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.

Unemployment Rate in the United States increased to 4.20 percent in July from 4.10 percent in June 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.

The seasonally-adjusted national unemployment rate is measured on a monthly basis in the United States. In February 2025, the national unemployment rate was at 4.1 percent. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method of removing the seasonal component of a time series that is used when analyzing non-seasonal trends. U.S. monthly unemployment rate According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - the principle fact-finding agency for the U.S. Federal Government in labor economics and statistics - unemployment decreased dramatically between 2010 and 2019. This trend of decreasing unemployment followed after a high in 2010 resulting from the 2008 financial crisis. However, after a smaller financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment reached 8.1 percent in 2020. As the economy recovered, the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 in 2021, and fell even further in 2022. Additional statistics from the BLS paint an interesting picture of unemployment in the United States. In November 2023, the states with the highest (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate were the Nevada and the District of Columbia. Unemployment was the lowest in Maryland, at 1.8 percent. Workers in the agricultural and related industries suffered the highest unemployment rate of any industry at seven percent in December 2023.

Employment Rate in the United States decreased to 59.60 percent in July from 59.70 percent in June of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Employment Rate- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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 inflation rate in the United States declined significantly between June 2022 and June 2025, despite rising inflationary pressures towards the end of 2024. The peak inflation rate was recorded in June 2022, at *** percent. In August 2023, the Federal Reserve's interest rate hit its highest level during the observed period, at **** percent, and remained unchanged until September 2024, when the Federal Reserve implemented its first rate cut since September 2021. By January 2025, the rate dropped to **** percent, signalling a shift in monetary policy. What is the Federal Reserve interest rate? The Federal Reserve interest rate, or the federal funds rate, is the rate at which banks and credit unions lend to and borrow from each other. It is one of the Federal Reserve's key tools for maintaining strong employment rates, stable prices, and reasonable interest rates. The rate is determined by the Federal Reserve and adjusted eight times a year, though it can be changed through emergency meetings during times of crisis. The Fed doesn't directly control the interest rate but sets a target rate. It then uses open market operations to influence rates toward this target. Ways of measuring inflation Inflation is typically measured using several methods, with the most common being the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI tracks the price of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, providing a measure of the price changes consumers face. At the end of 2023, the CPI in the United States was ****** percent, up from ****** a year earlier. A more business-focused measure is the producer price index (PPI), which represents the costs of firms.

Release Date: 2020-12-03.Release Schedule:.The data in this file are based on the 2017 Economic Census. For more information about economic census planned data product releases, see Economic Census: About: 2017 Release Schedules...Key Table Information:.Includes only establishments and firms with payroll..Data may be subject to employment- and/or sales-size minimums that vary by industry...Data Items and Other Identifying Records:.Number of firms.Number of establishments.Sales, value of shipments, or revenue ($1,000).Annual payroll ($1,000).First-quarter payroll ($1,000).Number of employees.Sales, value of shipments, or revenue of largest firms as percent of total sales, value of shipments, or revenue (%).Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (%).Range indicating percent of total sales, value of shipments, or revenue imputed.Range indicating percent of total annual payroll imputed.Range indicating percent of total employees imputed..Each record includes a code which represents the concentration of sales, value of shipments, or revenue by largest firm size ranges...For Wholesale Trade (42), data are published by Type of Operation (All establishments)...Geography Coverage:.The data are shown for employer establishments and firms at the U.S. level only. For information about economic census geographies, including changes for 2017, see Economic Census: Economic Geographies...Industry Coverage:.The data are shown at the 2- through 6-digit 2017 NAICS code levels for all economic census sectors (except Management of Companies and Enterprises (55)). For information about NAICS, see Economic Census: Technical Documentation: Economic Census Code Lists...Footnotes:.Transportation and Warehousing (48-49): footnote 106- Railroad transportation and U.S. Postal Service are out of scope...FTP Download:.Download the entire table at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/2017/sector00/EC1700SIZECONCEN.zip..API Information:.Economic census data are housed in the Census Bureau API. For more information, see Explore Data: Developers: Available APIs: Economic Census..Methodology:.To maintain confidentiality, the U.S. Census Bureau suppresses data to protect the identity of any business or individual. The census results in this file contain sampling and/or nonsampling error. Data users who create their own estimates using data from this file should cite the U.S. Census Bureau as the source of the original data only...To comply with disclosure avoidance guidelines, data rows with fewer than three contributing establishments are not presented. Additionally, establishment counts are suppressed when other select statistics in the same row are suppressed. For detailed information about the methods used to collect and produce statistics, including sampling, eligibility, questions, data collection and processing, data quality, review, weighting, estimation, coding operations, confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and more, see Economic Census: Technical Documentation: Methodology...Symbols:.D - Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies; data are included in higher level totals.N - Not available or not comparable.S - Estimate does not meet publication standards because of high sampling variability, poor response quality, or other concerns about the estimate quality. Unpublished estimates derived from this table by subtraction are subject to these same limitations and should not be attributed to the U.S. Census Bureau. For a description of publication standards and the total quantity response rate, see link to program methodology page..X - Not applicable.A - Relative standard error of 100% or more.r - Revised.s - Relative standard error exceeds 40%.For a complete list of symbols, see Economic Census: Technical Documentation: Data Dictionary.. .Source:.U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic Census.For information about the economic census, see Business and Economy: Economic Census...Contact Information:.U.S. Census Bureau.For general inquiries:. (800) 242-2184/ (301) 763-5154. ewd.outreach@census.gov.For specific data questions:. (800) 541-8345.For additional contacts, see Economic Census: About: Contact Us.

