LISEP Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity

Using data compiled by the federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the True Rate of Unemployment tracks the percentage of the U.S. labor force that does not have a full-time job (35+ hours a week) but wants one, has no job, or does not earn a living wage, conservatively pegged at $20,000 annually before taxes.

Just as an accurate census is a prerequisite to funding American communities equitably, policymakers depend on economic indicators to shape economic policy. LISEP developed the True Rate of Unemployment to provide analysts and decision-makers with a more accurate measure of Americans’ financial well-being.

For a more in-depth explanation of the True Rate of Unemployment, please reference LISEP’s TRU white paper.

True

Rate of Unemployment

The True Rate of Unemployment (TRU), as defined by LISEP, measures the percentage of the U.S. labor force that is functionally unemployed.

Additional Resources:

TRU Summary

TRU White Paper

TRU & TWE Methodology

TRU & TWE Source Data

True Rate of Unemployment

vs. Headline Rate of Unemployment

23.1

True Rate

3.4

Headline Rate

Select any point on the chart to see the True Rate of Unemployment for that month.

True Rate of Unemployment

By Race

24.5%

Black

26.2%

Hispanic

22.0%

White

Select any point on the chart to see the True Rate of Unemployment for that month.

True Rate of Unemployment

By Sex

27.9%

Female

18.9%

Male

Select any point on the chart to see the True Rate of Unemployment for that month.

True Rate of Unemployment

By Education

Select any point on the chart to see the True Rate of Unemployment for that month.

48.6%

No High School

25.7%

High School Diploma

26.4%

Some College

15.3%

Bachelors Degree

13.4%

Advanced Degree

Select any point on the chart to see the True Rate of Unemployment for that month.

True Rate of Unemployment

The percentage of the U.S. labor force that is functionally unemployed

The percentage of Black workers in the labor market with living-wage jobs is at an all-time high. But the improvement in April may be less about getting better jobs and more about workers dropping out of the job market.

True Rate of Unemployment

The percentage of the U.S. labor force that is functionally unemployed

The percentage of Black workers in the labor market with living-wage jobs is at an all-time high. But the improvement in April may be less about getting better jobs and more about workers dropping out of the job market.

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