How to Find the Official Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate is a widely watched economic indicator, reflecting the availability of jobs and the overall demand for labor. It provides insights into a nation’s economic health and potential future trends. Understanding this metric helps individuals, policymakers, and businesses assess economic conditions and stability.

What the Unemployment Rate Represents

The unemployment rate measures the percentage of the labor force that is jobless but actively seeking work. To be counted as “employed,” an individual must have worked at least one hour for pay or profit, or worked 15 hours or more as an unpaid worker in a family business during the survey week. Those temporarily absent from their jobs due to illness, vacation, or other reasons are also considered employed. Conversely, “unemployed” individuals are those who did not have a job during the survey week, were available for work, and had made specific efforts to find employment during the prior four weeks.

Individuals are considered “not in the labor force” if they are neither employed nor unemployed. This category includes retirees, students, those caring for children or other family members, and individuals who are not working and are not looking for work.

Locating Official Figures

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor, serves as the primary source for official unemployment figures in the United States. The BLS publishes the national unemployment rate and related employment data monthly in a comprehensive release, typically found within “The Employment Situation” news release.

To access the current unemployment rate, individuals can visit the official BLS website. Navigating to the “News Releases” section, or directly searching for “Employment Situation,” will lead to the latest publication. The report is usually released on the first Friday of each month, providing data for the preceding month. Within the news release, tables and summary statistics present the national unemployment rate, often highlighted near the beginning of the document.

How the Unemployment Rate is Measured

The unemployment rate is derived from data collected through the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of households conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the BLS. This survey gathers information from approximately 60,000 eligible households across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The CPS is designed to be representative of the entire civilian noninstitutional population.

The unemployment rate is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed persons by the total number of persons in the civilian labor force, and then multiplying the result by 100. The civilian labor force includes all employed and unemployed individuals. It excludes members of the Armed Forces and individuals in institutions like prisons or mental hospitals. The BLS also applies seasonal adjustments to the unemployment rate.

Seasonal adjustments remove the effects of predictable seasonal variations in employment, such as those caused by holiday hiring or the end of the school year. This adjustment helps to reveal underlying trends in the labor market that are not related to regular seasonal patterns. The adjusted data provides a clearer picture of month-to-month changes in labor market conditions. The CPS’s extensive reach and consistent methodology contribute to the reliability of the reported unemployment figures.

Understanding Related Measures

While the widely reported unemployment rate is a primary indicator, the BLS publishes several alternative measures that offer a more nuanced view of labor underutilization. The most commonly cited is the “U-3” rate, which is the official unemployment rate. It counts individuals without jobs who are available for work and have actively sought employment in the past four weeks.

Another significant measure is the “U-6” rate, often referred to as the “total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons.” This broader measure includes individuals who are considered “marginally attached workers,” meaning they are not currently looking for work but want and are available for a job and have looked for one sometime in the prior 12 months. It also includes “discouraged workers,” a subset of the marginally attached who believe no jobs are available for them, or they would be unable to find a job.

The U-6 rate further accounts for individuals who are working part-time but would prefer and are available for full-time employment, often due to economic reasons such as reduced hours or an inability to find full-time work. The difference between U-3 and U-6 highlights the scope of underemployment and hidden unemployment not fully captured by the official rate. The BLS also publishes other “U” measures (U-1 to U-5), each providing different inclusions or exclusions of specific groups. These alternative measures offer a more complete understanding of the nation’s employment situation.