US Unemployment rate
US Unemployment rate stood at 4.2% in Sep 2026, according to FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). It is one of the indicators in the Unemployment table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 1948 to Sep 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Unemployment table
| Indicator | 09-2026 | 08-2026 | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total4 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | |
| 16-19 years | 14.5 | 14.1 | 12.1 | 14.6 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 13.7 | 14.9 | 13.6 | 15.7 | |
| 20 years and over | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4 | 4 | 3.9 |
Understanding US Unemployment rate
This indicator represents the share of individuals without a job who are actively seeking work and available for employment within the civilian labour force. The denominator includes only those who are employed or unemployed, rather than the entire working-age population; students, homemakers, retirees, and discouraged workers who have stopped looking for jobs are generally outside the labour force. This is an overall rate, differing from the breakdown rows in the same table which are separated by age group, and is therefore less affected by age-structure variations when observing individual groups.
Data are published monthly and are typically seasonally adjusted, but the series characteristics should be verified before making comparisons. Month-on-month comparisons help identify recent turning points, though small differences may simply reflect survey noise; year-on-year comparisons are more appropriate for assessing trends. A falling rate is not necessarily entirely positive if many individuals stop searching and leave the labour force. Recent periods may also be revised when input information or estimation methods are updated.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is the unemployment rate lower than the share of adults without a job?
- The denominator consists only of the labour force. People who do not work and are not looking for work are generally not counted as unemployed.
- Does a falling rate always mean the labour market is improving?
- Not necessarily, because the rate can also fall when unemployed people stop looking for work and leave the labour force.
- Which benchmark should be used to compare the current month?
- Compare with the previous month to track recent changes, and also compare with the same month of the previous year to limit seasonal effects and short-term noise.