United States Labor Market Statistics

Alternative underemployment rates (U1 to U6)

The United States Labor Market Statistics provides an overview of the evolution of the labor market , including unemployment , underemployment , the labor force participation rate, and the employment rate in the United States .

labour market

Definition of the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization is calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). From 1976 to 1993 there were seven different unemployment rates in the USA (U-1 to U-7), which have been revised several times. Since 1994 six different unemployment rates (U-1 to U-6) have been distinguished, whereby the U-3 is regarded as the official number and the U-6 shows the rate of underemployment .

Bureau of Labor Statistics Alternative Underemployment Rates (before 1994)

• U-1 Percentage of those unemployed for at least 15 weeks in the civilian labor force.
• U-2 Percentage of laid-off workers in the civilian labor force.
• U-3 Percentage of unemployed people over 25 years of age in the civilian labor force over 25 years of age.
• U-4 Percentage of full-time job seekers among the full-time labor force.
• U-5 Percentage of unemployed in the civilian labor force (official rate).
• U-6 Percentage of the sum of the unemployed looking for a full-time job, half of the unemployed looking for a part-time job and half of the total number of the part-time working population in the difference between the civilian working population and half of the part-time working population.
• U-7 As U-6, but adding the number of discouraged workers.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Alternative Underemployment Rates (since 1994)

• U-1 Unemployed people who have been unemployed for at least 15 weeks, as a percentage of the civilian labor force.
• U-2 People who have lost their job plus previously fixed-term employees as a percentage of the civilian labor force.
• U-3 All unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force (official rate).
• U-4 All unemployed plus discouraged workers as a percentage of the civilian labor force including discouraged workers.
• U-5 All unemployed plus discouraged employees plus unstable employees as a percentage of the civilian labor force plus all unstable employees.
• U-6 All unemployed plus unstable employees plus people who have a part-time job for economic reasons, as a percentage of the civilian labor force plus unstable employees.

Employment rate from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics

The labor force participation rate (Civilian Participation rate) is composed of the Civilian Labor Force Level (manpower available to the labor force) and the Civilian noninstitutional population level (total population of working age over 16 years) together.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Rate

The employment rate (Civilian Employment-Population Ratio) is the ratio of employees (Employment Level) to the working age population over 16 years (Civilian Noninstitutional Population Level). The employment rate is the same as the activity rate when there is no unemployment.

Survey method

The method of surveying the unemployment figures in the USA differs significantly from that of European countries and especially Germany. Because while in Germany, for example, the Federal Employment Agency can collect exact figures, since every recipient of unemployment benefits is registered, the collection in the USA is carried out by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the basis of representative telephone surveys of 60,000 households (Household Data). In doing so, information on the employable, the level of employment, the unemployed, the unemployment rate and the number of non-employable are determined. Since there are no official reporting deadlines in the USA, the unemployment figures are determined using a model of the newborns and the dead (net birth / death model).

All employees in agriculture, in private households and underemployed count as employees. People are considered to be employed if they worked at least one paid hour in the survey week, worked in their own company or helped out at least 15 hours unpaid in the family business. In the event of a temporary absence from work due to unpaid vacation, illness, bad weather or a strike, the person is also considered employed. In the telephone survey of private households, each employee is counted only once, even if he has two jobs.

In the broader unemployment rate U-6, the BLS also records part-time workers who are looking for a full-time job, marginal and marginally employed workers and so-called discouraged workers who have given up looking for work. Marginal and marginally employed workers are not counted as part of the labor force. You are considered available to take up a job and have been looking for a job at some point in the past 12 months. However, they are not counted as unemployed if they have not tried to start work in the last 4 weeks.

The discouraged workers are among the marginalized in the labor force. They are not currently looking for work because they believe there are no jobs available to them. Due to the lack of job opportunities, they retire from working life. The discouraged employees who have not looked for a job for more than a month have been omitted from the broader U-6 unemployment statistics since 1994. These are completely eliminated from the narrower U-3 unemployment statistics.

Another group are workers over 16 years of age who are not available for the labor market. The BLS classifies discouraged employees who would like to work in a company but have not looked for a job for more than a month as “not in labor force”. These people are not classified as unemployed and are excluded from the unemployment statistics. The US has a growing percentage of this discouraged workforce.

The lagging indicator of the US economy

Economic data from the USA on capacity utilization , employment rate and unemployment rate

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics labor market reports are considered in the stock markets and are considered a fundamental indicator that is usually considered to be lagging. The financial markets are sensitive to unexpected changes. The weekly reports appear every Thursday at 2:30 p.m. CET and the monthly reports appear every first Friday of the month at 2:30 p.m. CET.

