Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in United States of America
United States of America: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) was 67.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in United States of America, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
United States of America recorded 67.1% for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in United States of America peaked at 75.1% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 67.1%, in 2025.
United States of America ranks 121st 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+) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 75.1% | — |
| 1991 | 74.6% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 74.7% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 74.3% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 74.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 74.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 74.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 74.1% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 73.9% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 73.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 73.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 73.4% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 73.0% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 72.4% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 72.2% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 72.2% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 72.3% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 72.1% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 71.8% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 70.8% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 70.1% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 69.6% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 69.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 69.2% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 68.8% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 68.6% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 68.8% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 68.7% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 68.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 68.8% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 67.4% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 67.4% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 67.5% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 67.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 67.4% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 67.1% | -0.4% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 67.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 68.8%, 98% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 74.3% | 73.8% | 75.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.4% | 70.8% | 73.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.1% | 68.6% | 70.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.4% | 67.1% | 67.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 118 Malawi 67.3% compare
- 119 Equatorial Guinea 67.2% compare
- 120 Iran, Islamic Republic of 67.2% compare
- 122 Lesotho 66.9% compare
- 123 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 66.8% compare
- 124 Latvia 66.8% 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, male (% of male population ages 15+) in United States of America?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in United States of America was 67.1% 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+) recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 75.1% in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.1% in 2025.
- How does United States of America rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+)?
- United States of America ranks 121st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. 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+) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.