Some concepts such as "the urban unemployed","the registered urban unemployed", "the rate of urban unempolyment" and "the rate of registered urban unempolyment" should be distinguished.And based on the distinction, this paper analyses the changes and characteristics of the urban registered unemployed and urban registered unempolyment rate of China, as well as the regional differences.It also inquiries the structure of the urban unemployed in terms of age, educational levels, and the causes of unemployment.