U.S.: unemployment numbers and rate 1890-1988| ��ƽ��

Annual number of unemployed workers and the rate of unemployment in the United states from 1890 to 1988

Characteristic	Unemployed workers (in 1,000s)	Unemployment rate
1988	6,701	5.5
1987	7,425	6.2
1986	8,237	7
1985	8,312	7.2
1984	8,539	7.5
1983	10,717	9.5
1982	10,678	9.5
1981	8,273	7.3
1980	7,637	7
1979	6,137	5.8
1978	6,202	6
1977	6,991	6.9
1976	7,406	7.6
1975	7,929	8.3
1974	5,156	5.6
1973	4,365	4.9
1972	4,882	5.6
1971	4,993	5.9
1970	4,088	4.9
1969	2,831	3.5
1968	2,817	3.6
1967	2,975	3.8
1966	2,875	3.8
1965	3,366	4.6
1964	3,786	5.2
1963	4,070	5.7
1962	3,911	5.5
1961	4,714	6.7
1960	3,852	5.5
1959	3,740	5.5
1958	4,602	6.8
1957	2,859	4.3
1956	2,750	4.1
1955	2,852	4.4
1954	3,532	5.5
1953	1,834	2.9
1952	1,883	3
1951	2,055	3.3
1950	3,288	5.3
1949	3,637	5.9
1948	2,276	3.8
1947	2,311	3.9
1946	2,270	3.9
1945	1,040	1.9
1944	670	1.2
1943	1,070	1.9
1942	2,660	4.7
1941	5,560	9.9
1940	8,120	14.6
1939	9,480	17.2
1938	10,390	19
1937	7,700	14.3
1936	9,030	16.9
1935	10,610	20.1
1934	11,340	21.7
1933	12,830	24.9
1932	12,060	23.6
1931	8,020	15.9
1930	4,340	8.7
1929	1,550	3.2
1928	1,982	4.2
1927	1,519	3.3
1926	801	1.8
1925	1,453	3.2
1924	2,190	5
1923	1,049	2.4
1922	2,859	6.7
1921	4,918	11.7
1920	2,131	5.2
1919	546	1.4
1918	536	1.4
1917	1,848	4.6
1916	2,043	5.1
1915	3,377	8.5
1914	3,120	7.9
1913	1,671	4.3
1912	1,759	4.6
1911	2,518	6.7
1910	2,150	5.9
1909	1,824	5.1
1908	2,780	8
1907	945	2.8
1906	574	1.7
1905	1,381	4.3
1904	1,691	5.4
1903	1,204	3.9
1902	1,097	3.7
1901	1,205	4
1900	1,420	5
1899	1,819	6.5
1898	3,351	12.4
1897	3,890	14.5
1896	3,782	14.4
1895	3,510	13.7
1894	4,612	18.4
1893	2,860	11.7
1892	728	3
1891	1,265	5.4
1890	904	4

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Release date

1993

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Region

United States

Survey time period

1890 to 1988

Supplementary notes

Unemployed persons aged 14 and over until 1946, and aged 16 and over from 1947 on.

Citation formats

From the late 19^th century until the 1980s, the United States' unemployment rate was generally somewhere between three and ten percent of the total workforce. The periods when it peaked were in times of recession or depression - the Panic of 1893, which lasted until 1897, saw unemployment peak at over 18 percent, whereas the post-WWI recession saw unemployment spike to almost 12 percent in 1921.

However, the longest and most-severe period of mass unemployment in U.S. history came during the Great Depression - unemployment rose from just 3.2 percent in 1929 to one quarter of the total workforce in 1933, and it was not until the Second World War until it fell below five percent once more. Since this time, unemployment has never exceeded 10 percent, although it did come close during the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s.

More recent unemployment statistics for the U.S. can be found here.