The US unemployment rate declined by 0.5 percentage points to 5.4 percent in July of 2021, the lowest level since March 2020 and below market expectations of 5.7 percent. The number of unemployed persons fell by 782,000 to 8.7 million. These measures are down considerably from their highs at the end of the February-April 2020 recession. However, they remain well above their levels prior to the coronavirus pandemic (3.5 percent and 5.7 million, respectively, in February 2020). The labor force participation rate was little changed at 61.7 percent in July and has remained within a narrow range of 61.4 percent to 61.7 percent since June 2020. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.77 percent from 1948 until 2021, reaching an all time high of 14.80 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 August of 2021.

Unemployment Rate in the United States is expected to be 5.60 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 5.00 percent in 2022 and 4.30 percent in 2023, according to our econometric models.

Ok
Trading Economics members can view, download and compare data from nearly 200 countries, including more than 20 million economic indicators, exchange rates, government bond yields, stock indexes and commodity prices.

The Trading Economics Application Programming Interface (API) provides direct access to our data. It allows API clients to download millions of rows of historical data, to query our real-time economic calendar, subscribe to updates and receive quotes for currencies, commodities, stocks and bonds.

API Features Documentation Interested? Click here to contact us
Please Paste this Code in your Website
width
height
 Preview
United States Unemployment Rate

Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
5.40 5.90 14.80 2.50 1948 - 2021 percent Monthly


Calendar GMT Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2021-05-07 12:30 PM Apr 6.1% 6% 5.8% 5.8%
2021-06-04 12:30 PM May 5.8% 6.1% 5.9% 6%
2021-07-02 12:30 PM Jun 5.9% 5.8% 5.7% 5.7%
2021-08-06 12:30 PM Jul 5.4% 5.9% 5.7% 5.8%
2021-09-03 12:30 PM Aug 5.4%
2021-10-08 12:30 PM Sep
2021-11-05 12:30 PM Oct
2021-12-03 01:30 PM Nov
Go to our Calendar for more events. Or learn more about the Calendar API for direct access.


News Stream
US Jobless Rate Falls More than Expected
The US unemployment rate declined by 0.5 percentage points to 5.4 percent in July of 2021, the lowest level since March 2020 and below market expectations of 5.7 percent. The number of unemployed persons fell by 782,000 to 8.7 million. These measures are down considerably from their highs at the end of the February-April 2020 recession. However, they remain well above their levels prior to the coronavirus pandemic (3.5 percent and 5.7 million, respectively, in February 2020). The labor force participation rate was little changed at 61.7 percent in July and has remained within a narrow range of 61.4 percent to 61.7 percent since June 2020.
2021-08-06
US Jobless Rate Seen Falling to a 16-Month Low of 5.7%
The US unemployment rate likely fell to 5.7 percent in July of 2021, the lowest level since March 2020 but still well above pre-pandemic levels. The labor market continues to recover from the pandemic supported by broader economic re-opening and the rapid pace of vaccination, coupled with ongoing government support. Still, a surge in Covid-19 surge driven by the Delta variant and shortage of available workers due to enhanced benefits and finding childcare may have kept more individuals sidelined from the labor market. In June, the jobless rate edged up to 5.9 percent.
2021-08-06
US Unemployment Rate Above Expectations
The US unemployment rate edged up to 5.9 percent in June 2021, little-changed from May's 14-month low but still well above pre-pandemic levels, as the number of unemployed people increased by 168 thousand to 9.48 million, while employment levels fell by 18 thousand to 151.60 million. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 61.6 percent. The labor market has continued to show signs of recovery supported by broader economic re-opening, amid the rapid pace of vaccination and the ongoing government support. However, employers across the country have been complaining about the struggle to fill open positions, citing ongoing labor shortages due to enhanced benefits, concerns about contracting COVID-19 and finding childcare.
2021-07-02
US Jobless Rate Set to Fall Further in June
The US unemployment rate likely fell further to 5.7 percent in June 2021, the lowest level since March 2020 but still well above pre-pandemic levels. The labor market continues to consolidate its recovery supported by broader economic re-opening, helped by a steady decline in the number of daily COVID cases and the rapid pace of vaccination, coupled with ongoing government support. However, employers across the country have been complaining about the struggle to fill open positions, citing ongoing labor shortages due to enhanced benefits, concerns about contracting COVID-19 and finding childcare.
2021-07-02

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.