Federal Reserve Economic Data

Unemployment Rate (UNRATE)

Observations

Dec 1988: 5.3
Updated: Jan 9, 2026 8:10 AM CST
Next Release Date: Feb 6, 2026
Dec 1988:  5.3  
Nov 1988:  5.3  
Oct 1988:  5.4  
Sep 1988:  5.4  
Aug 1988:  5.6  
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Units:

Percent,
Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:

Monthly

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Notes

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics  

Release: Employment Situation  

Units:  Percent, Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Monthly

Notes:

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 facilities, homes for the aged), and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces.

This rate is also defined as the U-3 measure of labor underutilization.

The series comes from the 'Current Population Survey (Household Survey)'

The source code is: LNS14000000

Suggested Citation:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rate [UNRATE], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE, .

Release Tables

Employment Situation

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Other Formats

Monthly, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Related Categories

Unemployment Rate Current Population Survey (Household Survey) Population, Employment, & Labor Markets

Releases

More Series from Employment Situation

Tags

Labor Underutilization Headline Figure Civilian 16 Years + Current Population Survey (Household Survey) Labor Unemployment Rate Seasonally Adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Nation Public Domain: Citation Requested United States of America

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