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Economy & jobs Statistics · Country

Unemployment rate in United States

1995 – 2023 · 29 data points 3 of 4 · Countries Updated Oct 21, 2026

Source: OECD Regional Database, 1995 – 2023

Unemployment rate, 1995 – 2023 percent · United States · World
−1.7 pp since 2013
United States World

Sources: OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1995 – 2023

Compared with Unemployment rate · percent
United States
3.6%
World
4.8% · 2025

Sources: OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators

The series at a glance United States · 1995 – 2023
Latest value 3.6% · 2023
First value 5.6% · 1995
Highest 9.6% · 2010
Lowest 3.6% · 2023
Data points 29

By year

All years · 1995 – 2023

YearUnited StatesChange World
2023 3.6% −0.1 pp 4.8%
2022 3.7% −1.7 pp 5.2%
2021 5.4% −2.7 pp 6.0%
2020 8.1% +4.4 pp 6.6%
2019 3.7% −0.2 pp 5.6%
2018 3.9% −0.5 pp 5.8%
2017 4.4% −0.5 pp 5.9%
2016 4.9% −0.4 pp 6.0%
2015 5.3% −0.9 pp 6.0%
2014 6.2% +0.9 pp 6.0%
2013 5.3% −2.8 pp 6.1%
2012 8.1% −0.9 pp 6.2%
2011 9.0% −0.6 pp 6.1%
2010 9.6% +0.3 pp 6.3%
2009 9.3% +3.5 pp 6.4%
2008 5.8% +1.2 pp 5.8%
2007 4.6% ±0.0 pp 5.8%
2006 4.6% −0.5 pp 6.0%
2005 5.1% −0.4 pp 6.2%
2004 5.5% −0.5 pp 6.3%
2003 6.0% +0.2 pp 6.5%
2002 5.8% +1.0 pp 6.4%
2001 4.8% +0.8 pp 6.2%
2000 4.0% −0.2 pp 6.1%
1999 4.2% −0.3 pp 6.3%
1998 4.5% −0.4 pp 6.2%
1997 4.9% −0.5 pp 6.0%
1996 5.4% −0.2 pp 6.0%
1995 5.6% 5.9%

Sources: OECD Regional Database · World Bank — World Development Indicators, 1995 – 2023

Ranking · Countries

2017 · Place 1 is the highest value.

#TerritoryUnemployment rate
2 Canada 6.4%
1 Chile 7.0%
5 South Korea 3.7%
3 United Kingdom 4.4%
4 United States 4.4%

Source: OECD Regional Database, 2017

What it means

The share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.

How it is calculated

Unemployed people divided by the labour force (employed plus unemployed), following the international definition; annual average.