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Official unemployment rate little changed at 3.7 percent in June 2019; U-6 at 7.2 percent

July 10, 2019

In June 2019, both the unemployment rate, 3.7 percent, and the number of unemployed, 6.0 million people, were little changed from May. BLS publishes six "alternative measures of labor underutilization," known as U-1 through U-6, every month. The unemployment rate, also called U-3, is the total number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labor force. U-1 and U-2 are more narrowly defined and always lower than the U-3 rate. U-4, U-5, and U-6 are more broadly defined and always higher. In June, U-1 was at 1.3 percent and includes people unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force. U-2 was at 1.7 percent and includes job losers and people who completed temporary jobs, as a percent of the civilian labor force.

Alternative measures of labor underutilization, seasonally adjusted
Month U-1, unemployed 15 weeks or longer as % of labor force U-2, job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs as % of labor force U-3, unemployed as % of labor force (official unemployment rate) U-4, unemployed + discouraged workers as % of labor force + discouraged workers U-5, unemployed + discouraged + all other marginally attached as % of labor force + all marginally attached U-6, unemployed + marginally attached + part time for economic reasons, as % of labor force + marginally attached

Jun 2009

5.1% 6.2% 9.5% 10.0% 10.8% 16.5%

Jul 2009

5.1 6.1 9.5 9.9 10.8 16.4

Aug 2009

5.1 6.2 9.6 10.0 10.9 16.7

Sep 2009

5.5 6.5 9.8 10.2 11.0 16.7

Oct 2009

5.6 6.5 10.0 10.5 11.4 17.1

Nov 2009

5.7 6.3 9.9 10.4 11.2 17.1

Dec 2009

5.8 6.3 9.9 10.4 11.3 17.1

Jan 2010

5.8 6.1 9.8 10.4 11.3 16.7

Feb 2010

5.8 6.2 9.8 10.5 11.3 17.0

Mar 2010

5.9 6.2 9.9 10.5 11.2 17.1

Apr 2010

5.9 6.1 9.9 10.6 11.3 17.1

May 2010

5.8 6.0 9.6 10.3 10.9 16.6

Jun 2010

5.8 5.9 9.4 10.1 10.9 16.4

Jul 2010

5.7 5.9 9.4 10.1 11.0 16.4

Aug 2010

5.5 5.9 9.5 10.2 10.9 16.5

Sep 2010

5.5 5.9 9.5 10.2 10.9 16.8

Oct 2010

5.6 5.8 9.4 10.2 11.0 16.6

Nov 2010

5.6 6.2 9.8 10.5 11.2 16.9

Dec 2010

5.6 5.7 9.3 10.1 10.9 16.6

Jan 2011

5.5 5.5 9.1 9.7 10.8 16.2

Feb 2011

5.3 5.5 9.0 9.6 10.6 16.0

Mar 2011

5.3 5.4 9.0 9.5 10.4 15.9

Apr 2011

5.2 5.4 9.1 9.7 10.5 16.1

May 2011

5.3 5.4 9.0 9.5 10.3 15.8

Jun 2011

5.3 5.3 9.1 9.7 10.7 16.1

Jul 2011

5.3 5.3 9.0 9.6 10.6 15.9

Aug 2011

5.4 5.2 9.0 9.6 10.5 16.1

Sep 2011

5.4 5.2 9.0 9.7 10.5 16.4

Oct 2011

5.1 5.1 8.8 9.4 10.3 15.8

Nov 2011

5.0 5.0 8.6 9.3 10.1 15.5

Dec 2011

4.9 4.9 8.5 9.1 10.0 15.2

Jan 2012

4.8 4.7 8.3 8.9 9.9 15.2

Feb 2012

4.7 4.6 8.3 8.9 9.8 15.0

Mar 2012

4.6 4.5 8.2 8.7 9.6 14.5

Apr 2012

4.6 4.4 8.2 8.8 9.6 14.6

May 2012

4.6 4.5 8.2 8.7 9.6 14.7

Jun 2012

4.7 4.6 8.2 8.7 9.6 14.8

Jul 2012

4.5 4.6 8.2 8.7 9.6 14.8

Aug 2012

4.5 4.4 8.1 8.6 9.6 14.6

Sep 2012

4.4 4.2 7.8 8.3 9.3 14.8

Oct 2012

4.4 4.2 7.8 8.3 9.2 14.4

Nov 2012

4.2 4.2 7.7 8.3 9.2 14.4

Dec 2012

4.3 4.2 7.9 8.5 9.4 14.4

Jan 2013

4.2 4.3 8.0 8.5 9.4 14.6

Feb 2013

4.2 4.2 7.7 8.2 9.2 14.4

Mar 2013

4.1 4.0 7.5 8.0 8.9 13.8

Apr 2013

4.1 4.1 7.6 8.1 8.9 14.0

May 2013

4.1 3.9 7.5 8.0 8.8 13.8

Jun 2013

4.0 3.9 7.5 8.2 9.1 14.2

Jul 2013

3.9 3.8 7.3 7.9 8.7 13.8

Aug 2013

3.8 3.8 7.2 7.8 8.6 13.6

Sep 2013

3.8 3.8 7.2 7.7 8.6 13.5

Oct 2013

3.7 4.0 7.2 7.7 8.5 13.6

Nov 2013

3.7 3.7 6.9 7.4 8.2 13.1

Dec 2013

