Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) in United States of America
United States of America: Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) was 73.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) in United States of America, 1990–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) in United States of America stood at 73.7%.
That represents a change of up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) in United States of America peaked at 76.2% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 71.6%, in 2015.
United States of America ranks 69th 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, total (% of total population ages) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 75.3% | — |
| 1991 | 75.0% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 75.4% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 75.3% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 75.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 75.7% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 75.9% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 76.2% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 76.1% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 76.0% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 75.9% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 75.5% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 75.1% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 74.5% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 74.1% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 74.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 74.1% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 73.9% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 73.9% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 73.2% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 72.6% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 72.0% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 72.0% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 71.8% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 71.7% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 71.6% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 71.9% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 72.3% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 72.6% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 73.0% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 71.9% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 72.2% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 72.8% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 73.6% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 73.7% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 73.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.6% | 75.0% | 76.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.4% | 73.2% | 75.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.1% | 71.6% | 73.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.0% | 71.9% | 73.7% | 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, total (% of total population ages) in United States of America?
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) in United States of America was 73.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 76.2% in 1997.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.6% in 2015.
- How does United States of America rank for labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages)?
- United States of America ranks 69th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.0%. 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, total (% of total 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.