The U.S. added 252,000 jobs in December, while unemployment dropped to 5.6 percent


New numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning show that the American economy added 252,000 nonfarm private jobs in December 2014. The unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent, from 5.8 percent in November.
The December numbers beat the 230,000 new jobs economists were expecting, as well as average job growth over the past 11 months. The November numbers were also revised upwards this morning to 353,000, and October's to 261,000, meaning 50,000 more jobs were gained than initially reported between the two months.
The BLS report also showed that the number of unemployed Americans held stable at 2.8 million (31.9 percent of all the unemployed) and average hourly earnings fell by 5 cents to $24.57.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute put it, the recovery for most Americans did not even begin until 2014, when the unemployment and the long-term unemployment rates both clocked in modest but sustained declines, and job growth strengthened along with the employment-to-population ratio.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeff Spross was the economics and business correspondent at TheWeek.com. He was previously a reporter at ThinkProgress.
-
Budget-friendly Alpine escapes: the best ski resorts in Austria
The Week Recommends Expect fewer tourists and plenty of snow in the stunning Austrian Alps
-
Megabatteries are powering up clean energy
Under the radar They can store and release excess energy
-
Crossword: October 21, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats