Gray bands: NBER recessions
What is Unemployment Rate?
The unemployment rate is the share of the U.S. civilian labor force that is jobless and actively looking for work, published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Employment Situation report. It is the headline U-3 measure — one of six rates BLS publishes, from the narrow U-1 to the broader U-6 that includes underemployed and marginally attached workers. The rate touched 24.9% at the depths of the Great Depression in 1933 and a postwar high of 14.7% in April 2020 during the COVID-19 shutdown. It fell to 3.4% in early 2023, the lowest level since 1969, before drifting modestly higher as post-pandemic labor-market tightness eased. Economists generally estimate the natural rate of unemployment — the rate consistent with stable inflation — at 4.0 to 4.5% for the modern U.S. economy; sustained readings below that range suggest a tight labor market and upward wage pressure.
Current Unemployment Rate Value
As of April 1, 2026, the current unemployment rate is 4.30 Percent. This is the most recent observation available for this series, updated monthly.
Historical Trend
Unemployment Rate remained flat essentially unchanged month-over-month. Over the past year, unemployment rate rose 2.38% from March 2025. In the series' tracked history, the highest recorded value was 14.80 (April 2020), and the lowest was 2.50 (May 1953).
Methodology & Source
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Frequency: Monthly
Units: Percent
The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. Labor force data are restricted to people 16 years of age and older, who currently reside in 1 of the 50 states or the District of Columbia, who do not reside in institutions (e.g., penal and mental facilit...