Employment to population ratio in United States
United States: Employment to population ratio was 59.11 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
59.11
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
81st
of 186 countries
All-time high
63.51
in 2000
All-time low
56.6
in 2020
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment to population ratio in United States, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 59.11 for employment to population ratio in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio in United States peaked at 63.51 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 56.6, in 2020.
United States ranks 81st of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 60.58 | — |
| 1992 | 60.36 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 60.64 | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 61.47 | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 61.9 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 62.19 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 62.78 | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 63.03 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 63.27 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 63.51 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 62.75 | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 61.79 | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 61.31 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 61.41 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 61.74 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 62.16 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 61.99 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 61.23 | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 58.41 | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 57.59 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 57.57 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 58.02 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 58.11 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 58.59 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 58.98 | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 59.39 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 59.82 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 60.15 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 60.54 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 56.6 | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 58.21 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 59.54 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 59.82 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 59.47 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 59.11 | -0.6% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 59.11 is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.89, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.8 | 60.36 | 63.27 | 9 |
| 2000s | 61.63 | 58.41 | 63.51 | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.88 | 57.57 | 60.54 | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.79 | 56.6 | 59.82 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio in United States?
- Employment to population ratio in United States was 59.11 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment to population ratio recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 63.51 in 2000.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.6 in 2020.
- How does United States rank for employment to population ratio?
- United States ranks 81st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Employment to population ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).