Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in United States of America
United States of America: Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) was 55.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in United States of America, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in United States of America is 55.6%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in United States of America peaked at 68.6% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 53.9%, in 2020.
United States of America ranks 26th of 175 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 56.4% | — |
| 1961 | 56.3% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 55.8% | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 55.2% | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 55.3% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 55.8% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 57.1% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 57.7% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 57.7% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 58.9% | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 59.8% | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 59.9% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 61.8% | +3.2% |
| 1973 | 63.7% | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 64.9% | +1.9% |
| 1975 | 64.6% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 65.3% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 66.7% | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 68.2% | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 68.6% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 68.1% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 67.7% | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 67.2% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 67.1% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 67.7% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 68.3% | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 68.6% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 68.4% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 68.4% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 68.6% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 67.3% | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 66.0% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 66.1% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 66.1% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 66.5% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 66.4% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 65.7% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 65.7% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 65.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 65.5% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 65.8% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 64.5% | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 63.3% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 61.6% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 61.1% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 60.8% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 60.6% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 59.4% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 58.8% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 56.9% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 55.2% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 55.0% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 54.9% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 55.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 55.0% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 55.0% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 55.2% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 55.5% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 55.2% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 55.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 53.9% | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 55.5% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 55.6% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 56.3% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 55.9% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 55.6% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 56.6% | 55.2% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 64.3% | 59.8% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.0% | 67.1% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.1% | 65.5% | 67.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.3% | 56.9% | 65.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.2% | 54.9% | 55.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.5% | 53.9% | 56.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 23 Austria 56.9% compare
- 24 Paraguay 56.8% compare
- 25 Burundi 56.4% compare
- 27 Isle of Man 55.4% compare
- 28 Cayman Islands 55.4% compare
- 29 United Arab Emirates 54.9% compare
More work & labour data for United States of America
- 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 labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in United States of America?
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) in United States of America was 55.6% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 68.6% in 1979.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.9% in 2020.
- How does United States of America rank for labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%)?
- United States of America ranks 26th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24 is the proportion of the population ages 15-24 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.