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.

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.

This dataset uses seasonally adjusted data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to present information on Maryland's labor force participation rate, employment rate, and unemployment rate.

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.

Countries with flexible institutions and labor market policies, like the U.S., experienced increases in unemployment over the course of the Great Recession, while those with relatively rigid institutions and strict labor market policies fared better.

1990 to present (approximate 2 month lag) Virginia Labor Force and Unemployment estimates by Month by County.

Special data considerations: Period values of "M01-M12" represent Months of Year; "M13" is the Annual Average.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Local Area Unemployment Statistics, table la.data.54.Virginia Data accessed from the Bureau of Labor Statistics public database LABSTAT (https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/)

Supporting documentation can be found on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website under Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Handbook of Methods (https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/lau/home.htm)

Survey Description: Labor force and unemployment estimates for States and local areas are developed by State workforce agencies to measure local labor market conditions under a Federal-State cooperative program. The Department of Labor develops the concepts, definitions, and technical procedures which are used by State agencies for preparation of labor force and unemployment estimates.

These estimates are derived from a variety of sources, including the Current Population Survey, the Current Employment Statistics survey, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, various programs at the Census Bureau, and unemployment insurance claims data from the State workforce agencies.

To establish uniform labor force concepts and definitions in all States and areas consistent with those used for the U.S. as a whole, monthly national estimates of employment and unemployment from the Current Population Survey are used as controls (benchmarks) for the State labor force statistics.

Summary Data Available: Monthly labor force and unemployment series are available for approximately 7,500 geographic areas, including cities over 25,000 population, counties, metropolitan areas, States, and other areas.

For each area, the following measures are presented by place of residence:

• Total civilian labor force,
• Total number of people employed,
• Total number of people unemployed, and
• Unemployment rate

Data Characteristics: Rates are expressed as percents with one decimal place. Levels are measured as individual persons (not thousands) and are stored with no decimal places.

🌍 This dataset provides global youth unemployment rates for individuals aged 15–24 across all available countries and years, giving a comprehensive view of labor market conditions for young people worldwide.

🔍 Youth unemployment measures young people who are actively looking for work but cannot find a job. According to World Bank standards, students who are not participating in the labor force are not included, while students who are actively job-seeking are counted. Only individuals who are available for work and searching for employment are considered unemployed. This makes the dataset a precise reflection of labor market pressure among young job seekers.

📊 This dataset contains 17,290 rows and 4 columns: Country, CountryCode, Year, and YouthUnemployment. It includes data for all available countries and territories and spans the years 1960–2023. Some values are missing for certain countries and years where data is not available.

💹 Youth unemployment is an important indicator of economic health, social development, and workforce stability. Monitoring these rates helps reveal patterns in youth labor markets, including regional disparities, historical trends, and the effects of economic policies. The dataset allows for cross-country comparisons, time-series analysis, and identification of long-term shifts in youth employment opportunities. It is a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, educators, and analysts seeking to understand the challenges faced by young populations as they transition from education to the workforce.

The unemployment rate of the United Kingdom was five percent in September 2025, up from 4.8 percent in the previous month, and the highest rate of unemployment since 2021. Before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK had relatively low levels of unemployment. 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.

The employment and unemployment indicator shows several data points. The first figure is the number of people in the labor force, which includes the number of people who are either working or looking for work. The second two figures, the number of people who are employed and the number of people who are unemployed, are the two subcategories of the labor force. The unemployment rate is a calculation of the number of people who are in the labor force and unemployed as a percentage of the total number of people in the labor force.

The unemployment rate does not include people who are not employed and not in the labor force. This includes adults who are neither working nor looking for work. For example, full-time students may choose not to seek any employment during their college career, and are thus not considered in the unemployment rate. Stay-at-home parents and other caregivers are also considered outside of the labor force, and therefore outside the scope of the unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate is a key economic indicator, and is illustrative of economic conditions in the county at the individual scale.

There are additional considerations to the unemployment rate. Because it does not count those who are outside the labor force, it can exclude individuals who were looking for a job previously, but have since given up. The impact of this on the overall unemployment rate is difficult to quantify, but it is important to note because it shows that no statistic is perfect.

