How does United States rank for share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita?

United States ranks 2nd out of 44 countries with data for 2015.

Is share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in United States?

Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this United States data come from?

The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in United States

Name: Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in United States
Creator: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

United States: Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita was 83.7% in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)

83.7%

Change on year

down 0.1%

World rank

2nd

of 44 countries

All-time high

83.8%

in 2012

All-time low

21.0%

in 1870

Years of data

1840–2015

Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita in United States, 1840–2015

Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in United States is 83.7%, measured in 2015.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in United States peaked at 83.8% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 21.0%, in 1870.

That places United States 2nd out of 44 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 96 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1840s	22.4%	22.4%	22.4%	1
1850s	24.5%	24.5%	24.5%	1
1860s	27.0%	27.0%	27.0%	1
1870s	21.0%	21.0%	21.0%	1
1880s	23.0%	23.0%	23.0%	1
1890s	30.1%	30.1%	30.1%	1
1900s	31.6%	31.6%	31.6%	1
1910s	38.3%	38.3%	38.3%	1
1920s	46.0%	41.4%	50.7%	2
1930s	53.3%	51.7%	55.6%	10
1940s	55.8%	53.6%	60.6%	10
1950s	57.9%	55.1%	60.7%	10
1960s	62.8%	61.2%	64.4%	10
1970s	67.0%	65.4%	68.3%	10
1980s	71.6%	68.8%	73.9%	10
1990s	75.9%	74.5%	76.9%	10
2000s	80.7%	77.2%	83.3%	10
2010s	83.8%	83.7%	83.8%	6

Countries ranked near United States

See the full ranking of 44 places →

More work & labour data for United States

Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.1% (2025)
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 69.0% (2025)
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.2% (2025)
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 73.7% (2025)
Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 56.3% (2025)
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 50.8% (2025)
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 50.4% (2025)

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in United States?: Share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita in United States was 83.7% in 2015, according to Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States?: The highest recorded value was 83.8% in 2012.
What is the lowest share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita recorded in United States?: The lowest recorded value was 21.0% in 1870.
How does United States rank for share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita?: United States ranks 2nd out of 44 countries with data for 2015.
Is share of workers employed in services vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in United States?: Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?: The figures come from Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 96 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Share of workers employed in services vs. GDP per capita
Unit: %
Source: Herrendorf et al. and Groningen Growth and Development Centre (2015) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 44 places, 2,481 data points, 1801–2015
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The vertical axis shows historical estimates of the employment share in the service sector. The horizontal axis shows GDP per capita, adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.