Employment Rate in the United States remained unchanged at 59.60 percent in August. This dataset provides - United States Employment Rate- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2024, the U.S. employment rate stood at 60.1 percent. Employed persons consist of: persons who did any work for pay or profit during the survey reference week; persons who did at least 15 hours of unpaid work in a family-operated enterprise; and persons who were temporarily absent from their regular jobs because of illness, vacation, bad weather, industrial dispute, or various personal reasons. The employment-population ratio represents the proportion of the civilian non-institutional population that is employed. The monthly unemployment rate for the United States can be found here.

Unemployment Rate in the United States increased to 4.30 percent in August from 4.20 percent in July 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.

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 Level - 20 Yrs. & over (LNS13000024) from Jan 1948 to Aug 2025 about 20 years +, household survey, unemployment, and USA.

In 2024, the employment rate of the workforce of 55 years and older decreased to 37.3 percent. Employment rate among young adults (age 16-24) was at 50.9 percent in 2024. For monthly updates on employment in the United States visit the annual national employment rate here.

This dataset contains US Employment and Unemployment rates since 1940. US unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point to 4.3 percent in July 2017, matching a 16-year low touched in May. The number of unemployed persons was little changed at 7.0 million while the labor force participation rate edged up to 62.9 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Employment-Population Ratio (EMRATIO) from Jan 1948 to Aug 2025 about employment-population ratio, civilian, 16 years +, household survey, population, employment, and USA.

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.

The average for 2024 based on 19 countries was 6.88 percent. The highest value was in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 18.06 percent and the lowest value was in Guatemala: 2.22 percent. The indicator is available from 1991 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Employment Rate Total: From 55 to 64 Years for United States (LREM55TTUSM156S) from Jan 1977 to Aug 2025 about 55 to 64 years, employment-population ratio, population, employment, rate, and USA.

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.

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.

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.

In 2024, the employment rate for men in the United States stood at 65.2 percent, reflecting a slight decrease from the previous year. Despite continued growth, the employment rate of men has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The monthly figure of full-time employees in the U.S. can be accessed here.

View monthly updates and historical trends for US Unemployment Rate. from United States. Source: Eurostat. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

This dataset contains labor force data not seasonally adjusted at county and statistically equivalent areas level. The indicators related to labor force are the total number of civilian labor force, the number of employed, the number of unemployed and unemployment rate.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate Full-Time Workers (LNS14100000) from Jan 1968 to Aug 2025 about full-time, workers, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

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

The average for 2024 based on 12 countries was 7.03 percent. The highest value was in Guyana: 10.16 percent and the lowest value was in Bolivia: 3.09 percent. The indicator is available from 1991 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.