United States Unemployment Rate  1948-2016 | Data | Chart | Calendar

Unemployment rate in the US was recorded at 5 percent in November 2015, the same as in the previous month and the lowest in more than seven years, while total nonfarm payroll employment increased by a higher-than-expected 211,000. Job gains occurred in construction, professional and technical services, and health care. Mining and information lost jobs. Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.83 percent from 1948 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 10.80 percent in November of 1982 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. Unemployment Rate in the United States is reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

United States Unemployment Rate
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Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
5.00 5.00 10.80 2.50 1948 - 2015 percent Monthly
In the United States, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. This page provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United States Unemployment Rate - actual data, historical chart and calendar of releases - was last updated on January of 2016.


Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus Forecast (i)
2015-10-02 01:30 PM Sep 5.1% 5.1% 5.1% 5.1%
2015-11-06 01:30 PM Oct 5% 5.1% 5.1% 5.1%
2015-12-04 01:30 PM Nov 5% 5% 5% 5%
2016-01-08 01:30 PM Dec 5% 5% 5%
2016-02-05 01:30 PM Jan 4.9%
2016-03-04 01:30 PM Feb 4.9%

US Jobless Rate Remains at Lowest Since April 2008


Unemployment rate in the US was recorded at 5 percent in November 2015, the same as in the previous month and the lowest in more than seven years, while total nonfarm payroll employment increased by a higher-than-expected 211,000. Job gains occurred in construction, professional and technical services, and health care. Mining and information lost jobs.

In November, the unemployment rate held at 5.0 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 7.9 million, was essentially unchanged. Over the past 12 months, the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed persons are down by 0.8 percentage point and 1.1 million, respectively.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (4.7 percent), adult women (4.6 percent), teenagers (15.7 percent), whites (4.3 percent), blacks (9.4 percent), Asians (3.9 percent), and Hispanics (6.4 percent) showed little or no change. 

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 2.1 million and has shown little movement since June. These individuals accounted for 25.7 percent of the unemployed.

The civilian labor force participation rate, at 62.5 percent, changed little. The employment-population ratio was unchanged at 59.3 percent and has shown little movement since October 2014. 

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) increased by 319,000 to 6.1 million, following declines in September and October. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. Over the past 12 months, the number of persons employed part time for economic reasons is down by 765,000. 

1.7 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, down by 392,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. 

Among the marginally attached, there were 594,000 discouraged workers, little changed from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.1 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. 

BLS | Joana Ferreira | joana.ferreira@tradingeconomics.com
12/4/2015 1:49:56 PM


Recent Releases

US Jobless Rate Down to 5%
Unemployment rate in the US edged down to 5 percent in October from 5.1 percent in the previous month while total nonfarm payroll employment increased by a higher-than-expected 271,000 in October. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, retail trade, food services and drinking places, and construction.
Published on 2015-11-06

US Unemployment Rate Steady at 5.1%
Jobless rate in the US was unchanged at 5.1 percent and total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 142,000 in September. Job gains occurred in health care and information, while mining employment fell.
Published on 2015-10-02

US Unemployment Rate At 7-1/2 Year Low
Jobless rate in the US declined to 5.1 percent and total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 173,000 in August. It is the lowest unemployment rate since April 2008 as the number of unemployed edged down to 8 million.
Published on 2015-09-04

US Unemployment Rate Steady at 5.3% in July
Jobless rate in the US was unchanged at 5.3 percent and total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 215,000 in July. Job gains occurred in retail trade, health care, professional and technical services, and financial activities.
Published on 2015-08-07

