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The long-term unemployed accounted for 20.8 percent of all unemployed people in January 2024
February 27, 2024
There were 1.3 million long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) in January 2024, accounting for 20.8 percent of all unemployed people. These figures were little changed from the previous month.
Duration of unemployment, January 2019 to January 2024
Month
Less than 5 weeks
5 to 14 weeks
15 to 26 weeks
27 weeks and over
Percent
Level
Percent
Level
Percent
Level
Percent
Level
Jan 2019
36.0
2,336,000
30.5
1,980,000
13.6
881,000
19.8
1,287,000
Feb 2019
36.3
2,252,000
28.6
1,772,000
14.4
894,000
20.7
1,283,000
Mar 2019
35.0
2,174,000
30.0
1,862,000
14.6
906,000
20.4
1,264,000
Apr 2019
33.6
1,966,000
32.0
1,875,000
13.4
783,000
21.0
1,230,000
May 2019
36.8
2,114,000
27.0
1,550,000
13.6
784,000
22.6
1,299,000
Jun 2019
32.2
1,889,000
30.8
1,805,000
14.2
835,000
22.7
1,333,000
Jul 2019
34.8
2,110,000
30.2
1,831,000
14.8
898,000
20.2
1,227,000
Aug 2019
37.3
2,268,000
28.1
1,710,000
13.9
847,000
20.7
1,257,000
Sep 2019
32.0
1,849,000
30.2
1,743,000
14.6
846,000
23.2
1,338,000
Oct 2019
32.6
1,922,000
29.9
1,760,000
15.5
915,000
21.9
1,291,000
Nov 2019
35.1
2,067,000
29.3
1,721,000
15.1
887,000
20.5
1,208,000
Dec 2019
35.5
2,090,000
30.3
1,784,000
14.1
829,000
20.2
1,188,000
Jan 2020
35.0
2,053,000
29.9
1,755,000
15.2
891,000
19.9
1,166,000
Feb 2020
36.4
2,105,000
30.9
1,785,000
13.3
766,000
19.5
1,125,000
Mar 2020
47.5
3,422,000
25.8
1,860,000
11.6
836,000
15.0
1,082,000
Apr 2020
62.0
14,261,000
30.7
7,066,000
3.1
713,000
4.2
965,000
May 2020
18.5
3,868,000
70.9
14,806,000
5.2
1,077,000
5.4
1,124,000
Jun 2020
16.4
2,896,000
65.1
11,522,000
10.9
1,923,000
7.7
1,355,000
Jul 2020
19.3
3,152,000
31.5
5,145,000
39.8
6,498,000
9.3
1,518,000
Aug 2020
17.2
2,336,000
22.9
3,105,000
47.8
6,491,000
12.2
1,653,000
Sep 2020
20.1
2,547,000
21.6
2,735,000
38.9
4,921,000
19.3
2,447,000
Oct 2020
22.4
2,466,000
21.2
2,342,000
23.8
2,624,000
32.6
3,600,000
Nov 2020
23.2
2,487,000
22.7
2,440,000
17.5
1,878,000
36.7
3,937,000
Dec 2020
26.9
2,902,000
21.7
2,344,000
14.7
1,590,000
36.7
3,955,000
Jan 2021
22.6
2,291,000
24.4
2,474,000
13.0
1,321,000
40.0
4,055,000
Feb 2021
22.3
2,216,000
22.3
2,214,000
14.1
1,399,000
41.4
4,118,000
Mar 2021
22.4
2,179,000
20.5
1,991,000
14.2
1,386,000
42.9
4,174,000
Apr 2021
24.8
2,409,000
20.5
1,992,000
12.9
1,256,000
41.7
4,053,000
May 2021
21.8
1,998,000
23.8
2,181,000
13.5
1,240,000
40.9
3,757,000
Jun 2021
20.9
1,985,000
23.0
2,188,000
14.6
1,387,000
41.4
3,933,000
Jul 2021
