Long-term unemployed accounted for 25.7 percent of all unemployed people in August 2025
September 11, 2025
Both the unemployment rate, at 4.3 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.4 million, changed little in August 2025. These measures also changed little over the past year. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) changed little at 1.9 million in August but has increased by 385,000 over the year.
The long-term unemployed accounted for 25.7 percent of all unemployed people in August, the highest percentage since February 2022. This ratio has increased 4.2 percentage points over the year.
Select a chart to display:
Percent of long-term unemployed
Number of long-term unemployed
Unemployed 27 weeks or longer, seasonally adjusted
Month
Number of long-term unemployed
Percent of the total unemployed
Aug 2005
1,407,000
18.9
Sep 2005
1,439,000
18.9
Oct 2005
1,422,000
18.9
Nov 2005
1,370,000
18.0
Dec 2005
1,356,000
18.7
Jan 2006
1,170,000
16.7
Feb 2006
1,350,000
18.7
Mar 2006
1,309,000
18.6
Apr 2006
1,331,000
18.6
May 2006
1,333,000
18.9
Jun 2006
1,145,000
16.6
Jul 2006
1,304,000
18.3
Aug 2006
1,306,000
18.3
Sep 2006
1,245,000
18.1
Oct 2006
1,078,000
15.9
Nov 2006
1,131,000
16.4
Dec 2006
1,093,000
16.2
Jan 2007
1,141,000
16.3
Feb 2007
1,249,000
18.0
Mar 2007
1,245,000
18.6
Apr 2007
1,206,000
17.4
May 2007
1,132,000
16.5
Jun 2007
1,143,000
16.4
Jul 2007
1,291,000
18.3
Aug 2007
1,246,000
17.5
Sep 2007
1,264,000
17.5
Oct 2007
1,298,000
17.7
Nov 2007
1,374,000
18.9
Dec 2007
1,324,000
17.4
Jan 2008
1,388,000
18.5
Feb 2008
1,329,000
17.8
Mar 2008
1,323,000
16.9
Apr 2008
1,372,000
17.7
May 2008
1,561,000
18.3
Jun 2008
1,576,000
18.2
Jul 2008
1,664,000
18.9
Aug 2008
1,866,000
19.8
Sep 2008
2,027,000
21.3
Oct 2008
2,280,000
22.3
Nov 2008
2,219,000
21.1
Dec 2008
2,610,000
23.1
Jan 2009
2,699,000
22.6
Feb 2009
2,999,000
23.4
Mar 2009
3,260,000
24.2
Apr 2009
3,752,000
27.1
May 2009
3,973,000
27.0
Jun 2009
4,349,000
29.0
Jul 2009
4,917,000
34.0
Aug 2009
5,037,000
34.3
Sep 2009
5,494,000
36.6
Oct 2009
5,643,000
36.6
Nov 2009
5,908,000
39.3
Dec 2009
6,122,000
40.4
Jan 2010
6,319,000
41.6
Feb 2010
6,129,000
40.5
Mar 2010
6,545,000
43.2
Apr 2010
6,800,000
45.5
May 2010
6,638,000
44.9
Jun 2010
6,623,000
44.9
Jul 2010
6,506,000
44.9
Aug 2010
6,259,000
42.8
Sep 2010
6,163,000
42.3
Oct 2010
6,227,000
42.6
Nov 2010
6,326,000
42.4
Dec 2010
6,429,000
44.6
Jan 2011
6,175,000
43.8
Feb 2011
5,892,000
42.8
Mar 2011
6,105,000
44.6
Apr 2011
5,925,000
43.0
May 2011
6,153,000
44.7
Jun 2011
6,271,000
44.6
Jul 2011
6,195,000
45.1
Aug 2011
6,048,000
43.6
Sep 2011
6,304,000
45.2
Oct 2011
5,838,000
42.6
Nov 2011
5,698,000
43.2
Dec 2011
5,586,000
42.7
Jan 2012
5,476,000
42.7
Feb 2012
5,242,000
41.1
Mar 2012
5,236,000
41.3
Apr 2012
5,132,000
40.8
May 2012
5,401,000
42.7
Jun 2012
5,409,000
42.3
Jul 2012
5,210,000
41.2
Aug 2012
5,042,000
40.4
Sep 2012
4,911,000
40.5
Oct 2012
4,988,000
40.6
Nov 2012
4,805,000
40.2
Dec 2012
4,768,000
38.8
Jan 2013
4,681,000
37.5
Feb 2013
4,691,000
39.2
Mar 2013
4,563,000
39.1
Apr 2013
4,468,000
37.8
May 2013
4,347,000
37.3
Jun 2013
4,355,000
37.0
Jul 2013
4,258,000
37.6
Aug 2013
4,296,000
38.6
Sep 2013
4,132,000
36.8
Oct 2013
4,024,000
35.9
Nov 2013
4,042,000
37.7
Dec 2013
3,863,000
37.1
Jan 2014
3,607,000
35.3
Feb 2014
3,783,000
36.5
Mar 2014
3,704,000
35.6
Apr 2014
3,479,000
35.6
May 2014
3,360,000
34.5
Jun 2014
3,116,000
32.9
Jul 2014
3,136,000
32.6
Aug 2014
2,958,000
31.2
Sep 2014
2,948,000
31.7
Oct 2014