Release Date: 2020-12-17.Release Schedule:.The data in this file come from the 2017 Economic Census of Island Areas data files released on a flow basis from October 2019 through December 2020. For more information about economic census planned data product releases, see Economic Census: About: 2017 Release Schedules...Key Table Information:.Includes only establishments and firms with payroll..Data may be subject to employment- and/or sales-size minimums that vary by industry..The level of geographic detail covered varies by island. Refer to geographic area definitions for a detailed list of the geographies. Note that some tables include geography levels that only pertain to Puerto Rico..Some noise range columns are hidden..Totals may not sum due to rounding...Data Items and Other Identifying Records: .Number of establishments.Sales, value of shipments, or revenue ($1,000).Percent of total sales, shipments, receipts, revenue, or business done (%).Herfindahl-Hirschman index for the 50 largest companies.Range indicating percent of total sales, value of shipments, or revenue imputed...Each record includes a CONCENES code, which represents a specific concentration ratio category for establishments....The data are shown for concentration ratio ranges...Geography Coverage:.The data are shown for employer establishments and firms that vary by industry:. At the Territory level for Puerto Rico.For information about economic census geographies, including changes for 2017, see Economic Census: Economic Geographies...Industry Coverage:.The data are shown for Puerto Rico at the 2- through 4-digit NAICS code levels for selected economic census sectors. For information about NAICS, see Economic Census: Technical Documentation: Economic Census Code Lists..Footnotes:.Not applicable...FTP Download:.Download the entire table at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/data/2017/sector00/IA1700SIZE03.zip..API Information:.Economic census data are housed in the Census Bureau API. For more information, see Explore Data: Developers: Available APIs: Economic Census..Methodology:.To maintain confidentiality, the U.S. Census Bureau suppresses data to protect the identity of any business or individual. The census results in this file contain sampling and/or nonsampling error. Data users who create their own estimates using data from this file should cite the U.S. Census Bureau as the source of the original data only...To comply with disclosure avoidance guidelines, data rows with fewer than three contributing establishments are not presented. Additionally, establishment counts are suppressed when other select statistics in the same row are suppressed. For detailed information about the methods used to collect and produce statistics, including sampling, eligibility, questions, data collection and processing, data quality, review, weighting, estimation, coding operations, confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and more, see Economic Census: Technical Documentation: Methodology...Symbols:.D - Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies; data are included in higher level totals.N - Not available or not comparable.S - Estimate does not meet publication standards because of high sampling variability, poor response quality, or other concerns about the estimate quality. Unpublished estimates derived from this table by subtraction are subject to these same limitations and should not be attributed to the U.S. Census Bureau. For a description of publication standards and the total quantity response rate, see link to program methodology page..X - Not applicable.A - Relative standard error of 100% or more.r - Revised.s - Relative standard error exceeds 40%.For a complete list of symbols, see Economic Census: Technical Documentation: Data Dictionary.. .Source:.U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic Census.For information about the economic census, see Business and Economy: Economic Census...Contact Information:.U.S. Census Bureau.For general inquiries:. (800) 242-2184/ (301) 763-5154. ewd.outreach@census.gov.For specific data questions:. (800) 541-8345.For additional contacts, see Economic Census: About: Contact Us.

