Unemployment rate for young people in United States
United States: Unemployment rate for young people was 9.34 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate for young people in United States, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate for young people in United States stood at 9.34.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and down 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in United States peaked at 18.36 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7.95, in 2023.
United States ranks 124th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.51 | — |
| 1992 | 14.31 | +5.9% |
| 1993 | 13.43 | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 12.55 | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 12.19 | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 12.09 | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 11.43 | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 10.42 | -8.8% |
| 1999 | 9.89 | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 9.28 | -6.2% |
| 2001 | 10.49 | +13.1% |
| 2002 | 11.94 | +13.8% |
| 2003 | 12.36 | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 11.79 | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 11.24 | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 10.43 | -7.2% |
| 2007 | 10.47 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 12.76 | +21.8% |
| 2009 | 17.52 | +37.3% |
| 2010 | 18.36 | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 17.27 | -5.9% |
| 2012 | 16.21 | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 15.56 | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 13.41 | -13.8% |
| 2015 | 11.63 | -13.3% |
| 2016 | 10.43 | -10.3% |
| 2017 | 9.24 | -11.4% |
| 2018 | 8.61 | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 8.38 | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 14.89 | +77.8% |
| 2021 | 9.7 | -34.8% |
| 2022 | 8.11 | -16.5% |
| 2023 | 7.95 | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 8.92 | +12.2% |
| 2025 | 9.34 | +4.7% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 9.34 is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.81, 68% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate for young people 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 | +77.8% | 8.38 | 14.89 |
| 2009 | +37.3% | 12.76 | 17.52 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.2 | 9.89 | 14.31 | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.83 | 9.28 | 17.52 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.91 | 8.38 | 18.36 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.82 | 7.95 | 14.89 | 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 rate for young people in United States?
- Unemployment rate for young people in United States was 9.34 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 18.36 in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.95 in 2023.
- How does United States rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- United States ranks 124th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).