Female labor force participation rates in United States
United States: Female labor force participation rates was 56.34 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
56.34
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
75th
of 186 countries
All-time high
58.68
in 2000
All-time low
55.63
in 2021
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Female labor force participation rates in United States, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, female labor force participation rates in United States stood at 56.34.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female labor force participation rates in United States peaked at 58.68 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 55.63, in 2021.
United States ranks 75th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Female labor force participation rates in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 56 | — |
| 1991 | 55.88 | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 56.3 | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 56.4 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 57.34 | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 57.58 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 57.86 | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 58.4 | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 58.39 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 58.55 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 58.68 | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 58.52 | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 58.35 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 58.22 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 57.94 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 58.04 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 58.16 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 58.09 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 58.29 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 58.05 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 57.52 | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 57 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 56.78 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 56.36 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 56.2 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 55.94 | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 56.09 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 56.4 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 56.47 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 56.87 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 55.7 | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 55.63 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 56.03 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 56.6 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 56.56 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 56.34 | -0.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 56.34 is above the median for high income countries, which is 55.09, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.27 | 55.88 | 58.55 | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.24 | 57.94 | 58.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.56 | 55.94 | 57.52 | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.15 | 55.63 | 56.6 | 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 female labor force participation rates in United States?
- Female labor force participation rates in United States was 56.34 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female labor force participation rates recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 58.68 in 2000.
- What is the lowest female labor force participation rates recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.63 in 2021.
- How does United States rank for female labor force participation rates?
- United States ranks 75th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is female labor force participation rates rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female labor force participation rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).