Unemployment consistently declined from 2011 through 2019 at a fairly consistent rate. There were no sharp decreases in unemployment from 2017 through 2019. In 2020, with the impact of COVID-19 and the many business closures, unemployment shot to record levels, exceeding the 2008 recession. The chart below shows total unemployment rates only. Breakouts by gender, race and age will be handled in a separate post. The source of this data is the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
