About the misery index
The misery index is the unemployment rate plus the inflation rate. Economist Arthur Okun created it in the 1960s as a rough measure of how much economic pain households feel: high prices and scarce jobs both hurt.
It peaked at more than 21% in 1980, when inflation was above 14% and unemployment above 7%. On this chart it is the BLS unemployment rate plus the 12-month change in CPI for the same month.
Misery Index by year
| Year | Average | High | Low | December / latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to Sep) | 7.6% | 8.5% | 6.7% | 7.9% |
| 2025 | 7.0% | 7.4% | 6.5% | 7.1% |
| 2024 | 7.0% | 7.4% | 6.5% | 7.0% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | 9.9% | 6.6% | 7.2% |
| 2022 | 11.7% | 12.7% | 10.0% | 10.0% |
| 2021 | 10.0% | 11.3% | 7.8% | 10.9% |
| 2020 | 9.3% | 15.1% | 5.8% | 8.1% |
| 2019 | 5.5% | 5.9% | 5.2% | 5.9% |
| 2018 | 6.3% | 6.9% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| 2017 | 6.5% | 7.3% | 5.9% | 6.2% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2015 | 5.4% | 5.7% | 5.0% | 5.7% |
| 2014 | 7.8% | 8.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% |
| 2013 | 8.8% | 9.7% | 8.1% | 8.2% |
| 2012 | 10.1% | 11.2% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| 2011 | 12.1% | 12.9% | 10.7% | 11.5% |
| 2010 | 11.3% | 12.4% | 10.5% | 10.8% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | 12.6% | 7.4% | 12.6% |
| 2008 | 9.6% | 11.5% | 7.4% | 7.4% |
| 2007 | 7.5% | 9.1% | 6.6% | 9.1% |
| 2006 | 7.8% | 8.9% | 5.7% | 6.9% |
| 2005 | 8.5% | 9.7% | 7.5% | 8.3% |
| 2004 | 8.2% | 8.9% | 7.3% | 8.7% |
| 2003 | 8.3% | 8.9% | 7.6% | 7.6% |
| 2002 | 7.4% | 8.4% | 6.8% | 8.4% |
| 2001 | 7.6% | 7.9% | 7.2% | 7.3% |
| 2000 | 7.3% | 7.8% | 6.7% | 7.3% |
| 1999 | 6.4% | 6.8% | 5.9% | 6.7% |
| 1998 | 6.1% | 6.2% | 5.7% | 6.0% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | 8.3% | 6.4% | 6.4% |
Monthly values. The last 30 years are shown; the chart above has the full history since January 1948.
Add this chart to your website
Free for any website, personal or commercial. Choose the options, copy the code and paste it into your page; the chart updates by itself every day.
Live preview
Please keep the two links in the code visible and unchanged. Data: public-domain US government statistics via FRED, refreshed daily. See the widget guide for all options.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current misery index?
The misery index was 7.9% in September 2026, up 0.5 points from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What was the highest misery index on record?
Since January 1948, the highest reading was 22.0% in June 1980 and the lowest was 3.0% in July 1953.
Where does this data come from?
The numbers are published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and distributed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in FRED (series UNRATE, CPIAUCNS). They are US government statistics in the public domain. Quotelinks checks for new data every day.
Can I put this misery index chart on my website?
Yes. The chart is free for any website, personal or commercial. Copy the embed code from the section above and paste it into your page; it updates automatically. Please keep the two links in the code visible.
Related charts
- US Unemployment Rate4.2% · Sep 2026
- US Job Growth+29K · Sep 2026
- US Wage Growth3.0% · Sep 2026
- US GDP Growth3.4% · Q3 2026
Related calculators
- Inflation CalculatorFuture costs and the purchasing power of your savings.
- Salary Inflation CalculatorWhether your pay kept up with prices.
See all 27 economic charts or get the Economic Chart widget for any of them.