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.

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.

The unadjusted unemployment rate in the United States stood at 3.9 percent in October 2024. This data is not seasonally adjusted. The adjusted monthly unemployment rate can be found here and the monthly civilian labor force participation rate here.

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

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 Sweden decreased to 9.40 percent in February from 10.40 percent in January of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Sweden Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Unemployment Rate in Greece decreased to 8.70 percent in January from 9.30 percent in December of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Greece Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Unemployment Rate in Iran decreased to 7.20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 7.50 percent in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - Iran Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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: November 2024 (preliminary values at the 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 forceData obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data downloaded: February 3, 2025Local Area Unemployment Statistics table download: https://www.bls.gov/lau/#tablesLocal Area Unemployment FTP downloads:State and CountyNationData 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 2021 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.To better understand the different labor force statistics included in this map, see the diagram below from BLS:

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate in the information industry in the United States stood at 3.9 percent, increasing from 3.1 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 12 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 six 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 three million 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 45 dollars per hour. This trend towards more favorable employment conditions comes at a time when union membership within the industry declined to 8.4 percent in 2022.

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.

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

In October 2024, the unadjusted unemployment rate of women in the United States stood at 3.9 percent. This was a no change from the previous month. What is seasonal adjustment? Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method that attempts to remove seasonal patters from figures to show how employment and unemployment changes from month to month. For example, seasonal adjustment is used to account for the extra people that are hired in retail around Christmas. Seasonal adjustment makes it so that monthly data can be compared more accurately over the long term. When looking at the seasonally adjusted female unemployment rate, for example, one can see that it is more uniform than the unadjusted rate in order to account for the seasonal component. Unemployment in the United States Unemployment in the United States is seen as a critical indicator of how the economy is doing. In 2010, for example, unemployment in the U.S. was at 9.6 percent due to the Great Recession – the highest figure since 1990. Since 2010, unemployment has been steadily falling as the economy has recovered, and even hit its lowest point since 1990 in 2022, at 3.6 percent. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment in 2021 soared to 8.1 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate in Ohio (OHUR) from Jan 1976 to Jan 2025 about OH, unemployment, rate, and USA.

United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over was 3.80% in February 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 March of 2025.

Unemployment Rate in Venezuela increased to 5.90 percent in 2023 from 5.30 percent in 2022. This dataset provides - Venezuela Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Unemployment Rate in Australia remained unchanged at 4.10 percent in February. This dataset provides - Australia Unemployment Rate at 5.8% in December - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Unemployment Rate in Iraq increased to 15.60 percent in 2023 from 15.30 percent in 2022. This dataset provides - Iraq Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The unemployment rate among the female labor force in the United States decreased from the previous year to 3.9 percent in 2024. The unemployment rate of women in the U.S. reached a high of 8.6 percent in 2010.

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