25.8
2,257,000
21.0
1,836,000
13.0
1,134,000
40.2
3,508,000
Aug 2021
25.1
2,103,000
22.8
1,914,000
14.4
1,206,000
37.7
3,155,000
Sep 2021
29.1
2,238,000
22.4
1,720,000
12.7
979,000
35.7
2,742,000
Oct 2021
28.2
2,049,000
25.8
1,875,000
13.3
969,000
32.8
2,383,000
Nov 2021
29.5
1,988,000
25.0
1,682,000
13.1
880,000
32.5
2,191,000
Dec 2021
31.0
1,974,000
25.1
1,595,000
12.9
823,000
30.9
1,968,000
Jan 2022
37.5
2,472,000
24.5
1,611,000
11.9
786,000
26.0
1,715,000
Feb 2022
33.9
2,145,000
27.9
1,768,000
12.7
803,000
25.5
1,615,000
Mar 2022
38.3
2,305,000
28.6
1,723,000
9.4
567,000
23.6
1,422,000
Apr 2022
38.7
2,277,000
27.3
1,608,000
11.0
647,000
23.0
1,354,000
May 2022
34.9
2,030,000
30.2
1,757,000
12.0
696,000
22.9
1,333,000
Jun 2022
38.0
2,240,000
26.1
1,536,000
13.9
816,000
22.0
1,296,000
Jul 2022
36.4
2,097,000
32.1
1,849,000
11.4
656,000
20.2
1,166,000
Aug 2022
36.4
2,214,000
30.0
1,828,000
14.2
864,000
19.4
1,181,000
Sep 2022
37.4
2,156,000
28.1
1,619,000
14.3
822,000
20.2
1,164,000
Oct 2022
36.6
2,189,000
30.1
1,803,000
13.0
775,000
20.3
1,216,000
Nov 2022
37.7
2,247,000
28.0
1,665,000
13.7
815,000
20.6
1,229,000
Dec 2022
38.5
2,218,000
28.6
1,645,000
13.7
792,000
19.2
1,106,000
Jan 2023
33.8
1,942,000
31.3
1,795,000
16.2
929,000
18.7
1,073,000
Feb 2023
38.3
2,294,000
30.7
1,838,000
13.5
812,000
17.5
1,051,000
Mar 2023
38.7
2,279,000
30.0
1,765,000
13.5
797,000
17.8
1,050,000
Apr 2023
33.2
1,867,000
34.1
1,920,000
13.3
748,000
19.4
1,089,000
May 2023
34.7
2,080,000
31.1
1,863,000
15.2
911,000
18.9
1,132,000
Jun 2023
34.8
2,065,000
31.2
1,850,000
15.2
905,000
18.8
1,117,000
Jul 2023
34.0
2,007,000
29.5
1,741,000
16.2
956,000
20.4
1,205,000
Aug 2023
34.6
2,224,000
29.7
1,913,000
15.1
970,000
20.6
1,326,000
Sep 2023
32.2
2,053,000
32.0
2,043,000
15.4
985,000
20.4
1,303,000
Oct 2023
35.0
2,269,000
28.4
1,836,000
16.7
1,079,000
19.9
1,291,000
Nov 2023
32.9
2,069,000
32.8
2,060,000
14.8
931,000
19.4
1,220,000
Dec 2023
34.6
2,191,000
28.3
1,791,000
17.4
1,104,000
19.7
1,245,000
Jan 2024
34.9
2,140,000
30.1
1,848,000
14.1
867,000
20.8
1,277,000
Those unemployed less than 5 weeks made up 34.9 percent of the unemployed in January 2024. Among the unemployed, 30.1 percent were jobless from 5 to 14 weeks and 14.1 percent were out of work from 15 to 26 weeks.
Over the past 5 years, long-term unemployment reached a low of 4.2 percent of all unemployed people in April 2020, and a high of 42.9 percent in March 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
People are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work.
United States Department of Labor
