Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate for United States (M0892AUSM156SNBR) from Apr 1929 to Jun 1942 about unemployment, rate, and USA.

From the late 19th century until the 1980s, the United States' unemployment rate was generally somewhere between three and ten percent of the total workforce. The periods when it peaked were in times of recession or depression - the Panic of 1893, which lasted until 1897, saw unemployment peak at over 18 percent, whereas the post-WWI recession saw unemployment spike to almost 12 percent in 1921.

However, the longest and most-severe period of mass unemployment in U.S. history came during the Great Depression - unemployment rose from just 3.2 percent in 1929 to one quarter of the total workforce in 1933, and it was not until the Second World War until it fell below five percent once more. Since this time, unemployment has never exceeded 10 percent, although it did come close during the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s.

More recent unemployment statistics for the U.S. can be found here.

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.

The estimated number of banks and thrifts in the United States fell from around ****** in 1920 to ****** in 1929, when the onset of the Great Depression would then see it fall further, below ****** in 1933. This marks a cumulative decline of over ****** banks and thrifts, which is equal to a drop of more than ** percent in 13 years. Tumultuous Twenties Despite the economic prosperity associated with the Roarin' 1920s in the U.S., it was a tumultuous decade in financial terms, with more separate recessions than any other decade. However, the ***** was also privy to frivolous lending policies among many banks, which saw the banking sector collapse in the wake of the Wall Street Crash in 1929. Many banks failed as the Great Depression and unemployment spread across the country, and customers or businesses could not afford to repay their loans. It was only after this financial crisis where the federal government began keeping more stringent and accurate records on its banking sector, therefore precise figures and the reasons behind these bank failures are not always clear. Franklin D. Roosevelt Just two days after assuming office in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt drastically declared a bank holiday, and all banks in the country were closed from ******* until ********. This break allowed Congress to pass the Emergency Banking Act on *******, which saw the Federal Reserve provide deposit insurance for all reopened banks thereafter. Through his first fireside chat, Roosevelt then encouraged Americans to re-deposit their money in the banks again, which successfully restored much of the public's faith in the banking system - it is estimated that over half of the cash withdrawn during the Great Depression was then returned to the banks by ********.

In July 2024, 3.16 billion U.S. dollars were paid out in unemployment benefits in the United States. This is an increase from June 2024, when 2.62 billion U.S. dollars were paid in unemployment benefits. The large figures seen in 2020 are largely due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Welfare in the U.S. Unemployment benefits first started in 1935 during the Great Depression as a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Social Security Act of 1935 ensured that Americans would not fall deeper into poverty. The United States was the only developed nation in the world at the time that did not offer any welfare benefits. This program created unemployment benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, and maternal and child welfare. The only major welfare program that the United States currently lacks is a paid maternity leave policy. Currently, the United States only offers 12 unpaid weeks of leave, under certain circumstances. However, the number of people without health insurance in the United States has greatly decreased since 2010. Unemployment benefits Current unemployment benefits in the United States vary from state to state due to unemployment being funded by both the state and the federal government. The average duration of people collecting unemployment benefits in the United States has fluctuated since January 2020, from as little as 4.55 weeks to as many as 50.32 weeks. The unemployment rate varies by ethnicity, gender, and education levels. For example, those aged 16 to 24 have faced the highest unemployment rates since 1990 during the pandemic. In February 2023, the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV metropolitan area had the highest unemployment rate in the United States.

Objectives. This study investigated the association between unemployment and depressive symptoms and major depression disorder worldwide using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods. Search time was limited to all articles published in English until December 2020. In the association between unemployment and depression, first, the results of qualified studies were extracted and, then, the results of each study were pooled with each other using the random effects method. Results. The prevalence of depression in the unemployed is 21%, 95% confidence interval (CI) [18, 24%]. This prevalence for depression symptoms is 24%, 95% CI [20, 28%] and for major depressive disorder is 16%, 95% CI [9–24%]. The association between unemployment and depressive symptoms was odds ratio (OR) 2.06, 95% CI [1.85, 2.30] and the association for major depressive disorder was OR 1.88, 95% CI [1.57, 2.25]. The association between unemployment and depression in men was OR 2.27, 95% CI [1.76, 2.93] and in women was OR 1.62, 95% CI [1.40, 1.87]. Conclusions. What is clear from the present study is that unemployment can lead to a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder, thereby undermining the mental health of the unemployed.