2,892,000
31.8
Nov 2014
2,828,000
31.1
Dec 2014
2,799,000
32.0
Jan 2015
2,774,000
31.3
Feb 2015
2,658,000
30.8
Mar 2015
2,542,000
29.8
Apr 2015
2,560,000
29.4
May 2015
2,503,000
28.6
Jun 2015
2,162,000
26.2
Jul 2015
2,127,000
26.0
Aug 2015
2,172,000
27.6
Sep 2015
2,097,000
26.3
Oct 2015
2,130,000
26.7
Nov 2015
2,074,000
25.8
Dec 2015
2,127,000
26.8
Jan 2016
2,081,000
27.1
Feb 2016
2,150,000
27.8
Mar 2016
2,231,000
28.0
Apr 2016
2,147,000
26.6
May 2016
1,925,000
25.5
Jun 2016
1,986,000
25.8
Jul 2016
1,943,000
25.4
Aug 2016
1,970,000
25.6
Sep 2016
1,933,000
24.2
Oct 2016
1,946,000
24.8
Nov 2016
1,865,000
24.7
Dec 2016
1,860,000
24.6
Jan 2017
1,866,000
24.8
Feb 2017
1,803,000
24.1
Mar 2017
1,677,000
23.6
Apr 2017
1,709,000
24.1
May 2017
1,721,000
25.0
Jun 2017
1,654,000
24.3
Jul 2017
1,720,000
25.2
Aug 2017
1,687,000
23.7
Sep 2017
1,683,000
24.5
Oct 2017
1,609,000
24.3
Nov 2017
1,589,000
23.6
Dec 2017
1,516,000
22.8
Jan 2018
1,467,000
22.5
Feb 2018
1,432,000
21.5
Mar 2018
1,345,000
20.9
Apr 2018
1,375,000
21.5
May 2018
1,233,000
20.2
Jun 2018
1,404,000
21.9
Jul 2018
1,416,000
22.9
Aug 2018
1,287,000
20.6
Sep 2018
1,351,000
22.2
Oct 2018
1,348,000
21.9
Nov 2018
1,228,000
20.1
Dec 2018
1,306,000
20.3
Jan 2019
1,287,000
19.8
Feb 2019
1,283,000
20.7
Mar 2019
1,264,000
20.4
Apr 2019
1,230,000
21.0
May 2019
1,299,000
22.6
Jun 2019
1,333,000
22.7
Jul 2019
1,227,000
20.2
Aug 2019
1,257,000
20.7
Sep 2019
1,338,000
23.2
Oct 2019
1,291,000
21.9
Nov 2019
1,208,000
20.5
Dec 2019
1,188,000
20.2
Jan 2020
1,176,000
20.0
Feb 2020
1,110,000
19.2
Mar 2020
1,140,000
15.9
Apr 2020
910,000
4.0
May 2020
1,147,000
5.5
Jun 2020
1,355,000
7.7
Jul 2020
1,544,000
9.5
Aug 2020
1,632,000
12.0
Sep 2020
2,445,000
19.3
Oct 2020
3,591,000
32.5
Nov 2020
3,924,000
36.5
Dec 2020
3,967,000
36.7
Jan 2021
4,032,000
39.8
Feb 2021
4,143,000
41.7
Mar 2021
4,171,000
42.9
Apr 2021
4,082,000
42.0
May 2021
3,707,000
40.4
Jun 2021
3,988,000
42.0
Jul 2021
3,477,000
39.8
Aug 2021
3,189,000
38.1
Sep 2021
2,714,000
35.3
Oct 2021
2,371,000
32.5
Nov 2021
2,181,000
32.4
Dec 2021
1,993,000
31.3
Jan 2022
1,656,000
25.2
Feb 2022
1,689,000
26.7
Mar 2022
1,380,000
23.0
Apr 2022
1,386,000
23.5
May 2022
1,294,000
22.2
Jun 2022
1,355,000
23.0
Jul 2022
1,120,000
19.4
Aug 2022
1,231,000
20.3
Sep 2022
1,118,000
19.4
Oct 2022
1,214,000
20.3
Nov 2022
1,244,000
20.9
Dec 2022
1,073,000
18.6
Jan 2023
1,087,000
18.9
Feb 2023
1,056,000
17.6
Mar 2023
1,061,000
18.1
Apr 2023
1,079,000
19.1
May 2023
1,142,000
19.0
Jun 2023
1,121,000
18.9
Jul 2023
1,196,000
20.3
Aug 2023
1,369,000
21.3
Sep 2023
1,242,000
19.4
Oct 2023
1,331,000
20.5
Nov 2023
1,170,000
18.6
Dec 2023
1,273,000
20.1
Jan 2024
1,272,000
20.7
Feb 2024
1,213,000
18.8
Mar 2024
1,254,000
19.5
Apr 2024
1,253,000
19.6
May 2024
1,348,000
20.6
Jun 2024
1,533,000
22.4
Jul 2024
1,543,000
21.6
Aug 2024
1,545,000
21.5
Sep 2024
1,614,000
23.5
Oct 2024
1,608,000
22.9
Nov 2024
1,654,000
23.1
Dec 2024
1,551,000
22.4
Jan 2025
1,443,000
21.1
Feb 2025
1,455,000
20.9
Mar 2025
1,495,000
21.3
Apr 2025
1,675,000
23.5
May 2025
1,457,000
20.4
Jun 2025
1,647,000
23.3
Jul 2025
1,826,000
24.9
Aug 2025
1,930,000
25.7
These data are from the Current Population Survey and are seasonally adjusted. For more information, see “The Employment Situation — August 2025 .” We also have more charts on employment and unemployment . To learn how unemployment rates are calculated, see "Unemployment Rate Explained ," a BLS video .
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