United States Labour Last Previous Highest Lowest Unit
Unemployment Rate 5.00 5.00 10.80 2.50 percent [+]
Non Farm Payrolls 211.00 298.00 1114.00 -1966.00 Thousand [+]
Government Payrolls 14.00 -6.00 427.00 -260.00 Thousand [+]
Nonfarm Payrolls Private 197.00 268.00 1089.00 -819.00 Thousand [+]
Manufacturing Payrolls -1.00 1.00 572.00 -519.00 Thousand [+]
Initial Jobless Claims 287.00 267.00 695.00 162.00 Thousand [+]
Continuing Jobless Claims 2198.00 2195.00 6635.00 988.00 Thousand [+]
ADP Employment Change 217.00 229.00 343.00 -826.00 Thousand [+]
Employed Persons 149364.00 149120.00 149364.00 57635.00 Thousand [+]
Unemployed Persons 7937.00 7908.00 15352.00 1596.00 Thousand [+]
Average Hourly Earnings 0.20 0.40 0.60 -0.20 percent [+]
Average Weekly Hours 34.50 34.60 34.70 33.70 Hours [+]
Labor Force Participation Rate 62.50 62.40 67.30 58.10 percent [+]
Long Term Unemployment Rate 1.30 1.36 2.80 1.30 percent [+]
Youth Unemployment Rate 11.20 11.10 19.50 7.80 percent [+]
Labour Costs 107.13 106.85 107.23 17.12 Index Points [+]
Productivity 106.36 105.87 106.36 27.56 Index Points [+]
Job Vacancies 5604.00 5476.00 6197.00 2132.00 Thousand [+]
Job Offers 5383.00 5377.00 5668.00 2146.00 Thousands [+]
Challenger Job Cuts 30953.00 105696.00 248475.00 15100.00 Persons [+]
Wages 21.19 21.18 21.19 2.50 USD/Hour [+]
Minimum Wages 7.25 7.25 7.25 0.25 USD/Hour [+]
Wage Growth 4.51 4.27 13.77 -5.77 percent [+]
Wages in Manufacturing 20.05 20.04 20.10 1.27 USD/Hour [+]
Employment Cost Index 0.60 0.20 1.60 0.20 Percent [+]
Labor Market Conditions Index 0.50 1.60 28.50 -43.60 [+]
Population 318.86 316.50 318.86 76.09 Million [+]
Retirement Age Women 66.00 66.00 66.00 66.00 [+]
Retirement Age Men 66.00 66.00 66.00 66.00 [+]
Employment Rate 59.30 59.30 64.70 55.00 percent [+]
Full Time Employment 122027.00 122024.00 122027.00 64640.00 Thousand [+]
Part Time Employment 27320.00 27183.00 28134.00 10086.00 Thousand [+]