The Question “Why unemployment?” is one of the most central topics of economic theory since the great depression. Unemployment remains one of the most important problems of economic policies in industrial countries. Unemployment has different causes and therefore also different countermeasures are required. “Together with the destruction of environment unemployment and inflation are in the focus of economic and political discussions on macroeconomic problems and are considered as the greatest challenges of economic policy. Depending on the level of unemployment there is a higher focus on inflation or on unemployment, if both are on an alarming level at the same time they are in the shot simultaneously. In anyway both issues need to be analyzed together because they are not independent from each other. Experiences from the recent years have shown that combating inflation leads to an increase in unemployment, at least temporarily but probably also permanently. The other way around; combating unemployment may under certain circumstances also lead to an increase in inflation… Unemployment and inflation are macroeconomic problems. The level of both undesirable developments is determined by the relations in the entire economy. Therefor it is necessary to use macroeconomic theory which deals the general economic context for the analysis. Both problems are enhanced by structural factors which also need to be analyzed. In contrast to microeconomic theory which focuses on different individual decision makers, in macroeconomic theory decision makers and decisions are summarized in macroeconomic aggregates. The common procedure is to summarize decision makers into aggregates like “private households”, “enterprises” and “the state” and the decision makers concerning the use of income into “private consumption”, “investments” and “public expenditure” (Kromphardt, Jürgen, 1998: Arbeitslosigkeit und Inflation (unemployment and inflation). 2., newly revised A. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, p. 17-18). Macroeconomic approaches on the explanation of unemployment and inflation are highly controversial in economic theory. Therefore the author starts with the attempt to present different explanations for unemployment and inflation from different macroeconomic positions. There are different unemployment: classical unemployment (reason: real wages to high), Keynesian unemployment (reason: demand for goods to low), unemployment due to a lack of working places (reason: capital stock to low). These positions give conflicting explanations and recommendations because they are based on different perceptions of the starting position. Therefor the author confronts central positions with empirical data on the macro level with the following restriction: “It is impossible to prove theories as correct (to verify). This is a reason for the fact that macroeconomic controversies do not come to a conclusion but are continued in a modified way. Furthermore economic statements in this field always affect social and political interests as all economic policies favor or put as a disadvantage interests of distinct social groups in a different way.“ (Kromphardt, a.a.O., S. 20).

Data tables in HISTAT (1) Development of employment: Presented by the development of annual average unemployment rates and the balance of labor force of the institute for labor market and occupation research (IAB, Nuremberg) after the domestic concept(employment with Germany as the place of work) For characterizing the overall economic developments, those values are used which play an important role in the reports of the German central bank: (2) Inflation: Rate of differences in the price index for costs of living compared to the previous year (3) Currency reserves of German federal banks and the German central bank: measure for foreign economic situation and the payment balance of the central bank (4) Development of economic growth: Presented by the nominal and real growth rate of the GDP (5) Inflation rate of the GDP, money supply, growth rate of the price index of the GDP (6) Labor productivity (= GDP per employee, domestic concept) (7) Real wage per employee (8) Exchange rate: DM/$ (monthly averages) (9) Growth of DGP, productivity, economically active population, real incomes, unemployment rate and adjusted wages (10) Time series connected with labor demand (11) GDP, labor volume, employees, working hours and labor productivity (12) Employee compensation, wages and ...

The Long Depression was, by a large margin, the longest-lasting recession in U.S. history. It began in the U.S. with the Panic of 1873, and lasted for over five years. This depression was the largest in a series of recessions at the turn of the 20th century, which proved to be a period of overall stagnation as the U.S. financial markets failed to keep pace with industrialization and changes in monetary policy. Great Depression The Great Depression, however, is widely considered to have been the most severe recession in U.S. history. Following the Wall Street Crash in 1929, the country's economy collapsed, wages fell and a quarter of the workforce was unemployed. It would take almost four years for recovery to begin. Additionally, U.S. expansion and integration in international markets allowed the depression to become a global event, which became a major catalyst in the build up to the Second World War. Decreasing severity When comparing recessions before and after the Great Depression, they have generally become shorter and less frequent over time. Only three recessions in the latter period have lasted more than one year. Additionally, while there were 12 recessions between 1880 and 1920, there were only six recessions between 1980 and 2020. The most severe recession in recent years was the financial crisis of 2007 (known as the Great Recession), where irresponsible lending policies and lack of government regulation allowed for a property bubble to develop and become detached from the economy over time, this eventually became untenable and the bubble burst. Although the causes of both the Great Depression and Great Recession were similar in many aspects, economists have been able to use historical evidence to try and predict, prevent, or limit the impact of future recessions.

