The unemployment rate in the US dropped to 3.5 percent in December 2022, falling below market expectations of 3.7 percent and matching the rates seen in September and July, which were the lowest since February 2020. The latest jobs report came on the heels of a sharp decline in weekly jobless claims to three-month lows and a smaller-than-expected decrease in the level of job openings in November, pointing to a still-tight and strong labor market, which could mean the US central bank will continue hiking interest rates for a while. The number of unemployed persons declined by 278 thousand to 5.72 million in December, while the number of employed increased by 717 thousand to 159.2 million. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.73 percent from 1948 until 2022, reaching an all time high of 14.70 percent in April of 2020 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. 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 - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on January of 2023.

Unemployment Rate in the United States is expected to be 3.90 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.60 percent in 2024 and 4.40 percent in 2025, according to our econometric models.

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United States Unemployment Rate



Calendar GMT Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2022-12-02 01:30 PM Nov 3.7% 3.7% 3.7% 3.7%
2023-01-06 01:30 PM Dec 3.5% 3.6% 3.7% 3.7%
2023-02-03 01:30 PM Jan 3.5% 3.6%


Related Last Unit Reference
Unemployment Rate 3.50 percent Dec 2022
Non Farm Payrolls 223.00 Thousand Dec 2022
Government Payrolls 3.00 Thousand Dec 2022
Nonfarm Payrolls Private 220.00 Thousand Dec 2022
Manufacturing Payrolls 8.00 Thousand Dec 2022
Unemployed Persons 5722.00 Thousand Dec 2022
Average Hourly Earnings 0.30 percent Dec 2022
Average Weekly Hours 34.30 Hours Dec 2022
Labor Force Participation Rate 62.30 percent Dec 2022
Long Term Unemployment Rate 0.65 percent Dec 2022
Youth Unemployment Rate 8.20 percent Dec 2022
Average Hourly Earnings YoY 4.60 percent Dec 2022
Employment Rate 60.10 percent Dec 2022

United States Unemployment Rate
In the United States, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
3.50 3.60 14.70 2.50 1948 - 2022 percent Monthly

News Stream
US Jobless Rate Unexpectedly Falls
The unemployment rate in the US dropped to 3.5 percent in December 2022, falling below market expectations of 3.7 percent and matching the rates seen in September and July, which were the lowest since February 2020. The latest jobs report came on the heels of a sharp decline in weekly jobless claims to three-month lows and a smaller-than-expected decrease in the level of job openings in November, pointing to a still-tight and strong labor market, which could mean the US central bank will continue hiking interest rates for a while. The number of unemployed persons declined by 278 thousand to 5.72 million in December, while the number of employed increased by 717 thousand to 159.2 million.
2023-01-06
US Jobless Rate Unchanged at 3.7% in November
The unemployment rate in the US was unchanged at 3.7 percent in November 2022, matching market expectations and remaining close to September's 29-month low of 3.5 percent. The jobless rate has been in a narrow range of 3.5 percent to 3.7 percent since March, suggesting that the tight labor market will likely continue to contribute to inflationary pressure in the world's largest economy for some time to come. The number of unemployed persons rose by 48 thousand to 6.01 million in November, while the number of employed decreased by 138 thousand to 158.5 million.
2022-12-02
US Unemployment Rate Slightly Above Forecasts
The unemployment rate in the US increased by 0.2 percentage point to 3.7 percent in October 2022, up from September's 29-month low of 3.5 percent and slightly above market expectations of 3.6 percent. The jobless rate has been in a narrow range of 3.5 percent to 3.7 percent since March, suggesting that the labor market is already very tight, which, in turn, is likely to contribute significantly to inflationary pressure in the world's largest economy for some time to come. The number of unemployed persons rose by 306 thousand to 6.06 million in October, while the number of employed decreased by 328 thousand to 158.6 million. The labor force participation rate edged down to 62.2 percent from 62.3 percent.
2022-11-04