Labor participation rate in United States
United States: Labor participation rate was 61.7 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
61.7
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
92nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
66.15
in 2000
All-time low
61.5
in 2021
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in United States, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor participation rate in United States stood at 61.7.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in United States peaked at 66.15 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 61.5, in 2021.
That places United States 92nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 65.29 | — |
| 1991 | 65 | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 65.25 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 65.14 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 65.47 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 65.6 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 65.78 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 66.08 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 66.01 | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 66.06 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 66.15 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 65.86 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 65.59 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 65.22 | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 65 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 65.05 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 65.17 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 64.99 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 64.98 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 64.37 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 63.73 | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 63.23 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 63.11 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 62.73 | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 62.45 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 62.27 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 62.43 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 62.55 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 62.59 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 62.85 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 61.56 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 61.5 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 61.79 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 62.08 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 61.96 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 61.7 | -0.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 61.7 is below the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 99% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.57 | 65 | 66.08 | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.24 | 64.37 | 66.15 | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.79 | 62.27 | 63.73 | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.77 | 61.5 | 62.08 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 89 El Salvador 62.11 compare
- 90 Zambia 61.93 compare
- 91 Argentina 61.91 compare
- 93 Mexico 61.61 compare
- 94 Luxembourg 61.5 compare
- 95 United Kingdom 61.37 compare
More work & labour data for United States
- 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 participation rate in United States?
- Labor participation rate in United States was 61.7 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 66.15 in 2000.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.5 in 2021.
- How does United States rank for labor participation rate?
- United States ranks 92nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).