Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over (LNS14000024) from Jan 1948 to Sep 2025 about 20 years +, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

Youth unemployment stood at 9.7 percent in February 2025. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method for removing the seasonal component of a time series that is used when analyzing non-seasonal trends. The unemployment rate by state can be found here, and the annual national unemployment rate can be found here. Youth unemployment in the United States The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics track unemployment of persons between the ages of 16 and 24 years each month. In analyzing the data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics performed a seasonal adjustment—removing seasonal influences from the time series, such that one month’s rate of unemployment could be analyzed in comparison with another month’s rate of unemployment. During the period in question, youth unemployment ranged from a high of 9.9 percent in April 2021, to a low of 6.5 percent in April 2023. The national youth unemployment rate can be compared to the monthly national unemployment rate in the United States, although youth unemployment tends to be much higher due to higher rates of participation in education. In May 2023, U.S. unemployment was at 3.7 percent, compared with 7.4 percent amongst those 16 to 24 years old. Additionally, as of May 2023, Nevada had the highest state unemployment rate of all U.S. states, at 5.4 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, Men (LNS14000025) from Jan 1948 to Sep 2025 about 20 years +, males, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

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.

United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over was 3.60% in April of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over reached a record high of 13.90 in April of 2020 and a record low of 2.10 in October of 1952. 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.

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.

Employment Rate in the United States increased to 59.70 percent in September from 59.60 percent in August of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Employment Rate- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, Men was 3.80% in April of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, Men reached a record high of 12.90 in April of 2020 and a record low of 1.70 in October of 1952. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, Men - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

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.

United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, White Women was 3.20% in August of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, White Women reached a record high of 15.00 in April of 2020 and a record low of 2.60 in July of 2022. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, White Women - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

United States Unemployment Rate: Age 20 & Over data was reported at 3.300 % in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.200 % for Sep 2018. United States Unemployment Rate: Age 20 & Over data is updated monthly, averaging 4.800 % from Jan 1948 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 850 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.400 % in Jan 1983 and a record low of 2.100 % in Aug 1953. United States Unemployment Rate: Age 20 & Over data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G018: Current Population Survey: Unemployment Rate.

In 2023, the unemployment rate in California was 4.8 percent. This is an increase from the previous year, when the unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, and is down from a high of 12.5 percent in 2010.

The monthly unemployment rate for the United States can be accessed here.

The unemployment rate in fiscal year 2204 rose to 3.9 percent. The unemployment rate of the United States which has been steadily decreasing since the 2008 financial crisis, spiked to 8.1 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual unemployment rate of the U.S. since 1990 can be found here. Falling unemployment The unemployment rate, or the part of the U.S. labor force that is without a job, fell again in 2022 after peaking at 8.1 percent in 2020 - a rate that has not been seen since the years following the 2008 financial crisis. The financial crash caused unemployment in the U.S. to soar from 4.6 percent in 2007 to 9.6 percent in 2010. Since 2010, the unemployment rate had been steadily falling, meaning that more and more people are finding work, whether that be through full-time employment or part-time employment. However, the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic created a spike in unemployment across the country. U.S. unemployment in comparison Compared to unemployment rates in the European Union, U.S. unemployment is relatively low. Greece was hit particularly hard by the 2008 financial crisis and faced a government debt crisis that sent the Greek economy into a tailspin. Due to this crisis, and the added impact of the pandemic, Greece still has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union.

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.

United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, White Men was 3.60% in April of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, White Men reached a record high of 12.20 in April of 2020 and a record low of 1.60 in September of 1968. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Rate - 20 Yrs. & over, White Men - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.