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True Unemployment Rate by Education, USA, Dec 2025

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Summary

The true unemployment rate measures underemployment, joblessness, and sub-living wages under $26,000 by education level in the USA for December 2025. Those without a high school diploma face 49.7%, while advanced degree holders see 12.7%. This gap shows how education links to better job outcomes and highlights inequality in the labor market.

Key findings

  • No high school education has 49.7% true unemployment rate.
  • High school diploma shows 31.1% true unemployment rate.
  • Some college true rate is 28.1%.
  • Bachelors degree true rate at 17.2%.
  • Advanced degree lowest at 12.7%.

Metrics Framework

  • True unemployment rate is percentage of labor force with underemployment, joblessness, or wages under $26,000.
  • Unit of measure is percent.
  • Time coverage is December 2025.
  • Categorized by highest education level.

Tags

#US#TrueUnemployment#Education#Level#LISEP#Dec2025

Source

lisep.org
Source Authority70
Correctness100

Table View

EducationTrue Unemployment Rate Percent
No High School49.7
High School Diploma31.1
Some College28.1
Bachelors Degree17.2
Advanced Degree12.7

Analysis

No High School Highest Rate
Workers with no high school education have a true unemployment rate of 49.7%. This is the highest among groups. High school diploma holders face 31.1%, still over 30%. Some college reduces it to 28.1%. Bachelors degree lowers it to 17.2%. Advanced degree brings it to 12.7%. The drop from 49.7% to 12.7% shows a clear pattern across five levels.
High School vs College Gap
High school diploma group shows 31.1% true unemployment. Some college is close at 28.1%, a small 3% difference. Bachelors degree cuts it sharply to 17.2%. Advanced degree reaches 12.7%. No high school at 49.7% stands far above. These rates use labor force percentages for December 2025 in the USA.
Degree Levels Sharp Drop
Bachelors degree holders have 17.2% true rate. Advanced degree is lowest at 12.7%. Compare to no high school at 49.7% and high school at 31.1%. Some college sits at 28.1%. The progression from 49.7% down to 12.7% across education steps points to strong correlation with functional employment.
Overall Education Impact
True rates range from 49.7% for no high school to 12.7% for advanced degrees. High school at 31.1%, some college 28.1%, bachelors 17.2%. This spread of nearly 37 points underscores education's role. Data covers USA labor force for December 2025, including underemployment and low wages.

Related Visuals

Unemployment Rate per Education USA

Workers without high school diplomas faced catastrophic 50. 9% functional unemployment in March 2026.
barlisep.org

True Rate of Unemployment by Education USA March 2026

Workers without high school diplomas face a staggering 50. 9% True Rate of Unemployment, over 4x higher than advanced degree holders at 12.
barlisep.org

FAQ

True unemployment rate captures underemployment, joblessness, and sub-living wages under $26,000. It is shown as percentage of the labor force by education level. Data is for USA in December 2025 from LISEP. This differs from standard rates by including more hardship types.

High rate like 49.7% for no high school means almost half the labor force faces underemployment or low pay. Low rate like 12.7% for advanced degree shows better job security. Rates drop with more education, from 31.1% at high school to 17.2% at bachelors.

Data covers December 2025 only, a monthly snapshot for USA. It breaks down true unemployment by five education levels. No earlier or later periods are in this visual. Focus is on that single month for labor force percentages.

Metric uses labor force percentages facing true unemployment conditions. Includes underemployment and wages below $26,000. Categorized by highest education attained. Source is LISEP. The available sources do not specify further weighting or exact formula details.