Just 0.066% of the civilian population made first time claims for unemployment in 3Q2026, a number which has never been lower.
IT'S A NEW RECORD LOW.
Average 3Q claims were 0.182549m.
Average 3Q civilian population was 275.417m.
% = 0.06628.
Never been equaled.
Meanwhile the unemployment level at 2.62% of civilian population in 3Q has very rarely been lower. It's been low like this so much recently that we forget how rare this level has been.
The 2025 average was higher at 2.67%, same as it was in the year 2000, but still remarkably low.
There have been just 16-years averaging lower than 2.62% from 1948 inclusive, including two years under Trump I and three years under Joe Biden.
80% OF THE TIME IT'S WORSE.
And the downward ten year trend for the measure, whether quarterly or monthly, remains intact, which is saying a lot given what we did to ourselves during the COVID-19 panic.
