As I’ve previously discussed, the government’s official unemployment rate doesn’t take into account all unemployed workers in the US, since it leaves out workers discouraged by the poor job market. The US government’s best measure of unemployment, U-5, now stands at 11%, which means that 1 in 9 Americans are now unemployed.
Prior to 1994, the BLS also counted at half value those workers who were working part time only because they couldn’t find full time employment. The Wall Street Journal explores this issue, and estimates current unemployment at 13.3% using the pre-1994 measurement method. Using this broader measure, 1 in 7 Americans can no longer find enough work.
True Cost - Analyzing our economy, government policy, and society through the lens of cost-benefit 
New data from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston finds a correlation between household income and unemployment rate, whereby unemployment rises dramatically as income drops:
For example, among those making $150,000 or more, unemployment is 3.2 percent. Whereas for those making $12,499 or less, it’s 30.8 percent.
Ten times worse unemployment in the lowest class than in the highest class!
http://moraloutrage.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/american-unemployment-up-to-30-percent/