U-6 Underemployment Rate
Broadest measure of labor underutilization
Historically follows Initial Unemployment Claims (SA) by 1 quarter — no active signal. Initial Unemployment Claims (SA) · View projections
What is the current U-6 Underemployment Rate?
U-6 Underemployment Rate: 8% as of 2026-03, and improving. Source: BLS via FRED.
Real underemployment is running at nearly double the headline rate
BLS data. At 7.9%, the U-6 counts discouraged workers and involuntary part-timers the headline rate ignores. The gap between U-3 (4.4%) and U-6 reveals the slack the topline hides.
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How has U-6 Underemployment Rate changed over time?
Most affected counties
Counties with the highest structural poverty scores in the County Distress Index.
Explore all 3,144 counties →| Period | Value | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 8% | +0.1 pts |
| Feb 2026 | 7.9% | −0.1 pts |
| Jan 2026 | 8.1% | +0.6 pts |
| Dec 2025 | 8.4% | +0.8 pts |
| Nov 2025 | 8.7% | +1.0 pts |
| Sep 2025 | 8.1% | +0.4 pts |
| Aug 2025 | 8.1% | +0.3 pts |
| Jul 2025 | 7.9% | +0.1 pts |
| Jun 2025 | 7.7% | +0.3 pts |
| May 2025 | 7.8% | +0.4 pts |
| Apr 2025 | 7.8% | +0.4 pts |
| Mar 2025 | 7.9% | +0.6 pts |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is U-6 Underemployment Rate?
Broadest measure of labor underutilization
Why does U-6 Underemployment Rate matter for financial distress?
U-6 Underemployment Rate is one of the indicators tracked by the American Distress Index (ADI), which measures five dimensions of U.S. household financial distress: Buffer Depletion, Debt Stress, Financial Conditions, Cost Pressure, and Labor Market disruption. Changes in this indicator contribute to the overall distress picture.
Where does the U-6 Underemployment Rate data come from?
This data comes from BLS via FRED. More information: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/U6RATE. The American Distress Index updates this indicator monthly.
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