The unemployment rates for Champaign County, the City of Champaign, and the City of Urbana are extremely similar between 2000 and 2023.

All three areas saw a dramatic increase in the unemployment rate between 2006 and 2009. The unemployment rates for all three areas decreased overall between 2010 and 2019. However, the unemployment rate in all three areas rose sharply in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate in all three areas dropped again in 2021 as pandemic restrictions were removed, and were almost back to 2019 rates in 2022. However, the unemployment rate in all three areas rose slightly from 2022 to 2023.

This data is sourced from the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Sources: Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Flows Employed to Unemployed (LNS17400000) from Feb 1990 to Aug 2025 about flow, 16 years +, labor force, labor, unemployment, employment, 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…

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.

The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program is a federal-state cooperative effort in which monthly estimates of total employment and unemployment are prepared for over 7,500 areas: Census regions and divisionsStatesMetropolitan Statistical AreasMetropolitan DivisionsMicropolitan Statistical AreasCombined Metropolitan Statistical AreasSmall Labor Market AreasCounties and county equivalentsCities of 25,000 population or moreCities and towns in New England regardless of population These estimates are key indicators of local economic conditions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor is responsible for the concepts, definitions, technical procedures, validation, and publication of the estimates that state workforce agencies prepare under agreement with BLS. A wide variety of customers use these estimates: Federal programs use the data for allocations to states and areas, as well as eligibility determinations for assistance.State and local governments use the estimates for planning and budgetary purposes and to determine the need for local employment and training services.Private industry, researchers, the media, and other individuals use the data to assess localized labor market developments and make comparisons across areas. The concepts and definitions underlying LAUS data come from the Current Population Survey (CPS), the household survey that is the source of the national unemployment rate. State monthly model-based estimates are controlled in "real time" to sum to national monthly employment and unemployment estimates from the CPS. These models combine current and historical data from the CPS, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, and state unemployment insurance (UI) systems. Estimates for seven large areas and their respective balances of state also are model-based. Estimates for counties are produced through a building-block approach known as the "Handbook method." This procedure also uses data from several sources, including the CPS, the CES program, state UI systems, and the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), to create estimates that are adjusted to the statewide measures of employment and unemployment. Estimates for cities are prepared using disaggregation techniques based on inputs from the ACS, annual population estimates, and current UI data.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR
Unemployment (EC3)

FULL MEASURE NAME
Unemployment rate by residential location

LAST UPDATED
December 2022

DESCRIPTION
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force – by place of residence – that is not currently employed full-time or part-time. The unemployment rate reflects the strength of the overall employment market.

DATA SOURCE
California Employment Development Department: Historical Unemployment Rates
1990-2010
Spreadsheet provided by CAEDD

California Employment Development Department: Labor Force and Unemployment Rate for California Sub-County Areas - https://data.edd.ca.gov/Labor-Force-and-Unemployment-Rates/Labor-Force-and-Unemployment-Rate-for-California-S/8z4h-2ak6
2010-2022

California Employment Development Department: Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - https://data.edd.ca.gov/Labor-Force-and-Unemployment-Rates/Local-Area-Unemployment-Statistics-LAUS-/e6gw-gvii
1990-2022

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la
1990-2021

CONTACT INFORMATION
vitalsigns.info@bayareametro.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator)
Unemployment rates produced by the CA Employment Development Department (EDD) for the region and county levels are not adjusted for seasonality (as they reflect annual data) and are final data (i.e., not preliminary). Unemployment rates produced by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for the metro regions are annual and not adjusted for seasonality; they reflect the primary metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for the named region, except for the San Francisco Bay Area which uses the nine-county region. The unemployment rate is calculated based on the number of unemployed persons divided by the total labor force. Note that the unemployment rate can decline or increase as a result of changes in either variable.

This dataset provides a comprehensive overview of job market dynamics and unemployment trends across multiple regions from 2019 to 2023. It includes monthly data on unemployment rates, the number of active job postings, and the top in-demand skills within each region. Additionally, the dataset captures workforce demographics such as average age and education levels of unemployed workers, alongside indicators for retraining program needs.