A series of recessions in the 1970s and 1980s meant that unemployment rates in some Western European countries rose to their highest levels since the Great Depression in the 1930s. While countries such as West Germany closed out the period of prosperity (known as the "Golden Age of Capitalism") with unemployment rates below one percent, figures rose gradually in the 1970s, and then furthermore in the 1980s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the highest levels of unemployment in the listed countries were observed in Ireland and the United States; although the highest levels of unemployment in the 1980s were observed in Spain, during its transition to democracy. Of the major economic powers listed here, Japan saw the least amount of fluctuation, with a high of just 2.5 percent in the given periods; almost half of the U.S.' lowest unemployment figure in these periods.

The Volcker Shock was a period of historically high interest rates precipitated by Federal Reserve Chairperson Paul Volcker's decision to raise the central bank's key interest rate, the Fed funds effective rate, during the first three years of his term. Volcker was appointed chairperson of the Fed in August 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, as replacement for William Miller, who Carter had made his treasury secretary. Volcker was one of the most hawkish (supportive of tighter monetary policy to stem inflation) members of the Federal Reserve's committee, and quickly set about changing the course of monetary policy in the U.S. in order to quell inflation. The Volcker Shock is remembered for bringing an end to over a decade of high inflation in the United States, prompting a deep recession and high unemployment, and for spurring on debt defaults among developing countries in Latin America who had borrowed in U.S. dollars.

Monetary tightening and the recessions of the early '80s

Beginning in October 1979, Volcker's Fed tightened monetary policy by raising interest rates. This decision had the effect of depressing demand and slowing down the U.S. economy, as credit became more expensive for households and businesses. The Fed funds rate, the key overnight rate at which banks lend their excess reserves to each other, rose as high as 17.6 percent in early 1980. The rate was allowed to fall back below 10 percent following this first peak, however, due to worries that inflation was not falling fast enough, a second cycle of monetary tightening was embarked upon starting in August of 1980. The rate would reach its all-time peak in June of 1981, at 19.1 percent. The second recession sparked by these hikes was far deeper than the 1980 recession, with unemployment peaking at 10.8 percent in December 1980, the highest level since The Great Depression. This recession would drive inflation to a low point during Volcker's terms of 2.5 percent in August 1983.

The legacy of the Volcker Shock

By the end of Volcker's terms as Fed Chair, inflation was at a manageable rate of around four percent, while unemployment had fallen under six percent, as the economy grew and business confidence returned. While supporters of Volcker's actions point to these numbers as proof of the efficacy of his actions, critics have claimed that there were less harmful ways that inflation could have been brought under control. The recessions of the early 1980s are cited as accelerating deindustrialization in the U.S., as manufacturing jobs lost in 'rust belt' states such as Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania never returned during the years of recovery. The Volcker Shock was also a driving factor behind the Latin American debt crises of the 1980s, as governments in the region defaulted on debts which they had incurred in U.S. dollars. Debates about the validity of using interest rate hikes to get inflation under control have recently re-emerged due to the inflationary pressures facing the U.S. following the Coronavirus pandemic and the Federal Reserve's subsequent decision to embark on a course of monetary tightening.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The complete Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF) payroll data have been transcribed from records kept at the University of Warwick's Modern Record Centre in order to provide electronic access. This is an especially rich source of data, representing roughly 30 percent of UK engineering. Detailed information are provided on wages (rates and earnings) and hours of work at engineering district, section, and occupational levels. Statistics separate pieceworkers and timeworkers as well as males and females. Information on apprentices, journeymen, boys and youths is also given. The statistics cover the period 1914 to 1968 and provide exceptional detail for the inter-war period (including the Great Depression), WWII, and the post-war recovery period. Unemployment rates covering 1926-1968 and matching 28 of the 56 engineering districts are also provided.

To date, research work carried out at the University of Stirling on these data include:

(a) A comprehensive descriptive analysis of all main features of the data.

(b) Wages and hours in British engineering in the inter-and post-war periods.

(c) The effect of the business cycles on the piece rates and time rates of pay.

(d) Female work and pay in engineering during WWII.

(e) Apprenticeship and journeymen relative pay and employment in the interwar period.




Main Topics:

The EEF data cover the period 1914-1968. They are divided into engineering districts, sections and occupations and by gender, piecework and timework. The available data files contain:

(a) District data for men: this covers 36 years between 1914 and 1968 (there are some missing years) for 25 occupations and 56 districts.

(b) Section data for men: for 28 years between 1930 and 1968 (again with missing years) for 25 occupations and 43 sections.

