Kamala Harris: "Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression"

A checked claim

Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression

Kamala Harris · The September 10, 2024 presidential debate · September 10, 2024 · Race: President of the United States

About Donald Trump.

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The checks

Each in the checker's own words. This site does not restate another organization's finding in its own voice.

False

PolitiFact, September 11, 2024 · read the check

Our check against the record

Does not match the record

Checked against The national unemployment rate, annual averages 1948-2024 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics series LNS14000000): 8.1 percent in 2020 and 5.4 percent in 2021, against 9.6 percent in 2010 and the series high of 9.7 percent in 1982.

The record: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, series LNS14000000 (unemployment rate, 16 years and over, seasonally adjusted)

Unemployment rate, United StatesUnemployment rate, United States ran from 3.8% in 1948 to 4.0% in 2024, between 2.9% and 9.7% across the series; the date of the claim, 2024-09-10, is marked.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, series LNS14000000 (unemployment rate, 16 years and over, seasonally adjusted) · as of 2026-09-19 · Download this chart

The numbers behind this figure, as a table

Unemployment rate, United States
Series	When	percent
Unemployment rate, United States	1948	3.8
Unemployment rate, United States	1949	6
Unemployment rate, United States	1950	5.2
Unemployment rate, United States	1951	3.3
Unemployment rate, United States	1952	3
Unemployment rate, United States	1953	2.9
Unemployment rate, United States	1954	5.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1955	4.4
Unemployment rate, United States	1956	4.1
Unemployment rate, United States	1957	4.3
Unemployment rate, United States	1958	6.8
Unemployment rate, United States	1959	5.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1960	5.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1961	6.7
Unemployment rate, United States	1962	5.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1963	5.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1964	5.2
Unemployment rate, United States	1965	4.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1966	3.8
Unemployment rate, United States	1967	3.8
Unemployment rate, United States	1968	3.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1969	3.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1970	5
Unemployment rate, United States	1971	6
Unemployment rate, United States	1972	5.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1973	4.9
Unemployment rate, United States	1974	5.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1975	8.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1976	7.7
Unemployment rate, United States	1977	7
Unemployment rate, United States	1978	6.1
Unemployment rate, United States	1979	5.9
Unemployment rate, United States	1980	7.2
Unemployment rate, United States	1981	7.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1982	9.7
Unemployment rate, United States	1983	9.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1984	7.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1985	7.2
Unemployment rate, United States	1986	7
Unemployment rate, United States	1987	6.2
Unemployment rate, United States	1988	5.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1989	5.3
Unemployment rate, United States	1990	5.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1991	6.9
Unemployment rate, United States	1992	7.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1993	6.9
Unemployment rate, United States	1994	6.1
Unemployment rate, United States	1995	5.6
Unemployment rate, United States	1996	5.4
Unemployment rate, United States	1997	4.9
Unemployment rate, United States	1998	4.5
Unemployment rate, United States	1999	4.2
Unemployment rate, United States	2000	4
Unemployment rate, United States	2001	4.7
Unemployment rate, United States	2002	5.8
Unemployment rate, United States	2003	6
Unemployment rate, United States	2004	5.5
Unemployment rate, United States	2005	5.1
Unemployment rate, United States	2006	4.6
Unemployment rate, United States	2007	4.6
Unemployment rate, United States	2008	5.8
Unemployment rate, United States	2009	9.3
Unemployment rate, United States	2010	9.6
Unemployment rate, United States	2011	8.9
Unemployment rate, United States	2012	8.1
Unemployment rate, United States	2013	7.4
Unemployment rate, United States	2014	6.2
Unemployment rate, United States	2015	5.3
Unemployment rate, United States	2016	4.9
Unemployment rate, United States	2017	4.4
Unemployment rate, United States	2018	3.9
Unemployment rate, United States	2019	3.7
Unemployment rate, United States	2020	8.1
Unemployment rate, United States	2021	5.4
Unemployment rate, United States	2022	3.6
Unemployment rate, United States	2023	3.6
Unemployment rate, United States	2024	4

Context

She was describing the unemployment rate at the end of the Trump administration.

Topics: Economy.

Other claims by Kamala Harris

We now have historic low unemployment in America among all groups of people

An interview on 60 Minutes · October 7, 2024 · PolitiFact: Half True
As of today, there is not one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world, [for the] first time this century.

The September 10, 2024 presidential debate · September 10, 2024 · PolitiFact: Mostly False

Every claim filed under Kamala Harris

Sources

PolitiFact fact-checked the first 2024 presidential debate · PolitiFact · 2024-09-11 · accessed 2026-09-18
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, series LNS14000000 (unemployment rate, 16 years and over, seasonally adjusted) · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · accessed 2026-09-19

Cite and data

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Cracked Buckeye, "Kamala Harris: "Donald Trump left us the worst unemployment since the Great Depression"", https://crackedbuckeye.com/claims/2024-09-10-kamala-harris-worst-unemployment-since-depression/, built 2026-11-03, accessed [date].

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