3.6 3.5 6.7 7.3 8.1 13.1

Jan 2014

3.4 3.4 6.6 7.1 8.1 12.7

Feb 2014

3.5 3.5 6.7 7.1 8.0 12.6

Mar 2014

3.5 3.4 6.7 7.1 7.9 12.6

Apr 2014

3.2 3.3 6.2 6.7 7.5 12.3

May 2014

3.1 3.2 6.3 6.7 7.6 12.2

Jun 2014

3.0 3.1 6.1 6.5 7.3 12.0

Jul 2014

3.0 3.1 6.2 6.6 7.5 12.1

Aug 2014

2.9 3.0 6.1 6.6 7.4 12.0

Sep 2014

2.8 2.9 5.9 6.4 7.3 11.7

Oct 2014

2.7 2.8 5.7 6.2 7.1 11.5

Nov 2014

2.7 2.9 5.8 6.2 7.1 11.4

Dec 2014

2.6 2.8 5.6 6.0 6.9 11.2

Jan 2015

2.6 2.7 5.7 6.1 7.0 11.3

Feb 2015

2.5 2.7 5.5 5.9 6.8 11.0

Mar 2015

2.4 2.6 5.4 5.9 6.7 10.8

Apr 2015

2.3 2.6 5.4 5.9 6.7 10.8

May 2015

2.4 2.8 5.6 5.9 6.7 10.9

Jun 2015

2.3 2.6 5.3 5.6 6.4 10.4

Jul 2015

2.2 2.6 5.2 5.6 6.4 10.3

Aug 2015

2.2 2.5 5.1 5.5 6.2 10.2

Sep 2015

2.1 2.5 5.0 5.4 6.2 10.0

Oct 2015

2.1 2.5 5.0 5.4 6.2 9.8

Nov 2015

2.1 2.5 5.1 5.4 6.1 10.0

Dec 2015

2.1 2.4 5.0 5.4 6.1 9.9

Jan 2016

2.0 2.3 4.9 5.3 6.1 9.8

Feb 2016

2.1 2.3 4.9 5.3 6.0 9.7

Mar 2016

2.1 2.4 5.0 5.3 6.0 9.8

Apr 2016

2.1 2.4 5.0 5.3 6.0 9.7

May 2016

1.9 2.4 4.8 5.1 5.8 9.9

Jun 2016

2.0 2.4 4.9 5.2 6.0 9.5

Jul 2016

2.0 2.3 4.8 5.2 6.0 9.7

Aug 2016

1.9 2.4 4.9 5.2 5.9 9.6

Sep 2016

1.9 2.5 5.0 5.3 6.0 9.7

Oct 2016

2.0 2.4 4.9 5.2 5.9 9.6

Nov 2016

1.9 2.2 4.7 5.0 5.8 9.4

Dec 2016

1.9 2.3 4.7 4.9 5.7 9.2

Jan 2017

1.9 2.3 4.7 5.1 5.8 9.3

Feb 2017

1.8 2.3 4.7 5.0 5.7 9.1

Mar 2017

1.7 2.2 4.4 4.7 5.4 8.7

Apr 2017

1.7 2.2 4.4 4.7 5.3 8.6

May 2017

1.7 2.1 4.4 4.6 5.2 8.5

Jun 2017

1.7 2.1 4.3 4.6 5.3 8.5

Jul 2017

1.7 2.1 4.3 4.6 5.3 8.5

Aug 2017

1.7 2.2 4.4 4.7 5.3 8.6

Sep 2017

1.7 2.1 4.2 4.5 5.1 8.3

Oct 2017

1.6 2.0 4.1 4.4 5.0 8.0

Nov 2017

1.6 2.0 4.2 4.4 5.0 8.0

Dec 2017

1.5 2.0 4.1 4.4 5.1 8.1

Jan 2018

1.5 2.0 4.1 4.4 5.1 8.2

Feb 2018

1.4 2.0 4.1 4.4 5.1 8.2

Mar 2018

1.4 1.9 4.0 4.3 4.9 7.9

Apr 2018

1.4 1.8 3.9 4.2 4.7 7.8

May 2018

1.3 1.8 3.8 4.0 4.6 7.7

Jun 2018

1.4 1.9 4.0 4.2 4.9 7.8

Jul 2018

1.5 1.8 3.9 4.2 4.7 7.5

Aug 2018

1.4 1.8 3.8 4.1 4.7 7.4

Sep 2018

1.4 1.7 3.7 3.9 4.6 7.5

Oct 2018

1.4 1.8 3.8 4.1 4.6 7.5

Nov 2018

1.3 1.7 3.7 4.0 4.7 7.6

Dec 2018

1.3 1.8 3.9 4.1 4.8 7.6

Jan 2019

1.3 1.9 4.0 4.3 4.9 8.1

Feb 2019

1.4 1.8 3.8 4.1 4.7 7.3

Mar 2019

1.4 1.7 3.8 4.1 4.6 7.3

Apr 2019

1.3 1.6 3.6 3.9 4.4 7.3

May 2019

1.3 1.6 3.6 3.8 4.4 7.1

Jun 2019

1.3 1.7 3.7 3.9 4.6 7.2

U-4, which includes the unemployed plus discouraged workers as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers, was at 3.9 percent. U-5 was at 4.6 percent and includes the unemployed, plus discouraged workers, plus all other marginally attached workers as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers. U-6, the most broadly defined, includes the unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus people employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all the marginally attached workers. In June, the U-6 rate was at 7.2 percent.

These data are from the Current Population Survey and are seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "The Employment Situation — June 2019.” Also see charts from the Employment Situation data.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Official unemployment rate little changed at 3.7 percent in June 2019; U-6 at 7.2 percent at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/official-unemployment-rate-little-changed-at-3-point-7-percent-in-june-2019-u-6-at-7-point-2-percent.htm (visited March 28, 2024).

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