Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United States of America
United States of America: Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group was 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United States of America, 1981–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup for unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United States of America peaked at 11.65 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 1983 and was at its lowest, 4.04 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, in 2000.
United States of America ranks 27th of 37 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 7.45 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | — |
| 1982 | 9.82 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +31.7% |
| 1983 | 11.65 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +18.6% |
| 1984 | 8.45 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -27.5% |
| 1985 | 7.34 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -13.1% |
| 1986 | 7.4 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 6.96 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 5.96 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -14.3% |
| 1989 | 5.52 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -7.5% |
| 1990 | 5.76 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +4.4% |
| 1991 | 7.44 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +29.1% |
| 1992 | 8.25 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +10.8% |
| 1993 | 7.81 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 7.09 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -9.2% |
| 1995 | 5.8 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -18.1% |
| 1996 | 5.9 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 5.55 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -6.0% |
| 1998 | 5.09 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -8.3% |
| 1999 | 4.56 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -10.3% |
| 2000 | 4.04 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -11.4% |
| 2001 | 4.56 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +12.7% |
| 2002 | 6.44 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +41.2% |
| 2003 | 6.33 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 6.36 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 5.84 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 5.45 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 4.89 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 5.94 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +21.5% |
| 2009 | 10.15 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +70.7% |
| 2010 | 10.85 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 10.03 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -7.5% |
| 2012 | 9.16 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -8.6% |
| 2013 | 7.99 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -12.8% |
| 2014 | 7.38 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -7.7% |
| 2015 | 5.93 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -19.6% |
| 2016 | 5.61 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 4.92 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -12.4% |
| 2018 | 4.25 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -13.5% |
| 2019 | 4.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 5.45 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +33.8% |
| 2021 | 6.95 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +27.5% |
| 2022 | 4.37 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -37.2% |
| 2023 | 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup is below the median for high income countries, which is 6.58 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup, 65% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United States of America 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +70.7% | 5.94 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10.15 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.84 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 5.52 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 11.65 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.33 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 4.56 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 8.25 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2000s | 6 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 4.04 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10.15 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.02 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 4.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10.85 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.08 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 6.95 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 24 Hungary 5.11 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 25 Germany 4.85 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 26 New Zealand 4.75 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 28 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4.22 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 29 Israel 3.91 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup compare
- 30 Bulgaria 3.86 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup 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 rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United States of America?
- Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group in United States of America was 4.3 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 11.65 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 1983.
- What is the lowest unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.04 Percentage of labour force in the same subgroup in 2000.
- How does United States of America rank for unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group?
- United States of America ranks 27th out of 37 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Unemployment rates of adults, by educational attainment, age group and gender. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset contains data on unemployment rates by educational attainment level, age group and gender. The default table displays 2025 data (or the latest available year) on the unemployment rates of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary, upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary, or tertiary attainment. The selection can be changed to display data by more detailed educational attainment level, by programme orientation, by gender and by age group. Filter the time period to display historical data. Data for the latest available year are preliminary. Final data will be released on September 29, 2026. For more information, please consult the Education at a Glance web page and the OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifications.