US Unemployment rate aged 16-19
US Unemployment rate aged 16-19 stood at 14.5% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-19 years2 | 14.5 | 14.1 | 12.1 | 14.6 | 14.7 | 14.4 | 13.7 | 14.9 | 13.6 | 15.7 | |
| 16-17 years | 16.9 | 14.9 | 13.6 | 17.1 | 17.4 | 16.6 | 14.2 | 16.3 | 16.3 | 18 | |
| 18-19 years | 13.3 | 13.7 | 11.3 | 13 | 13.3 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.8 | 12.2 | 14.4 |
Understanding US Unemployment rate aged 16-19
The United States unemployment rate for teenagers aged sixteen to nineteen, published by FRED, measures the share of individuals without work who are actively seeking and available for employment within the corresponding labour force. Students who neither work nor seek employment are excluded from the denominator, meaning this figure does not represent jobless youths as a share of the total young population. Compared with the overall unemployment rate, this series focuses on the phase of initial entry into the labour market, covering both the sixteen to seventeen and eighteen to nineteen age brackets.
Monthly data for teenagers frequently fluctuates due to a small labour force size, school schedules, holiday periods, and seasonal jobs. Analysts should prioritise observing trends across multiple periods or comparing the same month of the previous year rather than overinterpreting a month-on-month change. If the series is not seasonally adjusted, summer months and the start of the academic year can generate notable divergences. The rate may also rise when more young people begin searching for work even if employment figures do not decline, and should therefore be read alongside jobless counts and the cohort population size.
Frequently asked questions
- Are students included in this rate?
- Yes, if they are employed or actively looking and available for work. Those who are only studying and not participating in the labour market are excluded from the denominator.
- Why is the rate for teenagers typically higher than the overall rate?
- This group generally has less experience, changes jobs more frequently, and takes on more seasonal work.
- Should one draw conclusions from a sharp one-month increase?
- Caution is warranted because school schedules, summer breaks, and survey errors can cause the series to fluctuate significantly.