US Unemployment rate aged 18-19
US Unemployment rate aged 18-19 stood at 13.3% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 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 | |
| 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 18-19
Individuals aged eighteen to nineteen in the United States are classified as unemployed by FRED if they lack a job, have undertaken job search activities, and are available to begin working. The rate divides this group by all employed or unemployed persons in the same age range, thereby excluding those exclusively engaged in studies or home-making without seeking employment. This series is narrower than the overall sixteen to nineteen teenage indicator and omits the younger cohort; a notable distinction is that many individuals within this scope are transitioning from school to further education or full-time employment.
When reading monthly charts, allowances must be made for graduation schedules, school terms, summer breaks, and seasonal recruitment. Year-on-year comparisons are typically more useful than month-on-month figures, while averages across multiple periods help mitigate noise stemming from the narrow age cohort sample size. An increase may stem from a greater number of individuals initiating job searches rather than job losses alone. Conversely, a reduction in the rate can be accompanied by departures from the labour force. If revisions appear in the most recent period, both the direction of movement and initial conclusions should be reassessed.
Frequently asked questions
- Do students looking for part-time work fall within the scope?
- Yes, provided they are actively looking and available for work.
- Is an increase in the rate after graduation necessarily a bad signal?
- Not necessarily, because recent graduates starting their job search enter both the labour force and the unemployed group.
- Which other indicator should this series be read alongside?
- The number of unemployed youth and the size of the same-age population help distinguish changes in volume from changes in the rate.