Last Previous Highest Lowest
Djibouti 54.00   Dec/10 59.50 59.50 43.50 [+]
Congo 46.10   Dec/13 49.10 66.90 45.40 [+]
Bosnia and Herzegovina 42.81   Oct/15 42.97 46.10 39.03 [+]
Haiti 40.60   Dec/10 9.61 40.60 7.20 [+]
Kenya 40.00   Dec/11 12.70 40.00 12.70 [+]
Kosovo 35.30   Dec/14 30.00 57.00 30.00 [+]
Yemen 29.00   Dec/11 17.80 29.00 13.70 [+]
Swaziland 28.50   Dec/10 28.20 28.60 21.70 [+]
Namibia 28.10   Dec/14 29.60 37.60 19.50 [+]
Palestine 27.40   Sep/15 24.80 35.60 8.80 [+]
Republic of the Congo 26.60 Dec/10 26.60 26.60 26.60 [+]
Angola 26.00   Dec/14 25.00 35.00 25.00 [+]
South Africa 25.50   Sep/15 25.00 31.20 21.50 [+]
Macedonia 25.48   Sep/15 26.84 37.30 25.48 [+]
Lesotho 25.30   Dec/08 27.30 39.30 25.30 [+]
Greece 24.62   Sep/15 24.69 27.89 7.30 [+]
Equatorial Guinea 22.30   Dec/09 19.70 22.30 1.30 [+]
Gambia 22.00   Dec/10 6.00 22.00 6.00 [+]
Spain 21.18   Sep/15 22.37 26.94 4.41 [+]
Guyana 21.00 Dec/11 21.00 28.50 11.70 [+]
Botswana 20.00   Dec/13 17.80 23.80 13.90 [+]
Libya 19.50   Dec/11 20.70 20.70 13.00 [+]
Sudan 19.50   Dec/14 15.90 19.50 11.10 [+]
Croatia 17.70   Nov/15 17.20 23.60 12.20 [+]
Albania 17.50   Sep/15 17.30 22.30 12.10 [+]
Ethiopia 17.40   Dec/14 17.50 26.40 17.40 [+]
Serbia 17.30   Sep/15 17.90 25.50 13.30 [+]
Mozambique 17.00   Dec/07 18.70 18.70 17.00 [+]
Armenia 16.60   Sep/15 18.20 20.70 6.30 [+]
Montenegro 16.35   Nov/15 15.67 31.00 10.20 [+]
Gabon 16.00   Dec/10 14.80 16.00 14.80 [+]
Iraq 16.00   Dec/13 15.10 28.10 15.10 [+]
Cape Verde 15.80   Dec/14 16.40 20.20 10.70 [+]
Bahamas 15.70   Dec/14 15.40 15.70 6.90 [+]
Tunisia 15.30   Sep/15 15.20 18.90 12.40 [+]
Cyprus 15.10   Oct/15 15.00 16.90 3.30 [+]
Oman 15.00 Dec/11 15.00 15.00 15.00 [+]
Dominican Republic 14.90   Mar/14 15.00 19.70 13.90 [+]
Syria 14.90 Dec/12 14.90 14.90 8.00 [+]
Eritrea 14.50 Dec/84 14.50 14.50 14.50 [+]
Jordan 13.80   Sep/15 11.90 14.30 10.80 [+]
New Caledonia 13.80 Dec/09 13.80 18.60 13.80 [+]
Sao Tome and Principe 13.60   Dec/12 14.00 16.70 13.60 [+]
Senegal 13.40   Dec/15 12.00 12.00 5.60 [+]
Zambia 13.30   Dec/13 13.10 19.70 12.00 [+]
Jamaica 13.10   Sep/15 13.20 16.50 9.80 [+]
Mauritania 12.85   Dec/14 10.10 32.80 10.10 [+]
Egypt 12.80   Sep/15 12.70 13.40 8.10 [+]
Puerto Rico 12.50   Nov/15 12.40 24.00 9.70 [+]
Georgia 12.40   Dec/14 14.60 16.90 10.30 [+]
South Sudan 12.00 Dec/08 12.00 12.00 12.00 [+]
Barbados 11.90   Jun/15 11.80 13.20 7.60 [+]
Portugal 11.90 Sep/15 11.90 17.50 3.70 [+]
Slovenia 11.70   Oct/15 11.50 15.50 6.30 [+]
Maldives 11.60   Dec/13 11.10 14.40 9.70 [+]
Italy 11.50   Oct/15 11.80 13.00 5.80 [+]
Zimbabwe 11.30   Dec/14 10.70 11.30 4.20 [+]
Belize 11.10   Dec/14 11.70 23.30 8.20 [+]
