Time to reemployment in the US isn't one number — it depends heavily on where you are in
your career. Here's what the latest labor-market data shows, by stage.
Typical search (median)
11.6 weeks
how long the typical unemployed worker is looking
Average search (mean)
26.0 weeks
pulled up by those who get stuck
Long-term unemployed
27.5%
searching 27+ weeks
Average time unemployed, by career stage
Average (mean) weeks unemployed, 2025 annual averages. The search lengthens with age — a late-career worker's runs roughly 3× a new entrant's.
New entrants 16–24
~12–17 wk
Early career 25–34
~26 wk
Mid career 35–54
~32–34 wk
Late career 55+
~35–39 wk
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Current Population Survey. Overall figures are
May 2026, seasonally adjusted (median & mean duration, Table A-12; long-term share, 27+
weeks). By-career-stage figures are average (mean) duration, 2025 annual averages (Table
A-31). BLS "duration" measures time for people currently still unemployed, so it
understates completed time-to-reemployment.