# U-6 Unemployment The broadest of BLS's six official labor-underutilization measures (U-1 through U-6, introduced with the 1994 CPS redesign): the headline [[Unemployment Rate]] (U-3) plus marginally attached workers and those working part-time because they can't find full-time work. U-6 typically runs roughly double U-3. ## Latest reading *As of 2026-10-07 · refreshed monthly · the cross-indicator read lives at [[State of the US Economy]].* - **September 2026: 7.6%** (August 7.7%), against headline U-3 of **4.2%**. That is a ratio of roughly 1.8 to 1, a little under this page's "roughly double" rule of thumb. *Sources:* [BLS Employment Situation](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm) · [BLS table A-15](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm) · [Trading Economics](https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate/news/589164) ## The "real unemployment rate" two-step U-6 is the most measure-switched number in labor politics, and the switching is perfectly symmetric across parties: - **Out of power:** "The REAL unemployment rate is X%" — cite U-6, imply the headline number is a lie. - **In power:** Cite U-3, never mention U-6 again. Trump called the headline rate "phony" and cited U-6-style figures throughout 2015–2016, then declared the same U-3 series the greatest economy in history once it was his. Democratic messaging performed the mirror move across the same transition. U-6 is thus a legitimate, useful statistic whose primary *political* function is supplying the "hidden truth" frame — the respectable cousin of ShadowStats' fabricated one. The tell that distinguishes analysis from spin: citing both measures with their definitions, vs. citing whichever is rhetorically convenient ([[Indicator Cherry-Picking]]). ## See Also - [[Unemployment Rate]] — the U-3 headline - [[Labor Force Participation Rate]] — the other "hidden workers" series