(c) District data for women: for 27 years between 1935 and 1968 for 55 districts. For 1935 to 1939 and 1945 to 1962 the breakdown is by women aged under and over 18. For 1940 to 1942 this is broken down further into women doing men's work and women doing women and boys' work. For 1966 to 1968 it is women under and over 21.

(d) Section data for Women: this is for 25 years between 1935 and 1968 covering 43 sections and with the same breakdown as the district data.

(e) Apprentices, Boys and Youths: both the district data and the section data covers 14 years between 1935 and 1958 for 55 districts and 29 sections.

(f) Night shift and 2/3 shift working: the district data it is just for two years, 1935 and 1936 for 51 districts while the section data is for five years from 1935 to 1939 covering 28 sections.

(g) Apprentices, journeymen and boys: this gives numbers of apprentices, journeymen and boys for 11 years from 1928 to 1938 covering 38 districts and 8 occupations.

(h) District unemployment rates: these have been made available for 28 of the EEF districts from 1926 to 1968.


Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

This study aims to identify the significance of age and employment to individual function during COVID-19. An online survey included 509 Israeli citizens, ages 18–78, who reported individual function, depression, fears related to COVID-19 and demographic characteristics. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed a good fit between our model and the data. Age and employment were negatively associated with depression and economic fears related to COVID-19 that, in turn, were negatively associated with individual function. The effect of age and employment on individual function was fully mediated via depression and economic fears related to COVID-19. The discussion addresses our findings in the context of the victimization paradox. Although COVID-19 related health complications are more frequent among older adults, our results suggest that practitioners responsible for public mental health during viral pandemics should consider young age and unemployment as risk factors for depression and low individual function.

Throughout the 1920s, prices on the U.S. stock exchange rose exponentially, however, by the end of the decade, uncontrolled growth and a stock market propped up by speculation and borrowed money proved unsustainable, resulting in the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. This set a chain of events in motion that led to economic collapse - banks demanded repayment of debts, the property market crashed, and people stopped spending as unemployment rose. Within a year the country was in the midst of an economic depression, and the economy continued on a downward trend until late-1932.

It was during this time where Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was elected president, and he assumed office in March 1933 - through a series of economic reforms and New Deal policies, the economy began to recover. Stock prices fluctuated at more sustainable levels over the next decades, and developments were in line with overall economic development, rather than the uncontrolled growth seen in the 1920s. Overall, it took over 25 years for the Dow Jones value to reach its pre-Crash peak.

Hourly precipitation data tabulated under the Work Projects Administration (WPA), a New Deal program created to reduce unemployment during the Great Depression. Forms capture extreme precipitation over periods ranging from five minutes to twenty-four hours. Scans captured from the microfilm collection at the National Climatic Data Center.

This Gallup poll explores the opinions of Canadians on various political issues, current events, and asks their predictions for the future. It also tackles such topics as unemployment and gender issues. All respondents were asked questions so that they could be classified according to demographic, geographic and social variables. Topics of interest include: car ownership; China; city problems; communism; economic depression; Eisenhower; elections; gender issues; housing; ideal job for women; international trade; life expectancy; marriage quarrels; price trends; Prime Minister; political parties; changes in postage price; Russia; sleeping patterns; unemployment rates; union membership; voting behaviour; work in an asylum; and the world tour taken by the Prime Minister. Basic demographics variables are also included.

The Survey of Consumer Attitudes and Behavior series (also known as the Surveys of Consumers) was undertaken to measure changes in consumer attitudes and expectations, to understand why such changes occur, and to evaluate how they relate to consumer decisions to save, borrow, or make discretionary purchases. The data regularly include the Index of Consumer Sentiment, the Index of Current Economic Conditions, and the Index of Consumer Expectations. Since the 1940s, these surveys have been produced quarterly through 1977 and monthly thereafter. The surveys conducted in 2010 focused on topics such as evaluations and expectations about personal finances, employment, price changes, and the national business situation. Opinions were collected regarding respondents' appraisals of present market conditions for purchasing houses, automobiles, and other durables. Explored in this survey were respondents' types of savings and financial investments, loan use, family income, and retirement planning. This survey also asked respondents about financial and health literacy; adult and online education; and technology use in health, finances, travel, and communication. Additional questions on independent living communities and general feelings were asked. Other topics in this series typically include ownership, lease, and use of automobiles, respondents' use of personal computers at home and in the office, and respondents' familiarity with and use of the Internet. Demographic information include ethnic origin, sex, age, marital status, and education.

