U-6 Underemployment Rate
Unemployment plus discouraged and involuntary part-time workers.
| Year | U-6 Underemployment Rate |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 10.1% |
| 1995 | 10.0% |
| 1996 | 9.6% |
| 1997 | 8.5% |
| 1998 | 7.6% |
| 1999 | 7.1% |
| 2000 | 6.9% |
| 2001 | 9.6% |
| 2002 | 9.8% |
| 2003 | 9.8% |
| 2004 | 9.3% |
| 2005 | 8.6% |
| 2006 | 7.9% |
| 2007 | 8.8% |
| 2008 | 13.6% |
| 2009 | 17.2% |
| 2010 | 16.6% |
| 2011 | 15.2% |
| 2012 | 14.4% |
| 2013 | 13.1% |
| 2014 | 11.2% |
| 2015 | 9.9% |
| 2016 | 9.2% |
| 2017 | 8.1% |
| 2018 | 7.6% |
| 2019 | 6.8% |
| 2020 | 11.7% |
| 2021 | 7.3% |
| 2022 | 6.6% |
| 2023 | 7.2% |
| 2024 | 7.6% |
| 2025 | 8.4% |
| 2026 | 7.9% |
Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.
Source: FRED · U6RATE · series · Jan 1994 to Jun 2026 · latest-revised
Refreshed Jul 31, 2026 from FRED.
Unemployment plus discouraged and involuntary part-time workers.
Unemployed plus marginally attached workers plus those working part time for economic reasons, as a share of the labor force plus marginally attached workers.
Source: FRED · Jun 2026 · Full lesson → Learn
About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event up with a move is not evidence it caused the move.
Read across
No single number is the economy. These measure nearby parts of it — add one to compare, or open it on its own.
- Unemployment Rate The narrower headline rate, for comparison.
- Prime-Age Employment Rate Employment among 25-to-54-year-olds, a different read on the core workforce.