Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in United States
United States: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) was 4.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in United States, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in United States stood at 4.2%.
The figure is up 6.8% on the previous year and down 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in United States peaked at 9.4% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2023.
That places United States 126th out of 181 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.9% | — |
| 1961 | 7.2% | +22.0% |
| 1962 | 6.2% | -13.9% |
| 1963 | 6.5% | +4.8% |
| 1964 | 6.2% | -4.6% |
| 1965 | 5.5% | -11.3% |
| 1966 | 4.8% | -12.7% |
| 1967 | 5.2% | +8.3% |
| 1968 | 4.8% | -7.7% |
| 1969 | 4.7% | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 5.9% | +25.5% |
| 1971 | 6.9% | +16.9% |
| 1972 | 6.6% | -4.3% |
| 1973 | 6.0% | -9.1% |
| 1974 | 6.7% | +11.7% |
| 1975 | 9.3% | +38.8% |
| 1976 | 8.6% | -7.5% |
| 1977 | 8.2% | -4.7% |
| 1978 | 7.2% | -12.2% |
| 1979 | 6.8% | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 7.4% | +8.8% |
| 1981 | 7.9% | +6.8% |
| 1982 | 9.4% | +19.0% |
| 1983 | 9.2% | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 7.6% | -17.4% |
| 1985 | 7.4% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 7.1% | -4.1% |
| 1987 | 6.2% | -12.7% |
| 1988 | 5.6% | -9.7% |
| 1989 | 5.4% | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 5.5% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 6.4% | +16.4% |
| 1992 | 7.0% | +9.4% |
| 1993 | 6.6% | -5.7% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 5.7% | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 5.1% | -7.2% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | -8.9% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -6.1% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +13.6% |
| 2002 | 5.6% | +20.6% |
| 2003 | 5.7% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -5.6% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | -9.2% |
| 2007 | 4.5% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 5.4% | +20.4% |
| 2009 | 8.1% | +48.8% |
| 2010 | 8.6% | +6.8% |
| 2011 | 8.5% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 7.9% | -6.7% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | -10.4% |
| 2014 | 6.1% | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -14.6% |
| 2016 | 4.8% | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | -10.0% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -10.9% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -5.9% |
| 2020 | 8.3% | +131.2% |
| 2021 | 5.2% | -37.5% |
| 2022 | 3.6% | -30.7% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 3.9% | +13.4% |
| 2025 | 4.2% | +6.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 4.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.5%, 77% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +131.2% | 3.6% | 8.3% |
| 2009 | +48.8% | 5.4% | 8.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.7% | 4.7% | 7.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.2% | 5.9% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.3% | 5.4% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.7% | 4.3% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 4.1% | 8.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 3.6% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 3.5% | 8.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
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 unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in United States?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in United States was 4.2% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 9.4% in 1982.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2023.
- How does United States rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- United States ranks 126th out of 181 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.