Incidence of unemployment by duration in United States
United States: Incidence of unemployment by duration was 29.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
29.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
5th
of 38 countries
All-time high
36.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
in 2020
All-time low
21.77 Percentage of population in the same subgroup
in 2011
Years of data
58
1968–2025
Incidence of unemployment by duration in United States, 1968–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of population in the same subgroup.
Analysis
The most recent figure for incidence of unemployment by duration in United States is 29.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, incidence of unemployment by duration in United States peaked at 36.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2020 and was at its lowest, 21.77 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, in 2011.
That places United States 5th out of 38 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 58 years of available data.
Incidence of unemployment by duration in United States, year by year
| Year | Percentage of population in the same subgroup | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 28.7 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | — |
| 1969 | 29.28 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 31.6 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +7.9% |
| 1971 | 31.59 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 30.15 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 30.13 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 30.96 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 31.32 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 29.65 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -5.3% |
| 1977 | 30.45 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 30.99 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 31.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 32.35 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 30.72 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -5.0% |
| 1982 | 30.99 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 27.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -11.6% |
| 1984 | 28.71 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 30.17 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 31.06 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 29.56 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -4.9% |
| 1988 | 29.95 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 30.31 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 32.01 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 32.36 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 29.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -9.0% |
| 1993 | 28.91 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 30.11 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 31.61 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 31.6 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 31.75 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 31.41 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 31.18 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 31.92 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 32.27 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 30.8 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 29.76 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 29.22 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 30.34 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 30.27 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 31.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 31.43 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 26.84 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -14.6% |
| 2010 | 22.04 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -17.9% |
| 2011 | 21.77 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 22.92 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 24.09 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 25.28 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 27.78 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +9.9% |
| 2016 | 28.72 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 28.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 29.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 29.81 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 36.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +22.5% |
| 2021 | 22.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -37.1% |
| 2022 | 28.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +24.1% |
| 2023 | 30.67 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | +7.5% |
| 2024 | 29.78 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 29.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | -1.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 29.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup is above the median for high income countries, which is 22.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup, 1.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Incidence of unemployment by duration in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -37.1% | 36.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 22.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.99 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 28.7 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 29.28 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 2 |
| 1970s | 30.85 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 29.65 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 31.69 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.12 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 27.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 32.35 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.04 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 28.91 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 32.36 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 26.84 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 32.27 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.08 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 21.77 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 29.81 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.65 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 22.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 36.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 2 Colombia 37.66 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 2 Netherlands 29.13 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 2 Croatia 16.98 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 3 Mexico 35.94 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 3 Slovenia 26.74 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 4 Ireland 35.35 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 5 Poland 25.73 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 6 Austria 28.44 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 6 Estonia 24.96 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 7 Denmark 28.04 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
- 8 Norway 28.02 Percentage of population in the same subgroup compare
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is incidence of unemployment by duration in United States?
- Incidence of unemployment by duration in United States was 29.38 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest incidence of unemployment by duration recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 36.53 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2020.
- What is the lowest incidence of unemployment by duration recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.77 Percentage of population in the same subgroup in 2011.
- How does United States rank for incidence of unemployment by duration?
- United States ranks 5th out of 38 countries with data for 2025.
- Is incidence of unemployment by duration rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Incidence of unemployment by duration. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This table contains data on the share of the five durations - less than 1 month,>1 month and < 3 months,>3 months and <6 months,>6 months and <1 year, 1 year and over - of unemployment among total unemployment by sex and by standardised age groups (15-19, 15-24, 20-24, 25-54, 55+, total). Detailed notes and sources can be found in LFS_NOTES_SOURCES. In order to facilitate analysis and comparisons over time, historical data for OECD members have been provided over as long a period as possible, often even before a country became a member of the Organisation. Information on the membership dates of all OECD countries can be found at OECD Ratification Dates.