Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United States
United States: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 10.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United States, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United States stood at 10.0%.
The figure is up 11.8% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United States peaked at 18.4% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2023.
United States ranks 108th of 160 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11.2% | — |
| 1961 | 13.0% | +16.1% |
| 1962 | 11.3% | -13.1% |
| 1963 | 12.2% | +8.0% |
| 1964 | 11.5% | -5.7% |
| 1965 | 10.1% | -12.2% |
| 1966 | 8.6% | -14.9% |
| 1967 | 8.7% | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 8.7% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 8.4% | -3.4% |
| 1970 | 11.0% | +31.0% |
| 1971 | 12.7% | +15.5% |
| 1972 | 12.1% | -4.7% |
| 1973 | 10.5% | -13.2% |
| 1974 | 11.9% | +13.3% |
| 1975 | 16.1% | +35.3% |
| 1976 | 14.7% | -8.7% |
| 1977 | 13.6% | -7.5% |
| 1978 | 12.3% | -9.6% |
| 1979 | 11.8% | -4.1% |
| 1980 | 13.9% | +17.8% |
| 1981 | 14.9% | +7.2% |
| 1982 | 17.8% | +19.5% |
| 1983 | 17.2% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 13.9% | -19.2% |
| 1985 | 13.6% | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 13.3% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 12.2% | -8.3% |
| 1988 | 11.0% | -9.8% |
| 1989 | 10.9% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 11.2% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 13.4% | +19.6% |
| 1992 | 14.2% | +6.0% |
| 1993 | 13.4% | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 12.5% | -6.4% |
| 1995 | 12.2% | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 12.1% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 11.4% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 10.4% | -8.7% |
| 1999 | 9.9% | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 9.3% | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 10.6% | +13.1% |
| 2002 | 12.0% | +13.6% |
| 2003 | 12.4% | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 11.8% | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 11.3% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 10.5% | -7.1% |
| 2007 | 10.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 12.8% | +21.8% |
| 2009 | 17.6% | +37.0% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 17.3% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 16.2% | -6.3% |
| 2013 | 15.5% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 13.4% | -13.8% |
| 2015 | 11.6% | -13.2% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | -10.3% |
| 2017 | 9.2% | -11.4% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | -6.8% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 14.9% | +77.8% |
| 2021 | 9.7% | -34.8% |
| 2022 | 8.1% | -16.5% |
| 2023 | 7.9% | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 8.9% | +12.5% |
| 2025 | 10.0% | +11.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 10.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.9%, 72% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) 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% | 8.4% | 14.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.4% | 8.4% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.7% | 10.5% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.9% | 10.9% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.1% | 9.9% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.9% | 9.3% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.9% | 8.4% | 18.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.9% | 7.9% | 14.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 105 Seychelles 10.3% compare
- 106 Belarus 10.1% compare
- 107 Ghana 10.0% compare
- 109 Faroe Islands 9.9% compare
- 110 Bangladesh 9.6% compare
- 111 Malta 9.6% compare
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, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United States?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in United States was 10.0% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 2010.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2023.
- How does United States rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- United States ranks 108th out of 160 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.