East Timor 11.00   Dec/13 3.90 11.00 3.90 [+]
Iran 10.90   Sep/15 10.80 14.70 9.50 [+]
Slovakia 10.80   Nov/15 11.00 19.79 7.36 [+]
Euro Area 10.70   Oct/15 10.80 12.10 7.20 [+]
Uzbekistan 10.70   Dec/13 10.90 11.10 10.70 [+]
Algeria 10.60   Sep/14 9.80 29.50 9.80 [+]
Austria 10.60   Dec/15 9.20 10.60 0.80 [+]
France 10.60   Sep/15 10.40 10.80 7.20 [+]
Turkmenistan 10.60   Dec/13 10.80 11.00 10.60 [+]
Tanzania 10.30   Dec/14 10.70 12.90 10.30 [+]
Turkey 10.30   Sep/15 10.10 14.80 7.30 [+]
Bulgaria 9.90   Nov/15 9.50 19.27 4.68 [+]
Nigeria 9.90   Sep/15 8.20 23.90 5.30 [+]
Latvia 9.70   Sep/15 9.80 20.70 5.40 [+]
Morocco 9.60   Sep/15 8.70 15.10 7.80 [+]
Poland 9.60 Nov/15 9.60 20.70 0.30 [+]
Ukraine 9.40   Sep/15 9.60 11.00 6.50 [+]
European Union 9.30 Oct/15 9.30 11.00 6.70 [+]
Costa Rica 9.20   Sep/15 9.50 10.91 8.30 [+]
Ireland 8.90 Nov/15 8.90 17.30 3.70 [+]
Suriname 8.90   Dec/14 8.00 14.00 7.00 [+]
Belgium 8.70 Oct/15 8.70 11.00 6.30 [+]
Uruguay 8.50   Oct/15 8.00 13.40 5.40 [+]
Lithuania 8.40   Nov/15 8.30 15.30 2.70 [+]
Finland 8.20   Nov/15 8.70 19.90 0.70 [+]
Mali 8.20   Dec/14 10.50 10.80 3.30 [+]
Fiji 8.10   Dec/13 8.50 9.40 4.60 [+]
Afghanistan 8.00   Dec/13 8.70 8.70 8.00 [+]
Venezuela 7.90   Jan/15 5.50 20.70 5.50 [+]
Chad 7.80   Dec/12 22.60 22.60 7.80 [+]
Burundi 7.70   Dec/12 35.00 35.00 7.70 [+]
Central African Republic 7.60   Dec/12 16.10 16.10 6.00 [+]
Brazil 7.50   Nov/15 7.90 13.10 4.30 [+]
Bolivia 7.40   Dec/13 7.50 14.50 7.40 [+]
Mauritius 7.40   Sep/15 7.80 19.70 2.70 [+]
Colombia 7.30   Nov/15 8.20 17.87 7.30 [+]
Canada 7.10   Nov/15 7.00 13.10 2.90 [+]
Comoros 7.00   Dec/12 13.50 20.00 7.00 [+]
Brunei 6.90   Dec/14 9.30 9.30 2.90 [+]
Togo 6.90   Dec/13 7.00 7.10 6.90 [+]
Netherlands 6.80   Nov/15 6.90 7.90 3.60 [+]
Nicaragua 6.80   Dec/14 5.90 17.80 1.60 [+]
Romania 6.80 Oct/15 6.80 8.10 5.40 [+]
Luxembourg 6.70   Nov/15 6.80 7.30 1.40 [+]
Burkina Faso 6.60   Dec/14 3.30 6.60 0.90 [+]
Malawi 6.60   Dec/13 3.00 7.00 3.00 [+]
Lebanon 6.50   Dec/13 6.20 9.00 6.20 [+]
Hungary 6.40 Oct/15 6.40 11.80 5.50 [+]
Mongolia 6.30   Sep/15 7.80 10.30 2.80 [+]
Paraguay 6.30   Sep/15 7.20 9.70 6.00 [+]
Sweden 6.20   Nov/15 6.70 10.50 1.30 [+]
Indonesia 6.18   Sep/15 5.94 11.24 2.00 [+]
Chile 6.10   Nov/15 6.30 13.50 5.10 [+]
New Zealand 6.00   Sep/15 5.90 11.20 3.50 [+]
Pakistan 6.00 Dec/14 6.00 7.80 3.10 [+]
Argentina 5.90   Sep/15 6.60 20.80 5.90 [+]
Czech Republic 5.90 Nov/15 5.90 9.69 0.09 [+]
El Salvador 5.90   Dec/13 6.10 7.97 5.88 [+]
Australia 5.80   Nov/15 6.20 11.10 4.00 [+]
Peru 5.80 Nov/15 5.80 13.00 5.60 [+]
Russia 5.80   Nov/15 5.50 14.10 4.80 [+]
Philippines 5.70   Dec/15 6.50 13.90 5.70 [+]