The dataset is designed to support analysis and modeling tasks such as predicting unemployment hotspots, identifying skill gaps, and recommending targeted retraining or upskilling programs. It serves as a valuable resource for labor economists, policymakers, workforce development agencies, and data scientists aiming to understand and address regional employment challenges.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Unemployment (EC3)

FULL MEASURE NAME Unemployment rate by residential location

LAST UPDATED July 2019

DESCRIPTION Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force – by place of residence – that is not currently employed full-time or part-time. The unemployment rate reflects the strength of the overall employment market.

DATA SOURCE California Employment Development Department: Historical Unemployment Rates 1990-2018 https://data.edd.ca.gov/Labor-Force-and-Unemployment-Rates/Local-Area-Unemployment-Statistics-LAUS-Annual-Ave/7jbb-3rb8

CONTACT INFORMATION vitalsigns.info@bayareametro.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator) Unemployment rates produced by EDD for the region and county levels are not adjusted for seasonality (as they reflect annual data) and are final data (i.e., not preliminary). Unemployment rates produced by BLS for the metro regions are adjusted for seasonality; they reflect the primary MSA for the named region, except for the San Francisco Bay Area which uses the nine-county region. The unemployment rate is calculated based on the number of unemployed persons divided by the total labor force. Note that the unemployment rate can decline or increase as a result of changes in either variable.

Survey Description: Labor force and unemployment estimates for States and local areas are developed by State workforce agencies to measure local labor market conditions under a Federal-State cooperative program. The Department of Labor develops the concepts, definitions, and technical procedures which are used by State agencies for preparation of labor force and unemployment estimates.

These estimates are derived from a variety of sources, including the Current Population Survey, the Current Employment Statistics survey, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, various programs at the Census Bureau, and unemployment insurance claims data from the State workforce agencies.

To establish uniform labor force concepts and definitions in all States and areas consistent with those used for the U.S. as a whole, monthly national estimates of employment and unemployment from the Current Population Survey are used as controls (benchmarks) for the State labor force statistics.

Summary Data Available: Monthly labor force and unemployment series are available for approximately 7,500 geographic areas, including cities over 25,000 population, counties, metropolitan areas, States, and other areas.

For each area, the following estimates are presented by place of residence:

* Total civilian labor force,

* Total number of people employed,

* Total number of people unemployed, and

* Unemployment rate

This dataset shows the population, civilian labor force, unemployed, and unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 years in New York State and its Labor Market Regions.

This dataset presents labor market data, specifically employment and unemployment statistics in the United States of America. From a methodological point of view, it is an important tool for studying and analyzing the dynamics of the labor market and the economic state of the country. Let's take a look at its key aspects: Unemployment: This is the main indicator that indicates the number of people who are actively looking for work but cannot find it. Unemployment is an important economic indicator because it reflects the degree of utilization of a nation's labor potential and its economic stability. Labor force and its participation: The labor force includes those who are working or actively looking for work. Labor force participation measures what percentage of the civilian population is able and willing to participate in work. Employment and Employment Rate: Employment measures the number of people who have a job, while the employment rate shows the percentage of the workforce that is actually working. Duration of unemployment and the labor market: The dataset may also contain information on the duration of unemployment, which is an important aspect in assessing the efficiency of the labor market. Economic cycles and policy interventions: Data dynamics can indicate economic cycles and the effectiveness of policy interventions on labor and employment. This dataset can be useful to economists, human resource professionals, policy analysts and other researchers as it allows the study and analysis of key aspects of the labor market and unemployment, contributing to the understanding and forecasting of economic trends.

This dataset from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides monthly estimates regarding total employment and unemployment, which together comprise the labor force. The unemployment rate is the percentage of people in the labor force who are unemployed. Our data extract lists all data published for North Carolina’s counties from January 2019 to the present. This dataset is a comprehensive nationwide representation using estimates derived from the national Current Population Survey (CPS) and American Community Survey 5-year estimates. No disaggregations by demographic or worker characteristics are included in the unemployment rate estimate. Time series reports for each variable (employment, unemployment, and labor force) are available for each geography (county) using the BLS multi-screen data tool. Preliminary estimates are released within 30 days of each month and finalized within another 30 days, resulting in a 2-month data lag. The data is available for a variety of geographic areas, including states, MSAs, counties, cities and towns, and other census regions.