Labour force: ICLS13) (15+) … previous ICLS13 15+ in United States
United States: Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) was 62.42 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United States, 1947–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United States recorded 62.42 for labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in 2025.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States peaked at 67.2 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 58.3, in 1947.
That places United States 109th out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 79 years of available data.
Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 58.3 | — |
| 1948 | 58.8 | +0.9% |
| 1949 | 58.9 | +0.2% |
| 1950 | 59.2 | +0.5% |
| 1951 | 59.2 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 59 | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 58.9 | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 58.8 | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 59.3 | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 60 | +1.2% |
| 1957 | 59.6 | -0.7% |
| 1958 | 59.5 | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 59.3 | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 59.4 | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 59.3 | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 58.8 | -0.8% |
| 1963 | 58.7 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 58.7 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 58.9 | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 59.2 | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 59.6 | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 59.6 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 60.1 | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 60.4 | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 60.2 | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 60.4 | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 60.8 | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 61.3 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 61.2 | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 61.6 | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 62.3 | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 63.2 | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 63.7 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 63.8 | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 63.9 | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 64 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 64 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 64.4 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 64.8 | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 65.3 | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 65.6 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 65.9 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 66.5 | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 66.5 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 66.2 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 66.4 | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 66.3 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 66.66 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 66.72 | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 66.87 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 67.2 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 67.09 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 67.08 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 67.07 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 66.82 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 66.58 | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 66.24 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 65.99 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 66.05 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 66.18 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 66.04 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 65.99 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 65.37 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 64.71 | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 64.11 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 63.7 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 63.25 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 62.88 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 62.65 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 62.79 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 62.85 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 62.87 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 63.1 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 61.75 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 61.66 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 62.24 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 62.6 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 62.59 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 62.42 | -0.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 62.42 is below the median for high income countries, which is 63.11, 99% of the median. (80 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 58.67 | 58.3 | 58.9 | 3 |
| 1950s | 59.28 | 58.8 | 60 | 10 |
| 1960s | 59.23 | 58.7 | 60.1 | 10 |
| 1970s | 61.51 | 60.2 | 63.7 | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.82 | 63.8 | 66.5 | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.7 | 66.2 | 67.2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.23 | 65.37 | 67.07 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.29 | 62.65 | 64.71 | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.21 | 61.66 | 62.6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
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 labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States?
- Labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States was 62.42 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 67.2 in 1997.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.3 in 1947.
- How does United States rank for labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- United States ranks 109th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force participation rate (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Labour force participation rate (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The labour force participation rate is the labour force as a percent of the working-age population. The labour force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.