Unemployment is closely correlated with consumer confidence, which measures the propensity to consume of private households . Consumer confidence is a key indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for around two-thirds of US economic output. Consumer sentiment indices in the US are the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan .

Historical development

unemployment

The unemployment rate in the USA has remained at a low level compared to many European countries for years. In 2007, the official unemployment rate (U-3) averaged 4.6 percent per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the wake of the financial crisis in 2010, the rate rose to an average of 9.6 percent, which is the highest level since 1983.

If discouraged employees who no longer register and part-time employees who are looking for a full-time job are also included, the actual unemployment rate (U-6) in the USA in 2010 was an annual average of 16.7 percent, which is the Great Depression levels of the 1930s. The discouraged employees who demonstrably have not looked for a job for more than a year have been omitted from the U-6 unemployment statistics since 1994.

The activity rate has risen continuously since 1964 (with the exception of 1975 and 1993) and between 1997 and 2000 it reached an all-time high of 67.1 percent on an annual average. Hidden unemployment has been growing since 2000, as shown by the falling activity rate. This fell to an average of 63.7 percent by 2012, the lowest level since 1979. The employment rate followed a similar development. After a high of 64.4 percent in 2000, it fell to 58.4 percent in 2011 and thus to the level of 1983. In 2012 it was 58.6 percent.

In August 2012, covert unemployment in the US rose to a 31-year high, as demonstrated by the fall in the labor force participation rate. At 63.5 percent, this was its lowest level since September 1981. The increase in employment was below the increase in the working population aged 16 and over. Thus there was no relief for the absolute number of poor and needy in the USA. The official unemployment rate (U-3), however, fell to 8.1 percent and the broader unemployment rate (U-6) to 14.7 percent.

This article or section needs to be revised: Current figures are missing, in particular a description of unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, see COVID-19 pandemic in the United States # Unemployment .
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Hidden reserve

The USA is a country with a growing population. The working-age population over 16 years of age rose from 2002 to 2012 by an annual average of 25.7 million to 243.3 million. The total employable population aged 16 and over only grew by 10.1 million to 155.0 million in the same period. The number of unavailable workers over the age of 16 has increased by 15.6 million since 2002 to an all-time high of 88.3 million in 2012. These are discouraged employees who would like to work for a company, but have not looked for a job for more than a month.

While the total working population aged 16 and over increased by 5.8 million between 2008 and 2011, the workforce available to the labor market fell by 0.7 million in the same period. Much more than the entire increase in the working population, 6.5 million, disappeared into the so-called hidden reserve , i.e. in the category for those who were able to work from the age of 16 who were not available to the labor market. Between 2009 and 2012, the number of those able to work in the hidden reserve rose faster than the total workable population for the first time since 1945.

All potential employable persons aged 16 and over who are no longer available on the labor market are irrelevant when determining the official unemployment figure and unemployment rate. Because only the workforce available on the labor market and the employment figures from the household survey are relevant for their determination.

In August 2012, the number of those able to work in the hidden reserve rose to a record 88.9 million. The table shows the annual development since the beginning of the financial crisis from 2007. In May 2018 it was 95.5 million.

year	Employable population in millions	Workforce on the labor market in millions	Unemployed in millions	Able to work in the silent reserve in millions
2007	231.867	153.124	7,078	78.743
2008	233.788	154.287	8,924	79.501
2009	235,801	154.142	14.265	81.659
2010	237.830	153.889	14.825	83.941
2011	239.618	153.617	13.747	86.001
2012	243.284	154.975	12.506	88.310
2013	245.679	155.389	11,460	90.290
2014	247,947	155.922	9.617	92.025
2015	250,801	157.130	8,296	93.671
2016	253,538	159.187	7.751	94,351
2017	255.079	160.320	6,982	94.759

Food aid

Most states stop receiving unemployment benefits after 26 weeks . As the number of long-term unemployed increased, more and more people lost this state support. If unemployment benefits are no longer paid, food stamps are issued under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

An average of 44.7 million Americans, 14.5 percent of the US population , received food aid through special credit cards for the 2011 fiscal year ended Sept. 30 . In fiscal 2001 it was 17.3 million, 6.1 percent of the US population. The cost of this aid program was $ 75.3 billion in 2011, according to the United States Department of Agriculture .

These so-called "Food Stamps" can apply for employable US citizens between the ages of 16 and 60 years. You cannot have more than $ 2,000 in household assets and you must have evidence of work. Adults without children generally only receive support for a maximum of three months. The millions of discouraged workers are not entitled to food aid.

In September 2012, the number of people receiving food aid reached an all-time high of 47.7 million. This means that 15.3 percent of the total population and 20.0 percent of all private households in the USA received state food aid. The table shows the annual development since the beginning of the financial crisis from 2007.

year	Recipients of food aid in millions	Cost in USD billion
2007	26,316	33.192
2008	28.223	37.642
2009	33,490	53.633
2010	40,302	68,313
2011	44,709	75.718
2012	46,609	78.345
2013	47.636	79.859
2014	46.664	74,061
2015	45.767	73.948
2016	44.219	70.912

Unemployment rate

Average length of unemployment in weeks since 1948

The list shows the development of the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate since 1890 (annually) and since 1971 (monthly) in percent. The data since 1971 are divided into decades.

1890 to 1970

year Quota 1890 4.0 1891 5.4 1892 3.0 1893 11.7 1894 18.4 1895 13.7 1896 14.4 1897 14.5 1898 12.4 1899 6.5 1900 5.0 1901 4.0 1902 3.7 1903 3.9 1904 5.4 1905 4.3 1906 1.7

year Quota 1907 2.8 1908 8.0 1909 5.1 1910 5.9 1911 6.7 1912 4.6 1913 4.3 1914 7.9 1915 8.5 1916 5.1 1917 4.6 1918 1.4 1919 1.4 1920 5.2 1921 11.7 1922 6.7 1923 2.4

year Quota 1924 5.0 1925 3.2 1926 1.8 1927 3.3 1928 4.2 1929 3.2 1930 8.7 1931 15.9 1932 23.6 1933 24.9 1934 21.7 1935 20.1 1936 16.9 1937 14.3 1938 19.0 1939 17.2 1940 14.6

year Quota 1941 9.9 1942 4.7 1943 1.9 1944 1.2 1945 1.9 1946 3.9 1947 3.9 1948 3.8 1949 5.9 1950 5.3 1951 3.3 1952 3.0 1953 2.9 1954 5.5 1955 4.4 1956 4.1 1957 4.3

year Quota 1958 6.8 1959 5.5 1960 5.5 1961 6.7 1962 5.5 1963 5.7 1964 5.2 1965 4.5 1966 3.8 1967 3.8 1968 3.6 1969 3.5 1970 4.9

1971 to 1980

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1971	5.9	5.9	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.9	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.9
1972	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.6	5.3	5.2	5.6
1973	4.9	5.0	4.9	5.0	4.9	4.9	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.6	4.8	4.9	4.9
1974	5.1	5.2	5.1	5.1	5.1	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.9	6.0	6.6	7.2	5.6
1975	8.1	8.1	8.6	8.8	9.0	8.8	8.6	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.3	8.2	8.5
1976	7.9	7.7	7.6	7.7	7.4	7.6	7.8	7.8	7.6	7.7	7.8	7.8	7.7
1977	7.5	7.6	7.4	7.2	7.0	7.2	6.9	7.0	6.8	6.8	6.8	6.4	7.1
1978	6.4	6.3	6.3	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.8	5.9	6.0	6.1
1979	5.9	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.9	6.0	5.9	6.0	5.8
1980	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.9	7.5	7.6	7.8	7.7	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.2	7.1

1981 to 1990

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1981	7.5	7.4	7.4	7.2	7.5	7.5	7.2	7.4	7.6	7.9	8.3	8.5	7.6
1982	8.6	8.9	9.0	9.3	9.4	9.6	9.8	9.8	10.1	10.4	10.8	10.8	9.7
1983	10.4	10.4	10.3	10.2	10.1	10.1	9.4	9.5	9.2	8.8	8.5	8.3	9.6
1984	8.0	7.8	7.8	7.7	7.4	7.2	7.5	7.5	7.3	7.4	7.2	7.3	7.5
1985	7.3	7.2	7.2	7.3	7.2	7.4	7.4	7.1	7.1	7.1	7.0	7.0	7.2
1986	6.7	7.2	7.2	7.1	7.2	7.2	7.0	6.9	7.0	7.0	6.9	6.6	7.0
1987	6.6	6.6	6.6	6.3	6.3	6.2	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.2
1988	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.6	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.4	5.4	5.3	5.3	5.5
1989	5.4	5.2	5.0	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.4	5.3
1990	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.5	5.7	5.9	5.9	6.2	6.3	5.6

1991 to 2000

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1991	6.4	6.6	6.8	6.7	6.9	6.9	6.8	6.9	6.9	7.0	7.0	7.3	6.8
1992	7.3	7.4	7.4	7.4	7.6	7.8	7.7	7.6	7.6	7.3	7.4	7.4	7.5
1993	7.3	7.1	7.0	7.1	7.1	7.0	6.9	6.8	6.7	6.8	6.6	6.5	6.9
1994	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.4	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.5	6.1
1995	5.6	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.6	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.6
1996	5.6	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.3	5.5	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.4	5.4
1997	5.3	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.0	4.9	4.8	4.9	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.9
1998	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.3	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.4	4.5
1999	4.3	4.4	4.2	4.3	4.2	4.3	4.3	4.2	4.2	4.1	4.1	4.0	4.2
2000	4.0	4.1	4.0	3.8	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.1	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.9	4.0

2001 to 2010

Unemployment by county 2008

Unemployment by state, 2010

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2001	4.2	4.2	4.3	4.4	4.3	4.5	4.6	4.9	5.0	5.3	5.5	5.7	4.7
2002	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.9	6.0	5.8
2003	5.8	5.9	5.9	6.0	6.1	6.3	6.2	6.1	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.0
2004	5.7	5.6	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.5
2005	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.1	5.0	5.0	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	4.9	5.1
2006	4.7	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.4	4.6
2007	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	5.0	4.6
2008	5.0	4.9	5.1	5.0	5.4	5.6	5.8	6.1	6.1	6.5	6.8	7.3	5.8
2009	7.8	8.3	8.7	9.0	9.4	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.8	10.0	9.9	9.9	9.3
2010	9.8	9.8	9.9	9.9	9.6	9.4	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.8	9.3	9.6

2011 to 2018

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2011	9.1	9.0	8.9	9.0	9.0	9.1	9.0	9.0	9.0	8.9	8.6	8.5	8.9
2012	8.3	8.3	8.2	8.1	8.2	8.2	8.2	8.1	7.8	7.9	7.8	7.8	8.1
2013	7.9	7.7	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.3	7.2	7.2	7.2	7.0	6.7	7.4
2014	6.6	6.7	6.7	6.3	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.1	5.9	5.54	5.8	5.6	6.2
2015	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.1	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.3
2016	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.0	4.7	4.9	4.9	4.9	5.0	4.9	4.6	4.7	4.9
2017	4.8	4.7	4.5	4.4	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.2	4.1	4.1	4.1	4.4
2018	4.1	4.1	4.1	3.9	3.8	4.0	3.9	3.9	3.7	3.7	3.7

Unemployment Rate by State

Unemployment Rate by U.S. State as of October 2018

rank	State	Unemployment Rate (Oct. 2018)
1	Hawaii	2.3%
2	Iowa	2.4%
3	New Hampshire	2.6%
4th	Idaho	2.7%
5	Minnesota	2.8%
5	Nebraska	2.8%
5	North Dakota	2.8%
5	Vermont	2.8%
9	Virginia	2.9%
10	South Dakota	3.0%
10	Wisconsin	3.0%
12	Missouri	3.1%
13	Colorado	3.2%
13	Utah	3.2%
15th	Kansas	3.3%
15th	South carolina	3.3%
17th	Florida	3.4%
17th	Maine	3.4%
17th	Oklahoma	3.4%
20th	Arkansas	3.5%
20th	Indiana	3.5%
20th	Massachusetts	3.5%
23	Georgia	3.6%
23	North Carolina	3.6%
25th	Montana	3.7%
25th	Tennessee	3.7%
25th	Texas	3.7%
28	Oregon	3.8%
28	Rhode Island	3.8%
30th	Delaware	3.9%
30th	Michigan	3.9%
32	new York	4.0%
33	Alabama	4.1%
33	California	4.1%
33	Maryland	4.1%
33	New Jersey	4.1%
33	Pennsylvania	4.1%
33	Wyoming	4.1%
39	Connecticut	4.2%
39	Illinois	4.2%
41	Washington	4.3%
42	Nevada	4.4%
43	Kentucky	4.5%
44	New Mexico	4.6%
44	Ohio	4.6%
46	Arizona	4.7%
46	Mississippi	4.7%
48	Louisiana	5.0%
49	West Virginia	5.2%
	District of Columbia	5.6%
50	Alaska	6.4%

Underemployment rate

The list shows the development of the seasonally adjusted underemployment rate U-7 since 1980 and U-6 since 1994 in percent.

1980 to 1993

year Quota 1980 10.1 1981 11.4 1982 15.3 1983 13.9 1985 10.6 1986 10.3

year Quota 1987 9.3 1988 8.4 1989 7.9 1990 8.2 1991 10.0 1992 10.8 1993 10.2

1994 to 2000

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1994	11.8	11.4	11.4	11.2	10.8	10.9	10.7	10.5	10.4	10.3	10.1	10.0	10.8
1995	10.2	9.9	9.9	10.0	10.0	10.1	10.1	10.0	10.1	9.9	10.0	10.0	10.0
1996	9.8	10.0	9.8	9.9	9.7	9.6	9.7	9.3	9.4	9.4	9.3	9.5	9.6
1997	9.4	9.4	9.1	9.2	8.8	8.8	8.6	8.6	8.7	8.4	8.3	8.4	8.8
1998	8.4	8.4	8.4	7.9	7.9	8.0	8.1	7.9	7.9	7.8	7.6	7.6	8.0
1999	7.7	7.7	7.6	7.6	7.4	7.5	7.5	7.3	7.4	7.2	7.1	7.1	7.4
2000	7.1	7.2	7.1	6.9	7.1	7.0	7.0	7.1	7.0	6.8	7.1	6.9	7.0

2001 to 2010

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2001	7.3	7.4	7.3	7.4	7.5	7.9	7.8	8.1	8.7	9.3	9.4	9.6	8.1
2002	9.5	9.5	9.4	9.7	9.5	9.5	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.6	9.7	9.8	9.6
2003	10.0	10.2	10.0	10.2	10.1	10.3	10.3	10.1	10.4	10.2	10.0	9.8	10.1
2004	9.9	9.7	10.0	9.6	9.6	9.5	9.5	9.4	9.4	9.7	9.4	9.2	9.6
2005	9.3	9.3	9.1	8.9	8.9	9.0	8.8	8.9	9.0	8.7	8.7	8.6	8.9
2006	8.4	8.4	8.2	8.1	8.2	8.4	8.5	8.4	8.0	8.2	8.1	7.9	8.2
2007	8.4	8.2	8.0	8.2	8.2	8.3	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.4	8.8	8.3
2008	9.2	9.0	9.1	9.2	9.7	10.1	10.5	10.8	11.1	11.8	12.7	13.5	10.6
2009	14.2	15.1	15.7	15.8	16.4	16.5	16.5	16.7	16.8	17.2	17.1	17.1	16.3
2010	16.7	16.9	16.9	17.0	16.6	16.5	16.5	16.6	16.9	16.8	16.9	16.6	16.7

2011 to 2018

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2011	16.1	15.9	15.7	15.9	15.8	16.2	16.1	16.2	16.4	16.0	15.6	15.2	15.9
2012	15.2	15.0	14.5	14.5	14.8	14.8	14.9	14.7	14.7	14.5	14.4	14.4	14.7
2013	14.6	14.4	13.8	14.0	13.8	14.0	13.8	13.6	13.5	13.6	13.1	13.1	13.7
2014	12.7	12.7	12.7	12.3	12.1	12.0	12.1	11.9	11.7	11.5	11.4	11.2	12.0
2015	11.3	11.0	10.9	10.9	10.8	10.4	10.3	10.2	10.0	9.8	9.9	9.9	10.5
2016	9.9	9.7	9.8	9.8	9.8	9.8	9.5	9.7	9.6	9.7	9.3	9.1	9.6
2017	9.4	9.2	8.8	8.6	8.4	8.5	8.5	8.6	8.3	8.0	8.0	8.1	8.5
2018	8.2	8.2	8.0	7.8	7.6	7.8	7.5	7.4	7.5	7.4	7.6

Activity rate

The list shows the development of the seasonally adjusted employment rate since 1940 (age over 14 years) and since 1947 (age over 16 years) in percent. The data since 1971 are divided into decades.

1940 to 1970

year Quota 1940 55.7 1941 56.0 1942 57.2 1943 58.7 1944 58.6 1945 57.2 1946 55.8

year Quota 1947 58.3 1948 58.8 1949 58.9 1950 59.2 1951 59.2 1952 59.0 1953 58.9

year Quota 1954 58.8 1955 59.3 1956 60.0 1957 59.6 1958 59.5 1959 59.3 1960 59.4

year Quota 1961 59.3 1962 58.8 1963 58.7 1964 58.7 1965 58.9 1966 59.2 1967 59.6

year Quota 1968 59.6 1969 60.1 1970 60.4

1971 to 1980

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1971	60.4	60.1	60.0	60.1	60.2	59.8	60.1	60.2	60.1	60.1	60.4	60.4	60.2
1972	60.2	60.2	60.5	60.4	60.4	60.4	60.4	60.6	60.4	60.3	60.3	60.5	60.4
1973	60.0	60.5	60.8	60.8	60.6	60.9	60.9	60.7	60.8	60.9	61.2	61.2	60.8
1974	61.3	61.4	61.3	61.1	61.2	61.2	61.4	61.2	61.4	61.3	61.3	61.2	61.3
1975	61.4	61.0	61.2	61.3	61.5	61.2	61.3	61.3	61.2	61.2	61.1	61.1	61.2
1976	61.3	61.3	61.3	61.6	61.5	61.5	61.8	61.8	61.6	61.6	61.9	61.8	61.6
1977	61.6	61.9	62.0	62.1	62.2	62.4	62.1	62.3	62.3	62.4	62.8	62.7	62.3
1978	62.8	62.7	62.8	63.0	63.1	63.3	63.2	63.2	63.3	63.3	63.5	63.6	63.2
1979	63.6	63.8	63.8	63.5	63.3	63.5	63.6	63.6	63.8	63.7	63.7	63.9	63.7
1980	64.0	64.0	63.7	63.8	63.9	63.7	63.8	63.7	63.6	63.7	63.8	63.6	63.8

1981 to 1990

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1981	63.9	63.9	64.1	64.2	64.3	63.7	63.8	63.8	63.5	63.8	63.9	63.6	63.9
1982	63.7	63.8	63.8	63.9	64.2	63.9	64.0	64.1	64.1	64.1	64.2	64.1	64.0
1983	63.9	63.8	63.7	63.8	63.7	64.3	64.1	64.3	64.3	64.0	64.1	64.1	64.0
1984	63.9	64.1	64.1	64.3	64.5	64.6	64.6	64.4	64.4	64.4	64.5	64.6	64.4
1985	64.7	64.7	64.9	64.9	64.8	64.6	64.7	64.6	64.9	65.0	64.9	65.0	64.8
1986	64.9	65.0	65.1	65.1	65.2	65.4	65.4	65.3	65.4	65.4	65.4	65.3	65.3
1987	65.4	65.5	65.5	65.4	65.7	65.5	65.6	65.7	65.5	65.7	65.7	65.7	65.6
1988	65.8	65.9	65.7	65.8	65.7	65.8	65.9	66.1	65.9	66.0	66.2	66.1	65.9
1989	66.5	66.3	66.3	66.4	66.3	66.5	66.5	66.5	66.4	66.5	66.6	66.5	66.5
1990	66.8	66.7	66.7	66.6	66.6	66.4	66.5	66.5	66.4	66.4	66.4	66.4	66.5

1991 to 2000

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1991	66.2	66.2	66.3	66.4	66.2	66.2	66.1	66.0	66.2	66.1	66.1	66.0	66.2
1992	66.3	66.2	66.4	66.5	66.6	66.7	66.7	66.6	66.5	66.2	66.3	66.3	66.4
1993	66.2	66.2	66.2	66.1	66.4	66.5	66.4	66.4	66.2	66.3	66.3	66.4	66.3
1994	66.6	66.6	66.5	66.5	66.6	66.4	66.4	66.6	66.6	66.7	66.7	66.7	66.6
1995	66.8	66.8	66.7	66.9	66.5	66.5	66.6	66.6	66.6	66.6	66.5	66.4	66.6
1996	66.4	66.6	66.6	66.7	66.7	66.7	66.9	66.7	66.9	67.0	67.0	67.0	66.8
1997	67.0	66.9	67.1	67.1	67.1	67.1	67.2	67.2	67.1	67.1	67.2	67.2	67.1
1998	67.1	67.1	67.1	67.0	67.0	67.0	67.0	67.0	67.2	67.2	67.1	67.2	67.1
1999	67.2	67.2	67.0	67.1	67.1	67.1	67.1	67.0	67.0	67.0	67.1	67.1	67.1
2000	67.3	67.3	67.3	67.3	67.1	67.1	66.9	66.9	66.9	66.8	66.9	67.0	67.1

2001 to 2010

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2001	67.2	67.1	67.2	66.9	66.7	66.7	66.8	66.5	66.8	66.7	66.7	66.7	66.8
2002	66.5	66.8	66.6	66.7	66.7	66.6	66.5	66.6	66.7	66.6	66.4	66.3	66.6
2003	66.4	66.4	66.3	66.4	66.4	66.5	66.2	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.1	65.9	66.2
2004	66.1	66.0	66.0	65.9	66.0	66.1	66.1	66.0	65.8	65.9	66.0	65.9	66.0
2005	65.8	65.9	65.9	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.1	66.0	66.0	66.0
2006	66.0	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.2	66.1	66.2	66.3	66.4	66.2
2007	66.4	66.3	66.2	65.9	66.0	66.0	66.0	65.8	66.0	65.8	66.0	66.0	66.0
2008	66.2	66.0	66.1	65.9	66.1	66.1	66.1	66.1	65.9	66.0	65.8	65.8	66.0
2009	65.7	65.8	65.6	65.7	65.7	65.7	65.5	65.4	65.1	65.0	65.0	64.6	65.4
2010	64.8	64.9	64.9	65.1	64.9	64.6	64.6	64.7	64.6	64.4	64.6	64.3	64.7

2011 to 2018

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2011	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.0	64.0	64.1	64.2	64.1	64.1	64.0	64.1
2012	63.7	63.9	63.8	63.6	63.8	63.8	63.7	63.5	63.6	63.8	63.6	63.6	63.7
2013	63.7	63.4	63.3	63.4	63.4	63.4	63.3	63.3	63.3	62.8	63.0	62.9	63.2
2014	62.9	62.9	63.1	62.8	62.8	62.8	62.9	62.9	62.8	62.9	62.9	62.8	62.9
2015	62.9	62.7	62.7	62.8	62.9	62.7	62.6	62.6	62.3	62.5	62.5	62.7	62.7
2016	62.8	62.9	63.0	62.8	62.6	62.7	62.8	62.8	62.9	62.8	62.7	62.7	62.8
2017	62.9	62.9	63.0	62.9	62.7	62.8	62.9	62.9	63.0	62.7	62.7	62.7	62.9
2018	62.7	63.0	62.9	62.8	62.7	62.9	62.9	62.7	62.7	62.9	62.9

Employment rate

The list shows the development of the seasonally adjusted employment rate since 1940 (age over 14 years) and since 1947 (age over 16 years) in percent. The data since 1971 are divided into decades.

1940 to 1970

year Quota 1940 47.6 1941 50.4 1942 54.5 1943 57.6 1944 57.9 1945 56.1 1946 53.6

year Quota 1947 56.0 1948 56.6 1949 55.4 1950 56.1 1951 57.3 1952 57.3 1953 57.1

year Quota 1954 55.5 1955 56.7 1956 57.5 1957 57.1 1958 55.4 1959 56.0 1960 56.1

year Quota 1961 55.4 1962 55.5 1963 55.4 1964 55.7 1965 56.2 1966 56.9 1967 57.3

year Quota 1968 57.5 1969 58.0 1970 57.4

1971 to 1980

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1971	56.8	56.6	56.4	56.6	56.6	56.2	56.5	56.6	56.6	56.6	56.8	56.8	56.6
1972	56.7	56.7	56.9	56.9	57.0	57.0	57.0	57.1	57.0	57.0	57.2	57.3	57.0
1973	57.1	57.5	57.8	57.7	57.7	58.0	57.9	57.8	57.9	58.1	58.2	58.2	57.8
1974	58.2	58.2	58.2	58.0	58.0	58.0	58.0	57.8	57.7	57.6	57.3	56.9	57.8
1975	56.4	56.1	56.0	55.9	56.0	55.8	56.0	56.1	56.1	56.1	56.0	56.1	56.1
1976	56.4	56.5	56.7	56.8	57.0	56.8	57.0	57.0	56.9	56.9	57.0	57.0	56.8
1977	57.0	57.2	57.4	57.6	57.8	57.9	57.8	58.0	58.1	58.2	58.6	58.7	57.9
1978	58.8	58.8	58.8	59.2	59.3	59.5	59.3	59.4	59.5	59.7	59.8	59.8	59.3
1979	59.9	60.1	60.0	59.8	59.8	59.9	60.0	59.8	60.0	59.9	60.0	60.1	59.9
1980	60.0	60.0	59.7	59.4	59.1	58.9	58.8	58.8	58.9	58.9	59.0	59.0	59.2

1981 to 1990

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1981	59.1	59.2	59.4	59.6	59.5	59.0	59.1	59.1	58.7	58.8	58.6	58.2	59.0
1982	58.2	58.2	58.1	57.9	58.2	57.8	57.7	57.8	57.6	57.4	57.3	57.2	57.8
1983	57.2	57.1	57.1	57.3	57.3	57.8	58.1	58.2	58.4	58.4	58.7	58.8	57.9
1984	58.8	59.1	59.1	59.3	59.7	59.9	59.8	59.6	59.7	59.7	59.8	59.9	59.5
1985	59.9	60.0	60.2	60.1	60.1	59.8	59.9	60.0	60.3	60.3	60.4	60.4	60.1
1986	60.6	60.3	60.5	60.5	60.5	60.7	60.8	60.8	60.8	60.9	60.9	61.0	60.7
1987	61.0	61.1	61.2	61.3	61.6	61.4	61.6	61.8	61.6	61.8	61.9	62.0	61.5
1988	62.0	62.1	61.9	62.2	62.0	62.3	62.3	62.4	62.4	62.5	62.7	62.6	62.3
1989	62.9	62.9	62.9	62.9	62.9	63.0	63.0	63.1	62.8	62.9	63.0	63.0	63.0
1990	63.2	63.2	63.2	63.0	63.1	62.9	62.8	62.7	62.5	62.5	62.3	62.2	62.8

1991 to 2000

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
1991	62.0	61.9	61.8	62.0	61.6	61.7	61.6	61.5	61.6	61.5	61.4	61.2	61.7
1992	61.5	61.3	61.5	61.6	61.5	61.5	61.6	61.6	61.4	61.3	61.4	61.4	61.5
1993	61.4	61.4	61.5	61.5	61.7	61.8	61.8	62.0	61.7	61.8	61.9	62.0	61.7
1994	62.2	62.3	62.1	62.3	62.5	62.3	62.3	62.6	62.7	62.9	63.0	63.1	62.5
1995	63.0	63.1	63.1	63.1	62.7	62.7	62.8	62.8	62.9	62.9	62.8	62.7	62.9
1996	62.7	62.9	63.0	63.0	63.0	63.2	63.3	63.3	63.4	63.5	63.4	63.4	63.2
1997	63.4	63.4	63.6	63.7	63.8	63.7	63.9	63.9	63.9	63.9	64.1	64.0	63.8
1998	64.0	64.0	64.0	64.1	64.1	64.0	64.0	63.9	64.2	64.1	64.2	64.3	64.1
1999	64.4	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.3	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.3	64.4	64.4	64.3
2000	64.6	64.6	64.6	64.7	64.4	64.5	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.2	64.3	64.4	64.4

2001 to 2010

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2001	64.4	64.3	64.3	64.0	63.8	63.7	63.7	63.2	63.5	63.2	63.0	62.9	63.7
2002	62.7	63.0	62.8	62.7	62.9	62.7	62.7	62.7	63.0	62.7	62.5	62.4	62.7
2003	62.5	62.5	62.4	62.4	62.3	62.3	62.1	62.1	62.0	62.1	62.3	62.2	62.3
2004	62.3	62.3	62.2	62.3	62.3	62.4	62.5	62.4	62.3	62.3	62.5	62.4	62.3
2005	62.4	62.4	62.4	62.7	62.8	62.7	62.8	62.9	62.8	62.8	62.7	62.8	62.7
2006	62.9	63.0	63.1	63.0	63.1	63.1	63.0	63.1	63.1	63.3	63.3	63.4	63.1
2007	63.3	63.3	63.3	63.0	63.0	63.0	62.9	62.7	62.9	62.7	62.9	62.7	63.0
2008	62.9	62.8	62.7	62.7	62.5	62.4	62.2	62.0	61.9	61.7	61.4	61.0	62.2
2009	60.6	60.3	59.9	59.8	59.6	59.4	59.3	59.1	58.7	58.5	58.6	58.3	59.3
2010	58.5	58.5	58.5	58.7	58.6	58.5	58.5	58.5	58.5	58.3	58.2	58.3	58.5

2011 to 2018

year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly
2011	58.3	58.4	58.4	58.4	58.4	58.2	58.2	58.3	58.4	58.4	58.5	58.6	58.4
2012	58.5	58.6	58.5	58.5	58.6	58.6	58.5	58.4	58.7	58.7	58.7	58.6	58.6
2013	58.6	58.6	58.5	58.6	58.6	58.6	58.7	58.7	58.7	58.3	58.6	58.7	58.6
2014	58.8	58.7	58.9	58.9	58.9	59.0	59.0	59.0	59.1	59.3	59.2	59.3	59.0
2015	59.3	59.3	59.3	59.3	59.4	59.4	59.3	59.4	59.2	59.3	59.4	59.6	59.3
2016	59.7	59.8	59.8	59.7	59.7	59.7	59.7	59.8	59.7	59.7	59.8	59.8	59.7
2017	59.9	60.0	60.2	60.2	60.0	60.1	60.2	60.1	60.4	60.2	60.1	60.1	60.1
2018	60.1	60.4	60.4	60.3	60.4	60.4	60.5	60.3	60.4	60.6	60.6

See also

• Unemployment statistics
• United States economy

Web links

• US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Individual evidence

1. ↑ US Bureau of Labor Statistics: BLS introduces new range of alternative unemployment measures, Monthly Labor Review, October 1995 (PDF; 651 kB)
2. ↑ US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Alternative Measures of Labor Underutilization for States
3. ↑ US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Household Data (PDF; 149 kB)
4. ^ US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over, 1976 to date
5. ^ US Department of Agriculture: Facts About the Food Stamp Program
6. ^ US Department of Agriculture: SNAP Monthly Data
7. ↑ US Census Bureau: USA QuickFacts
8. ^ US Department of Agriculture: SNAP Annual Summary
9. ^ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Historical Participation and Costs. Accessed January 8, 2018 . 
10. ↑ Duke University: Unemployment rate 1890-1970 ( Memento of the original from June 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ↑ ^{a b} U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Alternative measures of labor underutilization
12. ^ Unemployment Rates for States. Retrieved January 8, 2018 . 
13. ↑ US Bureau of Labor Statistics: International unemployment indicators, 1983-93, Monthly Labor Review, August 1995 (PDF; 1.3 MB)
14. ↑ ^{a b} U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population, 1941 to date
15. ↑ ^{a b} U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age