---
title: "U-6 Underemployment Rate"
slug: u-6-underemployment-rate
summary: "U-6 underemployment was little changed at 7.6% in September 2026"
category: "Jobs"
unit: percent
frequency: monthly
direction: higher_is_worse
latest_value: 7.6
latest_period: "2026-09"
trend: stable
last_updated: "2026-10-02T00:00:00Z"
source: "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED"
source_url: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/U6RATE
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). U-6 Underemployment Rate [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"U-6 Underemployment Rate.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"U-6 Underemployment Rate.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/."
---

# U-6 Underemployment Rate

> U-6 underemployment was little changed at 7.6% in September 2026

## Current Reading

As of September 2026, U-6 Underemployment Rate is **7.6%** (stable).

broadest BLS measure of labor underutilization, little changed from the month before

## What Changed

- U-6 underemployment was little changed at 7.6% in September 2026 (7.7% in August 2026).
- Lower than a year earlier, when it was 8.1%.
- The lowest U-6 rate since January 2025.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-09 | 7.6% |
| 2026-08 | 7.7% |
| 2026-07 | 7.9% |
| 2026-06 | 7.9% |
| 2026-05 | 8.1% |
| 2026-04 | 8.2% |
| 2026-03 | 8% |
| 2026-02 | 7.9% |
| 2026-01 | 8.1% |
| 2025-12 | 8.4% |
| 2025-11 | 8.7% |
| 2025-09 | 8.1% |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 1994: **22.9%** in April 2020
- Low since 1994: **6.6%** in December 2022
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **8.69%**
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **8.87%**

## Methodology

This indicator carries monthly observations and is interpreted as higher values indicate worse household conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data retrieved via FRED — [https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/U6RATE](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/U6RATE)

Data retrieved: 2026-10-02T00:00:00Z

## Related Indicators

- [part-time-for-economic-reasons](https://americandefault.org/indicators/part-time-for-economic-reasons/)
- [unemployment-rate](https://americandefault.org/indicators/unemployment-rate/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/u-6-underemployment-rate.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/u-6-underemployment-rate.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/u-6-underemployment-rate.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). U-6 Underemployment Rate [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "U-6 Underemployment Rate." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "U-6 Underemployment Rate." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/u-6-underemployment-rate/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.