United States unemployment rate history

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United States unemployment rate history: choose a year or date to look up past values. Preview the observations and download your selection.

4.2%September 2026Latest published observation

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History starts: January 1948
History ends: September 2026
Frequency: Monthly observations
Unit: Percent

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12 observations · January 1997 to December 1997

Selected historical observations
Date or period	Value · Percent	Source
January 1997	5.3%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
February 1997	5.2%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
March 1997	5.2%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
April 1997	5.1%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
May 1997	4.9%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
June 1997	5.0%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
July 1997	4.9%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
August 1997	4.8%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
September 1997	4.9%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
October 1997	4.7%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
November 1997	4.6%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau
December 1997	4.7%	Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau

United States unemployment rate history by year

Full history →

United States unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2026 (to date)	4.2%	4.4%February 2026	4.1%July 2026	▼ −0.1
2025	4.3%	4.5%November 2025	4.0%January 2025	▲ +0.4
2024	4.0%	4.2%July 2024	3.7%January 2024	▲ +0.4
2023	3.6%	3.9%October 2023	3.4%April 2023	▲ +0.3
2022	3.7%	4.0%January 2022	3.5%July 2022	▼ −0.5
2021	5.4%	6.4%January 2021	3.9%December 2021	▼ −2.5
2020	8.1%	14.8%April 2020	3.5%February 2020	▲ +3.1
2019	3.7%	4.0%January 2019	3.5%September 2019	▼ −0.4
2018	3.9%	4.1%February 2018	3.7%September 2018	▼ −0.1
2017	4.4%	4.7%January 2017	4.1%December 2017	▼ −0.6
2016	4.9%	5.1%April 2016	4.7%November 2016	▼ −0.1
2015	5.3%	5.7%January 2015	5.0%September 2015	▼ −0.7
2014	6.2%	6.7%February 2014	5.6%December 2014	▼ −1.0
2013	7.4%	8.0%January 2013	6.7%December 2013	▼ −1.3
2012	8.1%	8.3%January 2012	7.7%November 2012	▼ −0.4
2011	8.9%	9.1%January 2011	8.5%December 2011	▼ −0.6
2010	9.6%	9.9%March 2010	9.3%December 2010	▼ −0.5
2009	9.3%	10.0%October 2009	7.8%January 2009	▲ +2.1
2008	5.8%	7.3%December 2008	4.9%February 2008	▲ +2.3
2007	4.6%	5.0%December 2007	4.4%March 2007	▲ +0.4

Show all

United States unemployment rate history by year
Year	Average	High	Low	Change
2006	4.6%	4.8%February 2006	4.4%October 2006	▼ −0.3
2005	5.1%	5.4%February 2005	4.9%August 2005	▼ −0.4
2004	5.5%	5.8%March 2004	5.4%August 2004	▼ −0.3
2003	6.0%	6.3%June 2003	5.7%December 2003	▼ −0.1
2002	5.8%	6.0%December 2002	5.7%January 2002	▲ +0.3
2001	4.7%	5.7%December 2001	4.2%January 2001	▲ +1.5
2000	4.0%	4.1%February 2000	3.8%April 2000	▼ −0.1
1999	4.2%	4.4%February 1999	4.0%December 1999	▼ −0.3
1998	4.5%	4.7%March 1998	4.3%April 1998	▼ −0.2
1997	4.9%	5.3%January 1997	4.6%November 1997	▼ −0.6
1996	5.4%	5.6%January 1996	5.1%August 1996	▼ −0.2
1995	5.6%	5.8%April 1995	5.4%February 1995	0.0
1994	6.1%	6.6%January 1994	5.5%December 1994	▼ −1.1
1993	6.9%	7.3%January 1993	6.5%December 1993	▼ −0.8
1992	7.5%	7.8%June 1992	7.3%January 1992	▲ +0.1
1991	6.8%	7.3%December 1991	6.4%January 1991	▲ +0.9
1990	5.6%	6.3%December 1990	5.2%March 1990	▲ +0.9
1989	5.3%	5.4%January 1989	5.0%March 1989	0.0
1988	5.5%	5.7%January 1988	5.3%November 1988	▼ −0.4
1987	6.2%	6.6%January 1987	5.7%December 1987	▼ −0.9
1986	7.0%	7.2%February 1986	6.6%December 1986	▼ −0.1
1985	7.2%	7.4%June 1985	7.0%November 1985	▼ −0.3
1984	7.5%	8.0%January 1984	7.2%June 1984	▼ −0.7
1983	9.6%	10.4%January 1983	8.3%December 1983	▼ −2.1
1982	9.7%	10.8%November 1982	8.6%January 1982	▲ +2.2
1981	7.6%	8.5%December 1981	7.2%April 1981	▲ +1.0
1980	7.2%	7.8%July 1980	6.3%January 1980	▲ +0.9
1979	5.9%	6.0%August 1979	5.6%May 1979	▲ +0.1
1978	6.1%	6.4%January 1978	5.8%October 1978	▼ −0.4
1977	7.1%	7.6%February 1977	6.4%December 1977	▼ −1.1
1976	7.7%	7.9%January 1976	7.4%May 1976	▼ −0.1
1975	8.5%	9.0%May 1975	8.1%January 1975	▲ +0.1
1974	5.6%	7.2%December 1974	5.1%January 1974	▲ +2.1
1973	4.9%	5.0%February 1973	4.6%October 1973	0.0
1972	5.6%	5.8%January 1972	5.2%December 1972	▼ −0.6
1971	6.0%	6.1%August 1971	5.8%October 1971	▲ +0.1
1970	5.0%	6.1%December 1970	3.9%January 1970	▲ +2.2
1969	3.5%	3.7%September 1969	3.4%January 1969	▲ +0.1
1968	3.6%	3.8%February 1968	3.4%September 1968	▼ −0.3
1967	3.8%	4.0%October 1967	3.8%February 1967	▼ −0.1
1966	3.8%	4.0%January 1966	3.6%November 1966	▼ −0.2
1965	4.5%	5.1%February 1965	4.0%December 1965	▼ −0.9
1964	5.2%	5.6%January 1964	4.8%November 1964	▼ −0.6
1963	5.6%	5.9%February 1963	5.4%August 1963	▼ −0.2
1962	5.6%	5.8%January 1962	5.4%July 1962	▼ −0.3
1961	6.7%	7.1%May 1961	6.0%December 1961	▼ −0.6
1960	5.5%	6.6%December 1960	4.8%February 1960	▲ +1.4
1959	5.5%	6.0%January 1959	5.0%June 1959	▼ −0.7
1958	6.8%	7.5%July 1958	5.8%January 1958	▲ +0.4
1957	4.3%	5.2%December 1957	3.7%March 1957	▲ +1.0
1956	4.1%	4.4%July 1956	3.9%February 1956	▲ +0.2
1955	4.4%	4.9%January 1955	4.0%July 1955	▼ −0.7
1954	5.6%	6.1%September 1954	4.9%January 1954	▲ +0.1
1953	2.9%	4.5%December 1953	2.5%May 1953	▲ +1.6
1952	3.0%	3.4%August 1952	2.7%December 1952	▼ −0.5
1951	3.3%	3.7%January 1951	3.0%May 1951	▼ −0.6
1950	5.2%	6.5%January 1950	4.2%October 1950	▼ −2.2
1949	6.1%	7.9%October 1949	4.3%January 1949	▲ +2.3
1948	3.8%	4.0%March 1948	3.4%January 1948	▲ +0.6

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Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); US Census Bureau; API reference →
Series: United States unemployment rate history; View chart →