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Long-term unemployed accounted for 23.7 percent of total unemployed in September 2024
October 10, 2024
In September 2024, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was 1.6 million, or 23.7 percent of all unemployed people. Those unemployed long term made up 20.4 percent of the total unemployed in September 2023, 20.2 percent in September 2022, and 42.9 percent in March 2021, the recent peak.
Percent distribution of duration of unemployment, September 2014 to September 2024
Month
Less than 5 weeks
5 to 14 weeks
15 to 26 weeks
27 weeks or more
Sep 2014
25.4
27.5
15.4
31.7
Oct 2014
27.4
25.3
15.4
31.8
Nov 2014
27.2
26.4
15.4
31.1
Dec 2014
27.1
26.5
14.5
32.0
Jan 2015
27.0
26.2
15.5
31.3
Feb 2015
27.7
26.0
15.5
30.8
Mar 2015
28.6
27.0
14.6
29.8
Apr 2015
31.2
26.9
12.5
29.4
May 2015
28.3
28.7
14.4
28.6
Jun 2015
27.9
29.0
16.9
26.2
Jul 2015
31.5
27.1
15.4
26.0
Aug 2015
26.4
29.6
16.3
27.6
Sep 2015
29.7
28.5
15.5
26.3
Oct 2015
29.7
28.5
15.2
26.7
Nov 2015
29.7
28.6
15.9
25.8
Dec 2015
30.2
27.6
15.5
26.8
Jan 2016
28.2
29.8
14.8
27.1
Feb 2016
28.9
28.3
15.0
27.8
Mar 2016
30.4
27.2
14.4
28.0
Apr 2016
32.1
26.4
15.0
26.6
May 2016
30.0
30.0
14.5
25.5
Jun 2016
31.1
28.5
14.5
25.8
Jul 2016
28.8
29.8
16.0
25.4
Aug 2016
29.7
30.5
14.2
25.6
Sep 2016
32.5
28.6
14.8
24.2
Oct 2016
31.0
29.0
15.2
24.8
Nov 2016
31.9
28.7
14.7
24.7
Dec 2016
31.1
28.0
16.4
24.6
Jan 2017
32.2
27.0
15.9
24.8
Feb 2017
33.6
28.5
13.8
24.1
Mar 2017
32.8
29.2
14.4
23.6
Apr 2017
32.8
29.2
13.8
24.1
May 2017
30.8
28.6
15.6
25.0
Jun 2017
34.1
28.2
13.4
24.3
Jul 2017
30.3
29.6
14.9
25.2
Aug 2017
31.7
29.0
15.6
23.7
Sep 2017
32.7
27.8
14.9
24.5
Oct 2017
32.1
29.6
14.0
24.3
Nov 2017
33.8
28.0
14.6
23.6
Dec 2017
33.6
29.6
14.0
22.8
Jan 2018
33.9
29.0
14.6
22.5
Feb 2018
37.0
28.4
13.1
21.5
Mar 2018
35.7
31.1
12.3
20.9
Apr 2018
33.5
31.2
13.9
21.5
May 2018
32.7
31.8
15.3
20.2
Jun 2018
35.3
29.1
13.7
21.9
Jul 2018
31.8
29.1
16.2
22.9
Aug 2018
35.8
27.7
15.9
20.6
Sep 2018
34.0
28.4
15.4
22.2
Oct 2018
33.3
29.8
14.9
21.9
Nov 2018
35.5
29.6
14.8
20.1
Dec 2018
33.5
31.7
14.5
20.3
Jan 2019
36.0
30.5
13.6
19.8
Feb 2019
36.3
28.6
14.4
20.7
Mar 2019
35.0
30.0
14.6
20.4
Apr 2019
33.6
32.0
13.4
21.0
May 2019
36.8
27.0
13.6
22.6
Jun 2019
32.2
30.8
14.2
22.7
Jul 2019
34.8
30.2
14.8
20.2
Aug 2019
37.3
28.1
13.9
20.7
Sep 2019
32.0
30.2
14.6
23.2
Oct 2019
32.6
29.9
15.5
21.9
Nov 2019
35.1
29.2
15.1
20.5
Dec 2019
35.5
30.3
14.1
20.2
Jan 2020
35.0
29.9
15.2
19.9
Feb 2020
36.4
30.9
13.3
19.5
Mar 2020
47.5
25.8
11.6
15.0
Apr 2020
62.0
30.7
3.1
4.2
May 2020
18.5
70.9
5.2
5.4
Jun 2020
16.4
65.1
10.9
7.7
Jul 2020
19.3
31.5
39.8
9.3
Aug 2020
17.2
22.9
47.8
12.2
Sep 2020
20.1
21.6
38.9
19.3
Oct 2020
22.4
21.2
23.8
32.6
Nov 2020
23.1
22.7
17.5
36.6
Dec 2020
26.9
21.7
14.7
36.6
Jan 2021
22.6
24.4
13.0
40.0
Feb 2021
22.3
22.3
14.1
41.4
Mar 2021
22.4
20.5
14.2
42.9
Apr 2021
24.8
20.5
12.9
41.7
May 2021
21.8
23.8
13.5
40.9
Jun 2021
20.9
23.0
14.6
41.4
Jul 2021
25.8
21.0
13.0
40.2
Aug 2021
25.1
22.8
14.4
37.7
Sep 2021
29.1
22.4
12.7
35.7
Oct 2021
28.2
25.8
13.3
32.8
Nov 2021
29.5
25.0
13.1
32.5
Dec 2021
31.0
25.1
12.9
30.9
Jan 2022
37.5
24.5
11.9
26.1
Feb 2022
33.9
27.9
12.7
25.5
Mar 2022
38.3
28.6
9.4
23.6
Apr 2022
38.7
27.3
11.0
23.0
May 2022
34.9
30.2
12.0
22.9
Jun 2022
38.0
26.1
13.9
22.0
Jul 2022
36.4
32.1
11.4
20.2
Aug 2022
36.4
30.0
14.2
19.4
Sep 2022
37.4
28.1
14.3
20.2
Oct 2022
36.6
30.1
13.0
20.3
Nov 2022
37.7
27.9
13.7
20.6
Dec 2022
38.5
28.6
13.8
19.2
Jan 2023
33.8
31.3
16.2
18.7
Feb 2023
38.3
30.7
13.6
17.5
Mar 2023
38.7
30.0
13.5
17.8
Apr 2023
33.2
34.1
13.3
19.4
May 2023
34.7
31.1
15.2
18.9
Jun 2023
34.8
31.2
15.2
18.8
Jul 2023
34.0
29.5
16.2
20.4
Aug 2023
34.6
29.7
15.1
20.6
Sep 2023
32.2
32.0
15.4
20.4
Oct 2023
35.0
28.4
16.7
19.9
Nov 2023
33.0
32.8
14.8
19.4
Dec 2023
34.6
28.3
17.4
19.7
Jan 2024
34.9
30.1
14.1
20.8
Feb 2024
36.1
30.0
15.1
18.7
Mar 2024
34.2
30.9
15.3
19.5
Apr 2024
35.5
31.2
13.6
19.6
May 2024
35.3
29.4
14.6
20.7
Jun 2024
31.1
30.8
15.9
22.2
Jul 2024
33.0
30.1
15.3
21.6
Aug 2024
34.3
28.1
16.2
21.3
Sep 2024
31.2
28.8
16.3
23.7
Note: Data are seasonally adjusted. Totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
The share of people unemployed for 15 to 26 weeks in September 2024 was 16.3 percent, and has not been below 13.0 percent since July 2022 (11.4 percent). The share of people unemployed for 5 to 14 weeks was 28.8 percent in September 2024, while the share of those unemployed for less than 5 weeks was 31.2 percent.
United States Department of Labor
