Initial Jobless Claims in the United States decreased to 216 thousand in the week ending November 22 of 2025 from 222 thousand in the previous week. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Initial Jobless Claims - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

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 Initial Claims (ICSA) from 1967-01-07 to 2025-11-22 about initial claims, headline figure, and USA.

View monthly updates and historical trends for US Unemployment Rate. from United States. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Track economic data with YCha…

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.

Continuing Jobless Claims in the United States increased to 1960 thousand in the week ending November 15 of 2025 from 1953 thousand in the previous week. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Continuing Jobless Claims - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

View weekly updates and historical trends for US Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance. from United States. Source: Department of Labor. Track economi…

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.

Graph and download economic data for Continued Claims (Insured Unemployment) (CCSA) from 1967-01-07 to 2025-11-15 about continued claims, headline figure, insurance, unemployment, and USA.

Jobless Claims 4-week Average in the United States decreased to 223.75 Thousand in November 22 from 224.75 Thousand in the previous week. This dataset provides - United States Jobless Claims 4-week Average- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Units: Percent, Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency: Monthly

The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. Labor force data are restricted to people 16 years of age and older, who currently reside in 1 of the 50 states or the District of Columbia, who do not reside in institutions (e.g., penal and mental facilities, homes for the aged), and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces.

This rate is also defined as the U-3 measure of labor underutilization.

The series comes from the 'Current Population Survey (Household Survey)'

Suggested Citation:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate [UNRATE], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE, August 13, 2023.

In the United States, approximately 7.75 million people were unemployed and looking for work in August 2025. The data has not been seasonally adjusted. For comparison, a look at the unemployment rate in EU states shows that the EU average is higher than the U.S. average.

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

Introduction

The U.S. job market, with its dynamic trends and fluctuating unemployment rates, serves as an important barometer for the nation's economic health. All rates provided in this dataset are seasonally adjusted. Delving into the intricacies of unemployment rates by age and gender helps researchers, policymakers, and analysts uncover underlying patterns and address potential disparities.

Usage Examples

• Economic Research: Study the historical unemployment trends to gauge economic cycles.
• Policy Making: Inform labor market policies and interventions based on age or gender disparities.
• Business Strategy: Companies can analyze job market conditions when considering expansions or contractions.
• Academic Projects: Students and educators can use the dataset for case studies, dissertations, or classroom projects.

Image Source Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-looking-for-jobs-in-newspaper-9832700/

Dataset Contents

This dataset, sourced from the FRED API, provides: - df_sex_unemployment_rates.csv: A breakdown of U.S. unemployment rates based on gender. - df_unemployment_rates.csv: Unemployment rates categorized by various age groups, ranging from young entrants (ages 16-17) to seasoned professionals (55 and above).

Together, these data files offer a comprehensive insight into the nuances of unemployment in the U.S., highlighting potential disparities in the job market across different age groups and between men and women.

Overview with Chart & Report: Initial Jobless Claims 4-Week Average shows the number of people who filed initial unemployment claims during one week, presenting the average value over the last four weeks instead of the absolute

In August 2025, the agriculture and related private wage and salary workers industry had the highest unemployment rate in the United States, at seven percent. In comparison, financial activities workers had the lowest unemployment rate, at 1.6 percent. The average for all industries was 4.5 percent. U.S. unemployment There are several factors that impact unemployment, as it fluctuates with the state of the economy. Unfortunately, the forecasted unemployment rate in the United States is expected to increase as we head into the latter half of the decade. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher saw the lowest unemployment rate from 1992 to 2022 in the United States, which is attributed to the fact that higher levels of education are seen as more desirable in the workforce. Nevada unemployment Nevada is one of the states with the highest unemployment rates in the country and Vermont typically has one of the lowest unemployment rates. These are seasonally adjusted rates, which means that seasonal factors such as holiday periods and weather events that influence employment periods are removed. Nevada's economy consists of industries that are currently suffering high unemployment rates such as tourism. As of May 2023, about 5.4 percent of Nevada's population was unemployed, possibly due to the lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Weekly dataset of the United States Jobless Claims, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 2020-09-19 to 2025-11-22. Available for free download in CSV format.

United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate data was reported at 1.200 % in 01 Dec 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.200 % for 24 Nov 2018. United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate data is updated weekly, averaging 2.600 % from Jan 1971 (Median) to 01 Dec 2018, with 2501 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.900 % in 08 Mar 1975 and a record low of 0.900 % in 06 Oct 2018. United States Unemployment Insurance: Unemployment Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Labor. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G059: Unemployment Insurance: Jobless Claims.

United States Unemployment Insurance: Covered Employment data was reported at 142,513.638 Person th in 01 Dec 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 142,513.638 Person th for 24 Nov 2018. United States Unemployment Insurance: Covered Employment data is updated weekly, averaging 107,981.330 Person th from Jan 1971 (Median) to 01 Dec 2018, with 2501 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 142,513.638 Person th in 01 Dec 2018 and a record low of 52,631.500 Person th in 25 Mar 1972. United States Unemployment Insurance: Covered Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Labor. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G059: Unemployment Insurance: Jobless Claims.