Saudi Arabia 5.70 Jun/15 5.70 6.30 4.35 [+]
Israel 5.40   Nov/15 5.30 11.40 4.90 [+]
Ivory Coast 5.30   Dec/13 15.70 15.70 4.60 [+]
Malta 5.30   Sep/15 5.40 8.24 5.30 [+]
Estonia 5.20   Sep/15 6.50 20.10 0.50 [+]
Ghana 5.20   Dec/13 5.96 12.90 5.20 [+]
United Kingdom 5.20   Oct/15 5.30 12.00 3.40 [+]
Azerbaijan 5.00   Dec/13 5.20 11.80 5.00 [+]
Sri Lanka 5.00   Sep/15 4.50 11.30 3.90 [+]
United States 5.00 Nov/15 5.00 10.80 2.50 [+]
India 4.90   Dec/13 5.20 9.40 4.90 [+]
Kazakhstan 4.90 Sep/15 4.90 9.70 4.40 [+]
Cayman Islands 4.70   Dec/14 6.30 7.50 2.60 [+]
Seychelles 4.70   Dec/14 1.00 4.70 1.00 [+]
North Korea 4.60 Dec/13 4.60 5.00 2.80 [+]
Norway 4.60 Oct/15 4.60 4.70 2.40 [+]
Denmark 4.50   Oct/15 4.60 6.20 2.40 [+]
Germany 4.50 Oct/15 4.50 14.20 0.40 [+]
Bangladesh 4.30   Dec/13 4.50 5.10 4.30 [+]
Honduras 4.30   Dec/13 4.50 12.10 2.90 [+]
Ecuador 4.28   Nov/15 4.47 11.86 4.28 [+]
United Arab Emirates 4.20   Dec/12 4.60 4.60 1.15 [+]
China 4.05   Sep/15 4.04 4.30 3.90 [+]
Myanmar 4.02   Dec/13 4.00 4.15 4.00 [+]
Cameroon 4.00   Dec/13 3.80 5.60 3.80 [+]
Iceland 4.00   Nov/15 4.10 9.20 0.10 [+]
Mexico 3.96   Nov/15 4.55 5.93 2.22 [+]
Taiwan 3.84   Nov/15 3.79 6.02 1.04 [+]
Guinea 3.80   Dec/12 1.30 3.80 1.30 [+]
Uganda 3.80   Dec/13 4.20 4.20 1.90 [+]
Bahrain 3.70 Dec/12 3.70 16.00 3.30 [+]
Liberia 3.70   Dec/10 5.60 15.90 3.70 [+]
Kuwait 3.50   Dec/13 2.72 7.18 0.50 [+]
Rwanda 3.40   Dec/12 1.20 3.40 1.00 [+]
South Korea 3.40 Nov/15 3.40 7.10 2.90 [+]
Switzerland 3.40   Nov/15 3.30 5.40 1.60 [+]
Hong Kong 3.30 Nov/15 3.30 8.50 1.00 [+]
Japan 3.30   Nov/15 3.10 5.60 1.00 [+]
Moldova 3.30   Sep/15 4.10 13.00 3.00 [+]
Sierra Leone 3.20   Dec/13 3.40 3.40 3.20 [+]
Trinidad and Tobago 3.20   Jun/15 3.60 21.10 3.10 [+]
Malaysia 3.10   Oct/15 3.20 4.50 2.70 [+]
Bhutan 2.90   Dec/14 2.10 4.00 1.15 [+]
Guatemala 2.90 Jun/14 2.90 4.13 2.47 [+]
Cuba 2.70   Dec/14 3.30 5.40 1.60 [+]
Nepal 2.70 Dec/13 2.70 8.80 1.79 [+]
Panama 2.50   Dec/15 4.10 16.30 2.50 [+]
Tajikistan 2.50 Sep/15 2.50 3.13 2.00 [+]
Liechtenstein 2.40   Dec/14 2.50 3.20 2.30 [+]
Vietnam 2.36   Sep/15 2.44 4.50 1.81 [+]
Kyrgyzstan 2.30   Sep/15 2.20 3.50 2.20 [+]
Niger 2.25   Dec/08 15.90 15.90 1.47 [+]
Papua New Guinea 2.10   Dec/13 2.40 3.10 1.90 [+]
Singapore 2.00 Sep/15 2.00 6.00 1.40 [+]
Macau 1.90   Oct/15 1.80 7.10 1.70 [+]
Guinea Bissau 1.80   Dec/10 3.20 10.14 3.20 [+]
Laos 1.40 Dec/13 1.40 2.59 1.39 [+]
Madagascar 1.20   Dec/12 3.80 6.80 1.20 [+]
Benin 1.00 Dec/13 1.00 5.50 1.00 [+]
Thailand 0.90 Nov/15 0.90 5.73 0.39 [+]
Belarus 0.50 Dec/14 0.50 4.00 0.50 [+]
Cambodia 0.30   Dec/13 0.10 5.30 0.10 [+]
Qatar 0.20   Dec/14 0.30 3.90 0.20 [+]