Unemployment rate in United States of America
United States of America: Unemployment rate was 4.28 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in United States of America, 2009–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate in United States of America is 4.28, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.5% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in United States of America peaked at 9.63 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 3.64, in 2023.
United States of America ranks 43rd of 58 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 9.25 | — |
| 2010 | 9.63 | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 8.95 | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 8.07 | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 7.38 | -8.6% |
| 2014 | 6.17 | -16.4% |
| 2015 | 5.28 | -14.4% |
| 2016 | 4.87 | -7.8% |
| 2017 | 4.36 | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 3.9 | -10.5% |
| 2019 | 3.67 | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 8.05 | +119.5% |
| 2021 | 5.35 | -33.6% |
| 2022 | 3.65 | -31.8% |
| 2023 | 3.64 | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 4.02 | +10.6% |
| 2025 | 4.28 | +6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.25 | 9.25 | 9.25 | 1 |
| 2010s | 6.23 | 3.67 | 9.63 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.83 | 3.64 | 8.05 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 40 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 4.41 compare
- 41 Peru 4.32 compare
- 42 Sri Lanka 4.32 compare
- 44 Ghana 3.97 compare
- 45 Switzerland 3.89 compare
- 46 Netherlands 3.88 compare
More work & labour data for United States of America
- 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 in United States of America?
- Unemployment rate in United States of America was 4.28 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 9.63 in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.64 in 2023.
- How does United States of America rank for unemployment rate?
- United States of America ranks 43rd out of 58 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Unemployment rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The unemployment rate conveys the number of persons who are unemployed as a percent of the labour force (i.e., the employed plus the unemployed). The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment. The term disability, as defined in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), is used as an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. For measurement purposes, a person with disability is defined as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem. For more information, refer to the Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI) database description.