Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in United States of America
United States of America: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 4.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in United States of America, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in United States of America stood at 4.3%.
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, total (% of total labor force) in United States of America peaked at 9.7% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 1969.
United States of America ranks 121st of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.5% | — |
| 1961 | 6.7% | +21.8% |
| 1962 | 5.5% | -17.9% |
| 1963 | 5.7% | +3.6% |
| 1964 | 5.2% | -8.8% |
| 1965 | 4.5% | -13.5% |
| 1966 | 3.8% | -15.6% |
| 1967 | 3.8% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3.6% | -5.3% |
| 1969 | 3.5% | -2.8% |
| 1970 | 4.9% | +40.0% |
| 1971 | 5.9% | +20.4% |
| 1972 | 5.6% | -5.1% |
| 1973 | 4.9% | -12.5% |
| 1974 | 5.6% | +14.3% |
| 1975 | 8.5% | +51.8% |
| 1976 | 7.7% | -9.4% |
| 1977 | 7.1% | -7.8% |
| 1978 | 6.1% | -14.1% |
| 1979 | 5.8% | -4.9% |
| 1980 | 7.1% | +22.4% |
| 1981 | 7.6% | +7.0% |
| 1982 | 9.7% | +27.6% |
| 1983 | 9.6% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 7.5% | -21.9% |
| 1985 | 7.2% | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 7.0% | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 6.2% | -11.4% |
| 1988 | 5.5% | -11.3% |
| 1989 | 5.3% | -3.6% |
| 1990 | 5.6% | +5.7% |
| 1991 | 6.8% | +21.4% |
| 1992 | 7.5% | +10.3% |
| 1993 | 6.9% | -8.0% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | -11.3% |
| 1995 | 5.7% | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 5.0% | -8.3% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | -9.8% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +18.5% |
| 2002 | 5.8% | +22.2% |
| 2003 | 6.0% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 5.5% | -7.7% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | -9.1% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 5.8% | +25.1% |
| 2009 | 9.3% | +60.0% |
| 2010 | 9.6% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 8.9% | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | -8.6% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | -16.4% |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -14.4% |
| 2016 | 4.9% | -7.8% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -10.5% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | +119.5% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | -33.6% |
| 2022 | 3.6% | -31.8% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 4.0% | +10.6% |
| 2025 | 4.3% | +6.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.8% | 3.5% | 6.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.2% | 4.9% | 8.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.3% | 5.3% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.8% | 4.2% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.5% | 4.0% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 3.7% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 3.6% | 8.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 119 Peru 4.3% compare
- 120 Sri Lanka 4.3% compare
- 122 Cayman Islands 4.2% compare
- 123 Australia 4.2% compare
- 124 Faroe Islands 4.0% 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, total (% of total labor force) in United States of America?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in United States of America was 4.3% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7% in 1982.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 1969.
- How does United States of America rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- United States of America ranks 121st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) 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 Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total 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.