Labour force participation rate in United States of America
United States of America: Labour force participation rate was 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup in 2024. ▲ Rising
Labour force participation rate in United States of America, 1955–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup for labour force participation rate in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force participation rate in United States of America peaked at 67.1 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup in 1997 and was at its lowest, 58.69 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup, in 1963.
That places United States of America 13th out of 33 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 70 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 59.52 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 59.27 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 59.97 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 5 |
| 1960s | 59.22 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 58.69 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 60.11 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 1970s | 61.49 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 60.19 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 63.68 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.8 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 63.77 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 66.45 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.67 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 66.18 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 67.1 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.23 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 65.37 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 67.08 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.29 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 62.65 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 64.72 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.17 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 61.67 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 10 Colombia 64.3 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup compare
- 11 Japan 63.87 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup compare
- 12 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 63.79 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup compare
- 14 Israel 62.48 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup compare
- 15 Luxembourg 62.25 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup compare
- 16 Chile 62.09 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup compare
More work & labour data for United States of America
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Criminal penalties or civil remedies sexual harassment in employment 1 (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 56.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labour force participation rate in United States of America?
- Labour force participation rate in United States of America was 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest labour force participation rate recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 67.1 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup in 1997.
- What is the lowest labour force participation rate recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.69 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup in 1963.
- How does United States of America rank for labour force participation rate?
- United States of America ranks 13th out of 33 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labour force participation rate rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Labour force participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The infra-annual dataflow on the labour force participation rate is a subset of the infra-annual labour statistics database, which contains predominantly monthly and quarterly statistics on the labour force participation rate by age groups (15+, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 15-64 and 15-74 where available) and sex and associated statistical methodological information and associated statistical methodological information, for the OECD member countries and for selected other economies. The labour force participation rate is calculated as the number of the labour force population as a percentage of the working age population. The infra-annual labour statistics compiled for all OECD member countries, are drawn from Labour Force Surveys based on definition provided by the 19th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2013. The uniform application of these definitions across all OECD member countries results in estimates that are internationally comparable.