Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in United States of America
United States of America: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) was 78.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in United States of America, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in United States of America stood at 78.2%.
That represents a change of up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in United States of America peaked at 84.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 76.9%, in 2020.
United States of America ranks 92nd of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 84.0% | — |
| 1991 | 83.5% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 83.6% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 83.3% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 82.7% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 82.7% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 82.7% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 82.4% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 82.3% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 81.8% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 81.3% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 80.5% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 80.2% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.1% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 80.2% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 80.0% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 79.7% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 78.7% | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 77.9% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 77.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 77.5% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 77.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 77.2% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 77.2% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 77.5% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 77.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 77.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 78.2% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 76.9% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 77.2% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 77.7% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 78.2% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 78.3% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 78.2% | -0.0% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 78.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 80.2%, 97% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.0% | 82.4% | 84.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.5% | 78.7% | 82.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.6% | 77.2% | 78.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.8% | 76.9% | 78.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
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, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in United States of America?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) in United States of America was 78.2% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 84.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.9% in 2020.
- How does United States of America rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64)?
- United States of America ranks 92nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15-64 that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.