← All instruments — the full set 1967
high 22.30 · low 4.00 · now 11.60 · 8 recessions shaded 2026
C16 · HOW LONG THE JOBLESS STAY JOBLESS
Median duration of unemployment
11.60
CALM ROBUST z 0.36 DRS 95 monthly as of 2026-05-01
Where it sits: higher than ~84% of its last decade.
The full history
How it is read
- What it measures
- how long the jobless stay jobless
- Where it sits
- higher than ~84% of its last decade — at the 84th percentile of its last decade.
- z vs. its window
- 0.36 (strain side: up). 118 observations in the window.
- State rule
- z < 1 CALM · 1 ≤ z < 2 WATCH · z ≥ 2 EXTREME, measured only toward the declared strain side.
- Confidence
- ROBUST — a primary official series, mechanically reported.
- Reliability (DRS)
- DRS 95
Where it comes from
FRED ↗ Every number on this site is reproducible from this primary source.
What it read at past stress points
| Lehman, Sep 2008 | 10.20 | ◆ WATCH |
|---|---|---|
| Q4-2018 selloff | 9.60 | · CALM |
| Curve inversion, Aug 2019 | 8.70 | · CALM |
| COVID crash, Mar 2020 | 6.00 | · CALM |
Questions it helps answer
- Work — Is the labor market holding — and how broadly?