few years. Youth unemployment is most prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, even though these regions report high unemployment figures regardless (Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan are among the countries with the highest unemployment rates in the world, for example), and are also highly populated areas with a rather weak infrastructure, compared to industrialized regions. In the European Union and the euro area, unemployment in general has been on the rise since 2008, which is due to the economic crisis which caused bankruptcy and financial trouble for many employers, and thus led to considerable job loss, less job offerings, and consequently, to a rise of the unemployment rate. Older workers are struggling to find new jobs despite their experience, and young graduates are struggling to find new jobs, because they have none. All in all, the number of unemployed persons worldwide is projected to rise, this is not down to the economic crisis alone, but also the industrial automation of processes previously performed by workers, as well as rising population figures.

Goal 8Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for allTarget 8.1: Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countriesIndicator 8.1.1: Annual growth rate of real GDP per capitaNY_GDP_PCAP: Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita (%)Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectorsIndicator 8.2.1: Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed personSL_EMP_PCAP: Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person (%)Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial servicesIndicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sexSL_ISV_IFEM: Proportion of informal employment, by sector and sex (ILO harmonized estimates) (%)Target 8.4: Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the leadIndicator 8.4.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDPEN_MAT_FTPRPG: Material footprint per unit of GDP, by type of raw material (kilograms per constant 2010 United States dollar)EN_MAT_FTPRPC: Material footprint per capita, by type of raw material (tonnes)EN_MAT_FTPRTN: Material footprint, by type of raw material (tonnes)Indicator 8.4.2: Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDPEN_MAT_DOMCMPT: Domestic material consumption, by type of raw material (tonnes)EN_MAT_DOMCMPG: Domestic material consumption per unit of GDP, by type of raw material (kilograms per constant 2010 United States dollars)EN_MAT_DOMCMPC: Domestic material consumption per capita, by type of raw material (tonnes)Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal valueIndicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of employees, by sex, age, occupation and persons with disabilitiesSL_EMP_EARN: Average hourly earnings of employees by sex and occupation (local currency)Indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilitiesSL_TLF_UEM: Unemployment rate, by sex and age (%)SL_TLF_UEMDIS: Unemployment rate, by sex and disability (%)Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or trainingIndicator 8.6.1: Proportion of youth (aged 15–24 years) not in education, employment or trainingSL_TLF_NEET: Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training, by sex and age (%)Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its formsIndicator 8.7.1: Proportion and number of children aged 5–17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and ageSL_TLF_CHLDEC: Proportion of children engaged in economic activity and household chores, by sex and age (%)SL_TLF_CHLDEA: Proportion of children engaged in economic activity, by sex and age (%)Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employmentIndicator 8.8.1: Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant statusSL_EMP_FTLINJUR: Fatal occupational injuries among employees, by sex and migrant status (per 100,000 employees)SL_EMP_INJUR: Non-fatal occupational injuries among employees, by sex and migrant status (per 100,000 employees)Indicator 8.8.2: Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant statusSL_LBR_NTLCPL: Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislationTarget 8.9: By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and productsIndicator 8.9.1: Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rateST_GDP_ZS: Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP (%)Target 8.10: Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for allIndicator 8.10.1: (a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adultsFB_ATM_TOTL: Number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adultsFB_CBK_BRCH: Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adultsIndicator 8.10.2: Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service providerFB_BNK_ACCSS: Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a financial institution or mobile-money-service provider, by sex (% of adults aged 15 years and older)Target 8.a: Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to Least Developed CountriesIndicator 8.a.1: Aid for Trade commitments and disbursementsDC_TOF_TRDCMDL: Total official flows (commitments) for Aid for Trade, by donor countries (millions of constant 2018 United States dollars)DC_TOF_TRDDBMDL: Total official flows (disbursement) for Aid for Trade, by donor countries (millions of constant 2018 United States dollars)DC_TOF_TRDDBML: Total official flows (disbursement) for Aid for Trade, by recipient countries (millions of constant 2018 United States dollars)DC_TOF_TRDCML: Total official flows (commitments) for Aid for Trade, by recipient countries (millions of constant 2018 United States dollars)Target 8.b: By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour OrganizationIndicator 8.b.1: Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategySL_CPA_YEMP: Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy

Unemployment Rate: 3 Month Moving Average: NC: Republic of Kabardino Balkaria data was reported at 4.400 % in Mar 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.700 % for Dec 2024. Unemployment Rate: 3 Month Moving Average: NC: Republic of Kabardino Balkaria data is updated monthly, averaging 10.050 % from Aug 2009 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 186 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20.100 % in Nov 2009 and a record low of 4.400 % in Mar 2025. Unemployment Rate: 3 Month Moving Average: NC: Republic of Kabardino Balkaria data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Demographic and Labour Market – Table RU.GB008: Unemployment Rate: by Region: Three Month Moving Average. Since January 2018, the data covers the population aged 15 and above, while prior to January 2018 it used to cover the population aged 15-72.