Limbaugh falsely suggests unemployment has exceeded nine percent for “two consecutive years”

Written by Christine Schwen

Published

Rush Limbaugh claimed the country hasn't “had nine percent unemployment for two years consecutively since the 1930s,” falsely suggesting that this is currently the case. In fact, the unemployment rate has exceeded nine percent for 14 months, a period which was exceeded in the 1980s under President Reagan.

Limbaugh misleads about the unemployment rate to attack Obama administration

Limbaugh: “We've never had nine percent unemployment for two years consecutively since the 1930s.” On the August 3 edition of his show, while attacking President Obama's economic record, Limbaugh asserted:

LIMBAUGH: There's never been nine percent unemployment for two years in a row since the '30s. And they talk about economic recovery being stalled? Because of all this news today? We've never had nine percent unemployment for two years consecutively since the 1930s. So Obama wants the wealthy to spend more and then pay 90 percent of all the taxes too. That sounds like a plan.

In fact, unemployment rate has been greater than nine percent for 14 months, not 24. As PolitiFact.com noted in response to a similar claim made by Rep. John Boehner, Limbaugh was incorrect in suggesting that we have had an unemployment rate greater than nine percent for for two full years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has exceeded nine percent for 14 months, far short of the 24 months Limbaugh suggested.

Unemployment rate exceeded nine percent for 19 months in 1982-83. As Politifact similarly pointed out, contrary to the suggestion that the current unemployment is unprecedented since “the 1930s,” the country experienced unemployment of nine percent or higher for 19 months between March of 1982 and September of 1983.