United States · Labor market · Unemployment
Unemployment rate by year.
The seasonally adjusted civilian unemployment rate from the BLS household survey, averaged for every calendar year since the series began in 1948, plus the monthly path for 2026 and a comparison between any two years.
Short answer: The unemployment rate was 4.1% in October 2026, with 7.1 million people unemployed (BLS Employment Situation, November 6, 2026). The 2026 average through October is 4.2%; annual averages were 4.3% in 2025, 4.0% in 2024, 3.6% in 2023 and 3.7% in 2022. The postwar high is 9.7% in 1982, followed by 9.6% in 1983 and 2010; the low is 2.9% in 1953. The single worst month was April 2020 at 14.8%.
Compare two years
Result
Press Compare to see both annual averages and the change in percentage points.
Unemployment rate by year, 1948 to 2026
| Year | Annual average | Change from the year before (points) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan to Oct) | 4.2% | -0.1 vs 2025 |
| 2025 (11 months) | 4.3% | +0.3 |
| 2024 | 4.0% | +0.4 |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -0.1 |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -1.7 |
| 2021 | 5.4% | -2.7 |
| 2020 | 8.1% | +4.4 |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -0.2 |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -0.5 |
| 2017 | 4.4% | -0.5 |
| 2016 | 4.9% | -0.4 |
| 2015 | 5.3% | -0.9 |
| 2014 | 6.2% | -1.2 |
| 2013 | 7.4% | -0.7 |
| 2012 | 8.1% | -0.8 |
| 2011 | 8.9% | -0.7 |
| 2010 | 9.6% | +0.3 |
| 2009 | 9.3% | +3.5 |
| 2008 | 5.8% | +1.2 |
| 2007 | 4.6% | +0.0 |
| 2006 | 4.6% | -0.5 |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -0.4 |
| 2004 | 5.5% | -0.5 |
| 2003 | 6.0% | +0.2 |
| 2002 | 5.8% | +1.1 |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +0.7 |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -0.2 |
| 1999 | 4.2% | -0.3 |
| 1998 | 4.5% | -0.4 |
| 1997 | 4.9% | -0.5 |
| 1996 | 5.4% | -0.2 |
| 1995 | 5.6% | -0.5 |
| 1994 | 6.1% | -0.8 |
| 1993 | 6.9% | -0.6 |
| 1992 | 7.5% | +0.6 |
| 1991 | 6.9% | +1.3 |
| 1990 | 5.6% | +0.3 |
| 1989 | 5.3% | -0.2 |
| 1988 | 5.5% | -0.7 |
| 1987 | 6.2% | -0.8 |
| 1986 | 7.0% | -0.2 |
| 1985 | 7.2% | -0.3 |
| 1984 | 7.5% | -2.1 |
| 1983 | 9.6% | -0.1 |
| 1982 | 9.7% | +2.1 |
| 1981 | 7.6% | +0.4 |
| 1980 | 7.2% | +1.3 |
| 1979 | 5.9% | -0.2 |
| 1978 | 6.1% | -1.0 |
| 1977 | 7.1% | -0.6 |
| 1976 | 7.7% | -0.8 |
| 1975 | 8.5% | +2.9 |
| 1974 | 5.6% | +0.7 |
| 1973 | 4.9% | -0.7 |
| 1972 | 5.6% | -0.4 |
| 1971 | 6.0% | +1.0 |
| 1970 | 5.0% | +1.5 |
| 1969 | 3.5% | -0.1 |
| 1968 | 3.6% | -0.2 |
| 1967 | 3.8% | +0.0 |
| 1966 | 3.8% | -0.7 |
| 1965 | 4.5% | -0.7 |
| 1964 | 5.2% | -0.4 |
| 1963 | 5.6% | +0.0 |
| 1962 | 5.6% | -1.1 |
| 1961 | 6.7% | +1.2 |
| 1960 | 5.5% | +0.0 |
| 1959 | 5.5% | -1.3 |
| 1958 | 6.8% | +2.5 |
| 1957 | 4.3% | +0.2 |
| 1956 | 4.1% | -0.3 |
| 1955 | 4.4% | -1.2 |
| 1954 | 5.6% | +2.7 |
| 1953 | 2.9% | -0.1 |
| 1952 | 3.0% | -0.3 |
| 1951 | 3.3% | -1.9 |
| 1950 | 5.2% | -0.9 |
| 1949 | 6.1% | +2.3 |
| 1948 | 3.8% |
Each annual figure is the mean of the seasonally adjusted monthly rates BLS publishes for the year. The 2025 figure uses the eleven months BLS collected; October 2025 was not collected during the lapse in appropriations. The 2026 figure covers January to October and is provisional.
2026 month by month
| Month | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | 4.3% |
| February 2026 | 4.4% |
| March 2026 | 4.3% |
| April 2026 | 4.3% |
| May 2026 | 4.3% |
| June 2026 | 4.2% |
| July 2026 | 4.1% |
| August 2026 | 4.1% |
| September 2026 | 4.2% |
| October 2026 | 4.1% |
The October 2026 rate of 4.1% was released on November 6, 2026. The November 2026 Employment Situation is scheduled for December 4, 2026.
The 2020 spike
The rate went from 4.4% in March 2020 to 14.8% in April 2020, the highest monthly reading in the series, then fell to 6.7% by December. The 2020 annual average of 8.1% hides that range, which is why the monthly figures matter for that year.
Worked example
From 2010 to 2019 the annual average fell from 9.6% to 3.7%, a change of -5.9 percentage points. From 2019 to 2020 it rose by +4.4 points to 8.1%. Percentage points, not percent: a move from 3.7% to 8.1% is 4.4 points, even though 8.1 is 119% more than 3.7.
Method
The monthly rates were pulled from the BLS public API for series LNS14000000 (unemployment rate, 16 years and over, seasonally adjusted) on November 11, 2026, ten years at a time, and averaged per calendar year. The October 2026 figure and the count of unemployed were read from the Employment Situation release of November 6, 2026. The comparison subtracts one average from the other.
What this does not cover
- State and metropolitan unemployment rates, which BLS publishes separately.
- The broader U-6 measure that counts discouraged and part-time-for-economic-reasons workers, and the not seasonally adjusted series.
- Unemployment insurance benefits and claims, which come from the Department of Labor and are not the same as the survey rate.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- BLS public API, series LNS14000000: unemployment rate, 16 years and over, seasonally adjusted (monthly, 1948 to October 2026) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- BLS Employment Situation for October 2026, released November 6, 2026 (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
-
Often assumedThe unemployment rate and the number of unemployed people are the same statistic.
What the source saysThe October 2026 Employment Situation reports them separately: a rate of 4.1 percent and 7.1 million unemployed people, and both can move independently as the labor force changes. [2]
-
Often assumedA rise from 3.7% to 8.1% unemployment is a 4.4% increase.
What the source saysThe series is a percent of the labor force, so 3.7 to 8.1 is a change of 4.4 percentage points, while in percent terms the rate more than doubled, by about 119 percent. [1]
-
Often assumedThe 2020 annual unemployment rate of 8.1% shows how bad the pandemic year was.
What the source saysThe monthly series rose from 4.4% in March 2020 to 14.8% in April 2020 and fell to 6.7% by December, so the annual mean conceals the peak. [1]
- BLS public API, series LNS14000000 (unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted)
- BLS Employment Situation, October 2026 (released November 6, 2026)
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the current unemployment rate?
4.1% for October 2026, with 7.1 million people unemployed, per the BLS Employment Situation released November 6, 2026.
What was the unemployment rate in 2025?
The 2025 annual average is 4.3%, computed from the eleven months BLS collected; October 2025 was not collected.
What is the average for 2026 so far?
The mean of the January to October 2026 monthly rates is 4.2%. The months ranged from 4.1% to 4.4%.
When was unemployment highest?
The highest annual average since 1948 is 9.7% in 1982, with 9.6% in 1983 and 2010. The highest single month was April 2020 at 14.8%.
When was unemployment lowest?
The lowest annual average is 2.9% in 1953, followed by 3.0% in 1952 and 3.3% in 1951. In recent decades the low was 3.6% in 2023.
Is the rate seasonally adjusted?
Yes. Series LNS14000000 is the seasonally adjusted civilian unemployment rate, the headline figure in each jobs report.
How is the annual average calculated?
It is the mean of the monthly rates published for the year: twelve months for every year through 2024, eleven for 2025 and ten so far for 2026.
When is the next unemployment rate released?
The Employment Situation for November 2026 is scheduled for Friday, December 4, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Estimate only
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not financial, legal or employment advice. Rates come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the date shown and are revised when BLS updates seasonal factors. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. It runs in your browser.