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.

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.

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.

The unadjusted unemployment rate in the United States stood at 4.5 percent in August 2025. This data is not seasonally adjusted. The adjusted monthly unemployment rate can be found here and the monthly civilian labor force participation rate here.

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.

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.

This dataset contains unemployment data at metropolitan area (MA) level, respectively the change over the year of unemployment rate. The data for the unemployment rate change over the year is starting from 2023 to 2024.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - White (LNS14000003) from Jan 1954 to Sep 2025 about white, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

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

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20-24 Yrs. (LNS14000036) from Jan 1948 to Sep 2025 about 20 to 24 years, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

In December 2024, Nevada had the highest unemployment rate in the United States, with an unemployment rate of 5.7. The unemployment rate was also high in the District of Columbia, with an unemployment rate of 5.6 percent in December. Unemployment in the U.S. A person is considered unemployed if they have no job and are currently looking for a job and available to work. The unemployment rate in the United States varies across states. Nation-wide unemployment was 3.4 percent as of April 2023. Unemployment can be affected by various factors including economic conditions and global competition. During economic prosperity, unemployment rates generally decrease and during times of recession, rates increase. The seasons can also have an impact on the unemployment rate, especially during winter, when there is lower demand for construction workers or other professionals who typically work outdoors. The retail sector also experiences fluctuating demand for workers, particularly during the holiday-shopping season, when demand for workers increases. For this reason, labor statistics are usually presented as being either seasonally adjusted or unadjusted. The data presented in this statistic have been seasonally adjusted, but the monthly unadjusted unemployment rate can be accessed here.

United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over was 4.10% in September of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over reached a record high of 14.20 in April of 2020 and a record low of 2.20 in June of 1953. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Women (LNS14000002) from Jan 1948 to Sep 2025 about females, 16 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate in the information industry in the United States stood at *** percent, increasing from *** percent in the same quarter of 2023. In 2020, the tech industry was hit hard by the economic recession brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, registering a record ** percent unemployment rate during the second quarter. Information industry in the U.S. The U.S. information industry consists of those businesses involved in the production or distribution of information, those involved in providing a means to distribute information and data, and those involved in data processing. More specifically, the sector is comprised of * segments: publishing industries (except internet), motion picture and sound recording industries, broadcasting (except internet), telecommunications, data processing/hosting, and other information services. Employment in the U.S. information industry As a whole, the sector employs nearly ************* people around the United States and accounts for a significant portion of the country’s entertainment industry. As unemployment has fallen, average hourly earnings within the sector have also risen sharply within the past decade, now amounting to almost ** dollars per hour. This trend towards more favorable employment conditions comes at a time when union membership within the industry declined to *** percent in 2022.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 16-19 Yrs. (LNS14000012) from Jan 1948 to Aug 2025 about 16 to 19 years, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

This dataset contains unemployment data at metropolitan area (MA) level. The data for the unemployment rate is for October 2024.

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 Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, Men (LNU04000025) from Jan 1948 to Sep 2025 about 20 years +, males, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

This layer contains the latest 14 months of unemployment statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The data is offered at the nationwide, state, and county geography levels. Puerto Rico is included. These are not seasonally adjusted values. The layer is updated monthly with the newest unemployment statistics available from BLS. There are attributes in the layer that specify which month is associated to each statistic. Most current month: August 2025 (preliminary values at the state and county level) The attributes included for each month are:Unemployment rate (%)Count of unemployed populationCount of employed population in the labor forceCount of people in the labor force Data obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data downloaded: October 1, 2025Local Area Unemployment Statistics table download: https://www.bls.gov/lau/#tablesLocal Area Unemployment FTP downloads:State and CountyNation Data Notes:This layer is updated automatically when the BLS releases their most current monthly statistics. The layer always contains the most recent estimates. It is updated within days of the BLS"s county release schedule. BLS releases their county statistics roughly 2 months after-the-fact. The data is joined to 2023 TIGER boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau.Monthly values are subject to revision over time.For national values, employed plus unemployed may not sum to total labor force due to rounding.As of the January 2022 estimates released on March 18th, 2022, BLS is reporting new data for the two new census areas in Alaska - Copper River and Chugach - and historical data for the previous census area - Valdez Cordova.As of the March 17th, 2025 release, BLS now reports data for 9 planning regions in Connecticut rather than the 8 previous counties. To better understand the different labor force statistics included in this map, see the diagram below from BLS: