Between 1960 and 2012, the average unemployment rate in the United States was about

The unemployment rate in the US was unchanged at 3.7 percent in November 2022, matching market expectations and remaining close to September's 29-month low of 3.5 percent. The jobless rate has been in a narrow range of 3.5 percent to 3.7 percent since March, suggesting that the tight labor market will likely continue to contribute to inflationary pressure in the world's largest economy for some time to come. The number of unemployed persons rose by 48 thousand to 6.01 million in November, while the number of employed decreased by 138 thousand to 158.5 million. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.74 percent from 1948 until 2022, reaching an all time high of 14.70 percent in April of 2020 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. This page 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 - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on December of 2022.

Unemployment Rate in the United States is expected to be 3.80 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.40 percent in 2023, according to our econometric models.

United States Unemployment Rate

In the United States, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.

News Stream

US Jobless Rate Unchanged at 3.7% in November

2022-12-02

US Unemployment Rate Slightly Above Forecasts

2022-11-04

US Jobless Rate Unexpectedly Falls

2022-10-07

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  

Release: Employment Situation  

Units:  Percent, Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Monthly

Notes:

The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. Labor force data are restricted to people 16 years of age and older, who currently reside in 1 of the 50 states or the District of Columbia, who do not reside in institutions (e.g., penal and mental facilities, homes for the aged), and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces.

This rate is also defined as the U-3 measure of labor underutilization.

The series comes from the 'Current Population Survey (Household Survey)'

The source code is: LNS14000000

Suggested Citation:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate [UNRATE], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE, December 12, 2022.

The unemployed are people of working age who are without work, are available for work, and have taken specific steps to find work. The uniform application of this definition results in estimates of unemployment rates that are more internationally comparable than estimates based on national definitions of unemployment. This indicator is measured in numbers of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force and it is seasonally adjusted. The labour force is defined as the total number of unemployed people plus those in employment. Data are based on labour force surveys (LFS).  For European Union countries where monthly LFS information is not available, the monthly unemployed figures are estimated by Eurostat.

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Definition of Unemployment rate

The unemployed are people of working age who are without work, are available for work, and have taken specific steps to find work. The uniform application of this definition results in estimates of unemployment rates that are more internationally comparable than estimates based on national definitions of unemployment. This indicator is measured in numbers of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force and it is seasonally adjusted. The labour force is defined as the total number of unemployed people plus those in employment. Data are based on labour force surveys (LFS).  For European Union countries where monthly LFS information is not available, the monthly unemployed figures are estimated by Eurostat.

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