What it measures: The unemployment rate shows the percentage of people in the labor force who are actively looking for work but haven't found a job yet. Data is seasonally adjusted to remove predictable patterns like holiday hiring.

Comparing groups: Each colored line represents a different demographic group. Higher lines mean higher unemployment. Click legend items to show/hide specific groups and focus your comparison.

Recession shading: Gray vertical bands mark official recession periods (defined by NBER). These provide context but don't imply direct causation—unemployment often lags economic turning points.

Small-group volatility: Groups like "16–19 years old" have smaller sample sizes and can show larger month-to-month swings. Look for trends over multiple months rather than single data points.