Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24)
Weighted average of 20-24 (40%) and 25-34 (60%) unemployment rates
What is the current Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24)?
Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24): 8.5% as of 2026-03, and improving. Source: BLS via FRED.
9.5% youth unemployment — the age group most exposed to AI displacement
Weighted average of 20-24 (40%) and 25-34 (60%) unemployment rates. These age brackets face highest AI job displacement risk.
Explore Further
Is this happening to you?
Do you know a young person struggling to land their first real job?
How has Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24) 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 | 8.5% | −0.9 pts |
| Feb 2026 | 9.5% | −0.2 pts |
| Jan 2026 | 8.9% | −0.2 pts |
| Dec 2025 | 10.4% | +1.4 pts |
| Nov 2025 | 10.6% | +1.2 pts |
| Sep 2025 | 10.4% | +1.2 pts |
| Aug 2025 | 10.6% | +0.9 pts |
| Jul 2025 | 10% | +0.9 pts |
| Jun 2025 | 10% | +1.1 pts |
| May 2025 | 9.7% | +0.4 pts |
| Apr 2025 | 9.6% | +1.4 pts |
| Mar 2025 | 9.4% | +0.6 pts |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24)?
Weighted average of 20-24 (40%) and 25-34 (60%) unemployment rates
Why does Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24) matter for financial distress?
Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24) 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 Youth Unemployment Rate (16-24) data come from?
This data comes from BLS via FRED. More information: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS14024887. The American Distress Index updates this indicator monthly.
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