What is the earliest you can retire unemployed?

Well, that depends on what is keeping you from retirement. If you have the money to retire, you can retire anytime.

If you are just waiting for Social Security benefits to kick in, then it depends on your age.

In the past, the full benefit age was 65, and early retirement benefits were first available at age 62. (Early retirement lowered your benefits (permanently) to 80 percent of the full benefit amount.)

Currently, the full benefit age is 66 for people born in 1943-1954, and it will gradually rise to 67 for those born in 1960 or later. The earliest is still 62, but depending on when you were born, the benefits will be further reduced from the amount stated above. Details are broken down on the Social Security page (ssa.gov/planners/retire/retirechart.html).