Unemployment rate
Unemployed people as a percentage of the labor force (people working or looking for work), not of the whole population. A place where few people look for work at all can have low unemployment and still have few people working.
Reported for3,221areas, in 52 states
Link to density0.07not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.62Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typerate%
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
BLS LAUS · BLS LAUS county annual averages
When areas are combined, each gets weight by its labour force (people working or looking for work), not by population. Using population would let counties with many retirees or children throw off the average.
Combining areas: an average weighted by labour force.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 3 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate and Returns reporting unemployment compensationWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Returns reporting unemployment compensation tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Returns reporting unemployment compensation by US county | +0.54 | +0.61 |
| Unemployment rate and Received food stampsWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Received food stamps tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Received food stamps by US county | +0.51 | +0.44 |
| Unemployment rate and Poverty rateWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Poverty rate tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Poverty rate by US county | +0.55 | +0.39 |
| Unemployment rate and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Share Hispanic or Latino, any race tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | +0.42 | +0.35 |
| Unemployment rate and Frequent physical distressWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Frequent physical distress tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Frequent physical distress by US county | +0.44 | +0.34 |
| Unemployment rate and Housing insecurityWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Housing insecurity tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Housing insecurity by US county | +0.43 | +0.33 |
| Unemployment rate and Lack of reliable transportationWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Lack of reliable transportation tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Lack of reliable transportation by US county | +0.43 | +0.33 |
| Unemployment rate and Child poverty rate, ages 0-17Where Unemployment rate is higher, Child poverty rate, ages 0-17 tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Child poverty rate, ages 0-17 by US county | +0.45 | +0.32 |
| Unemployment rate and Material security scoreWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Material security score tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Material security score by US county | -0.44 | -0.32 |
| Unemployment rate and Fair or poor self-rated healthWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Fair or poor self-rated health tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Fair or poor self-rated health by US county | +0.44 | +0.32 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate and Share White, not HispanicWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Share White, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | -0.28 | -0.24 |
| Unemployment rate and Share Black, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | +0.08 | -0.07 |
| Unemployment rate and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Share Hispanic or Latino, any race tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | +0.42 | +0.35 |
| Unemployment rate and Share Asian, not HispanicWhere Unemployment rate is higher, Share Asian, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | -0.06 | +0.15 |
| Unemployment rate and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | +0.09 | +0.12 |
Highest and lowest
Of 3,221 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Imperial County, CA — 17.6%
- Kusilvak Census Area, AK — 14.8%
- Maricao Municipio, PR — 13.3%
- Maunabo Municipio, PR — 13%
- Colusa County, CA — 12.4%
Lowest
- Brule County, SD — 1.3%
- Loving County, TX — 1.3%
- Bowman County, ND — 1.4%
- Hand County, SD — 1.4%
- Sanborn County, SD — 1.4%
The middle area reports 3.5%. The middle half of counties falls between 2.9% and 4.2% (the 25th to 75th percentile).
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works