Unemployment for the latest generation of veterans tumbled in September, continuing a period of roller-coaster volatility for the measure, as the unemployment rate for the nation as a whole ticked down amid significant job gains, government data show.
The unemployment rate for post-9/11 vets stood at 6.2 percent in September, down nearly 2 points from the previous month's rate, and down a full 3 points from the 9.2 percent unemployment rate charted in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Statisticians warn against drawing broad conclusions from any one month's jobs report, particularly in the case of this veteran-specific measure, which can fluctuate dramatically due to its small sample size. And fluctuate it has in 2014, reaching a low of 5.3 percent in May, in between highs of 9.2 percent in February and July.
Amid the volatility, though, there appears to be a clear downward trend. This September's rate is nearly 4 points less than the September 2013 rate of 10.1 percent. The annual unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans in 2013 was 9 percent, while, to date, the average of all of this year's unemployment reports is 7.4 percent.
The overall economy added 248,000 jobs in September, as the unemployment rate fell from 6.1 percent to 5.9 percent.
For the veteran population as a whole, unemployment fell from 5.6 percent in August to 4.7 percent in September.
