Data Desk · Monthly release
Unemployment held at 4.1% in August 2026
The share of people who are in the labour force — working or actively looking — who do not have a job. People who have stopped looking are not counted as unemployed at all.
| This release | 4.1% |
|---|---|
| Previous (July 2026) | 4.1% |
| Change | +0.00 pp |
| A year earlier | 4.3% |
Read from FRED series
UNRATE,
which republishes the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics release unchanged.
What this measures
The share of people who are in the labour force — working or actively looking — who do not have a job. People who have stopped looking are not counted as unemployed at all.
Why it matters
That exclusion is why the rate can fall for two opposite reasons: because people found work, or because people gave up looking and left the measured labour force entirely.
What to be careful about
It comes from a survey of households, while payrolls comes from a survey of employers. The two disagree regularly and are not errors when they do.
Recent readings
| Period | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2025 | 4.3% |
| Sep 1, 2025 | 4.4% |
| Nov 1, 2025 | 4.5% |
| Dec 1, 2025 | 4.4% |
| Jan 1, 2026 | 4.3% |
| Feb 1, 2026 | 4.4% |
| Mar 1, 2026 | 4.3% |
| Apr 1, 2026 | 4.3% |
| May 1, 2026 | 4.3% |
| Jun 1, 2026 | 4.2% |
| Jul 1, 2026 | 4.1% |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 4.1% |