United States CSI: Economic Outlook 5 Years data was reported at 106.000 1966=100 in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 101.000 1966=100 for Aug 2018. United States CSI: Economic Outlook 5 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 92.000 1966=100 from Jan 1978 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 489 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 136.000 1966=100 in Sep 2000 and a record low of 40.000 1966=100 in Jul 1979. United States CSI: Economic Outlook 5 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by University of Michigan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.H025: Consumer Sentiment Index. The question was: Looking ahead, which would you say is more likely -- that in the country as a whole we'll have continuous good times during the next 5 years, or that we'll have periods of widespread unemployment or depression, or what?

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Great Britain Historical Database has been assembled as part of the ongoing Great Britain Historical GIS Project. The project aims to trace the emergence of the north-south divide in Britain and to provide a synoptic view of the human geography of Britain at sub-county scales. Further information about the project is available on A Vision of Britain webpages, where users can browse the database's documentation system online.

This study assembles historical data from the National Insurance system, plus some data from trade union welfare systems gathered and published by the Board of Trade Labour Department. The data were computerised by the Great Britain Historical GIS Project. They form part of the Great Britain Historical Database, which contains a wide range of geographically-located statistics, selected to trace the emergence of the north-south divide in Britain and to provide a synoptic view of the human geography of Britain, generally at sub-county scales.

Most of the data here was originally published by the Ministry of Labour, either in the Labour Gazette, later the Employment Gazette, or in the specialised Local Unemployment Index (LUI), published between 1927 and 1939. The largest dataset here is a complete transcription of the LUI data for each January, April, July and October from January 1927 to July 1939 inclusive, the most detailed information that exists on the geography of the inter-war depression, other than the 1931 census.

Unlike census data, these data concern a wide range of regions, "divisions", "districts", towns and sometimes areas within towns, seldom defined (the LUI data do list counties). The study therefore also includes two specially constructed gazetteers which attempt to provide towns and areas within towns with point coordinates. Another limitation is that these data generally provide counts of the unemployed, but not counts of the insured, or numbers in work, so calculation of rates often requires data from other sources such as the census. The study also includes two transcriptions from unpublished tabulations in the National Archives, relating to unemployment in 1928 and 1933.

Please note: this study does not include information on named individuals and would therefore not be useful for personal family history research.

For the second edition (February 2024), the data was updated; data running up to 1974 has been added and the former study 3711 has been incorporated.

Main Topics:

- Trade Union Unemployment Percentages for four sectors (capenters and joiners, engineers, printing, and shipbuilding), 1902-14.

- Annual unemployment rates 1923-38 for 8 "divisions".

- Local Unemployment Index, 1927-39 arranged by age and sex.

- Unemployment statistics 1945-74 for towns and development areas from the Labour Gazette.

- Unpublished data on casuals, temporarily stopped, etc in 1928.

- Unpublished data on composition of the unemployed in January,1933 arranged by sex.

- Local government districts which were Special Areas in 1934.

Over the course of the 1920s, the value of money deposited in commercial banks grew at a fairly steady rate, rising from around 19 billion U.S. dollars in 1921 (the initial dip was due to the post-WWI recession), to 25 billion at the end of the decade. However, the onset of the Great Depression saw these figures drop drastically, and the value of deposits fell from around 26 to 16 billion dollars between 1930 and 1933. This was not only due to high unemployment and lower wages, but many Americans also lost faith in the banks during the Depression - many blamed the banks for the Depression as frivolous lending practices had contributed to the Wall Street Crash; banks demanded early repayment of debts and often repossessed the property of those who could not afford to do so (also leading to evictions), and many banks failed after the Crash and were not perceived as safe. It was not until 1936 where deposits in commercial banks returned to their pre-Depression levels, after the Roosevelt administration put a number of safeguards in place and helped restore public faith in the American banking system.

In contrast to commercial banks, the total amount of money deposited in savings accounts continued to rise throughout the Great Depression, albeit at a much slower rate than in the 1920s. The reason for continued increase was due to the disproportionate impact the Depression had across socioeconomic groups - most working and middle-class Americans did not have the means to have a savings account

The Public Works Department (VA 669) had wide-ranging responsibilities for all public works and buildings, including construction, maintenance and fitting out of these buildings. Other major responsibilities included roads and bridges, ports and harbours, local government and water supply. Works completed included the reclamation of land previously swamps.

This series is a register of tradesmen and labourers unemployed in 1892, during a period of severe economic depression. Unemployed men are listed in consecutive number order with details of their name, address, occupation and previous employment, marital status and number of children and period of unemployment.
In the final Remarks column, comments are made regarding the age of children, other details about the persons responsibilities and an indication of employment by the Public Works Department or involvement in the Koo-Wee-Rup Drainage Scheme.

All volumes were completed during the winter months of 1892.