Unemployment Rate in Canada remained unchanged at 6.90 percent in July. This dataset provides - Canada Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The unemployment rate of the United Kingdom was 4.7 percent in May 2025, an increase from the previous month. Before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK had relatively low levels of unemployment, comparable with the mid-1970s. Between January 2000 and the most recent month, unemployment was highest in November 2011, when the unemployment rate hit 8.5 percent. Will unemployment continue to rise in 2025? Although low by historic standards, there has been a noticeable uptick in the UK's unemployment rate, with other labor market indicators also pointing to further loosening. In December 2024, the number of job vacancies in the UK fell to its lowest level since May 2021, while payrolled employment declined by 47,000 compared with November. Whether this is a continuation of a broader cooling of the labor market since 2022 or a reaction to more recent economic developments, such as upcoming tax rises for employers, remains to be seen. Forecasts made in late 2024 suggest that the unemployment rate will remain relatively stable in 2025, averaging out at 4.1 percent and falling again to four percent in 2026.
Demographics of the unemployed As of the third quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate for men was slightly higher than that of women, at 4.4 percent, compared to 4.1 percent. During the financial crisis at the end of the 2000s, the unemployment rate for women peaked at a quarterly rate of 7.7 percent, whereas for men, the rate was 9.1 percent. Unemployment is also heavily associated with age, and young people in general are far more vulnerable to unemployment than older age groups. In late 2011, for example, the unemployment rate for those aged between 16 and 24 reached 22.3 percent, compared with 8.2 percent for people aged 25 to 34, while older age groups had even lower peaks during this time.

In 2020, the unemployment rate in Ghana was at approximately 3.01 percent of the total labor force. The unemployment rate is the percentage of a country's labor force that are without jobs but are available to work and actively seeking employment. Ghana’s unemployment rate is above the worldwide unemployment rate, and compared to other Sub-Saharan African countries and other regions, Ghana has a relatively average rate of unemployment. Ghana’s population Due to the nature of its economy and its population size of over 30 million people, Ghana’s estimated GDP per capita amounts to just over 2,200 U.S. dollars in 2018 and forecast to rise continually over the next few years. Almost half of the country’s population works in the services sector, and around 33 percent work in agriculture. The population is relatively young, with only around 3 percent of the total population aged 65 years or older. Ghana’s hopeful future One of the most important economic centers of its region, Ghana’s GDP is at over 65 billion U.S. dollars, and it is projected to grow to over 97 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. Ghana is a country with several valuable natural resources, including gold, petroleum, cocoa, and natural gas. The country’s economy is particularly focused on manufacturing and exporting digital technology goods, and industrial materials. Ghana utilizes these exports domestically as well; its mixed economy is increasingly digital based. A regional leader, it has the goal of being the first African nation to become a developed country in the next decade. There are several positive indications encouraging this possibility, such as that GDP has grown each year, albeit at inconsistent rates.

The U.S. federal funds effective rate underwent a dramatic reduction in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate plummeted from 1.58 percent in February 2020 to 0.65 percent in March, and further decreased to 0.05 percent in April. This sharp reduction, accompanied by the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program, was implemented to stabilize the economy during the global health crisis. After maintaining historically low rates for nearly two years, the Federal Reserve began a series of rate hikes in early 2022, with the rate moving from 0.33 percent in April 2022 to 5.33 percent in August 2023. The rate remained unchanged for over a year, before the Federal Reserve initiated its first rate cut in nearly three years in September 2024, bringing the rate to 5.13 percent. By December 2024, the rate was cut to 4.48 percent, signaling a shift in monetary policy in the second half of 2024. In January 2025, the Federal Reserve implemented another cut, setting the rate at 4.33 percent, which remained unchanged throughout the following months. What is the federal funds effective rate? The U.S. federal funds effective rate determines the interest rate paid by depository institutions, such as banks and credit unions, that lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight. Changing the effective rate in times of crisis is a common way to stimulate the economy, as it has a significant impact on the whole economy, such as economic growth, employment, and inflation. Central bank policy rates The adjustment of interest rates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a coordinated global effort. In early 2020, central banks worldwide implemented aggressive monetary easing policies to combat the economic crisis. The U.S. Federal Reserve's dramatic reduction of its federal funds rate - from 1.58 percent in February 2020 to 0.05 percent by April - mirrored similar actions taken by central banks globally. While these low rates remained in place throughout 2021, mounting inflationary pressures led to a synchronized tightening cycle beginning in 2022, with central banks pushing rates to multi-year highs. By mid-2024, as inflation moderated across major economies, central banks began implementing their first rate cuts in several years, with the U.S. Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank all easing monetary policy.