Labour force participation rate in United States
United States: Labour force participation rate was 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
13th
of 33 countries
All-time high
67.1 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup
in 1997
All-time low
58.69 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup
in 1963
Years of data
70
1955–2024
Labour force participation rate in United States, 1955–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup.
Analysis
United States 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 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 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.
Labour force participation rate in United States, year by year
| Year | Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 59.27 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | — |
| 1956 | 59.97 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +1.2% |
| 1957 | 59.62 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.6% |
| 1958 | 59.47 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 59.29 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 59.38 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 59.33 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 58.77 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 58.69 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 58.71 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 58.83 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 59.17 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 59.56 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 59.62 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 60.11 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 60.38 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 60.19 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 60.39 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 60.8 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 61.25 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 61.23 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 61.58 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 62.25 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 63.16 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 63.68 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 63.77 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 63.86 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 63.98 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 64.03 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 64.38 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 64.8 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 65.25 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 65.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 65.92 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 66.45 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 66.53 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 66.18 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 66.45 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 66.33 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 66.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 66.62 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 66.78 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 67.1 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 67.08 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 67.07 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 67.08 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 66.82 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 66.59 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 66.24 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 65.98 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 66.04 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 66.17 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 66.05 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 65.99 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 65.37 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 64.72 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 64.1 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 63.7 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 63.27 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 62.88 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 62.65 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 62.77 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 62.86 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 62.87 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 63.09 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 61.76 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 61.67 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 62.24 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup | +0.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 62.6 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup is above the median for high income countries, which is 62.09 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup, 1.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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
- 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 in United States?
- Labour force participation rate in United States 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?
- 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?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.69 Percentage of working age population in the same subgroup in 1963.
- How does United States rank for labour force participation rate?
- United States ranks 13th out of 33 countries with data for 2024.
- Is labour force participation rate rising or falling in United States?
- 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 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.
Download this data
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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.