Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in United States
United States: Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) was 170,807 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United States, 1994–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United States recorded 170,807 for labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States peaked at 170,807 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 131,192, in 1994.
That places United States 1st out of 77 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Labour force (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 131,192 | — |
| 1995 | 132,490 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 134,130 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 136,514 | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 137,673 | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 139,368 | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 142,583 | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 143,734 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 144,863 | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 146,510 | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 147,401 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 149,320 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 151,428 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 153,124 | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 154,287 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 154,142 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 153,889 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 153,617 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 154,975 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 155,389 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 155,922 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 157,130 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 159,187 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 160,320 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 162,075 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 163,539 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 160,742 | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 161,204 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 164,287 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 167,116 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 168,106 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 170,807 | +1.6% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 170,807 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,307, 51.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 135,228 | 131,192 | 139,368 | 6 |
| 2000s | 148,739 | 142,583 | 154,287 | 10 |
| 2010s | 157,604 | 153,617 | 163,539 | 10 |
| 2020s | 165,377 | 160,742 | 170,807 | 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 (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States?
- Labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) in United States was 170,807 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 170,807 in 2025.
- What is the lowest labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 131,192 in 1994.
- How does United States rank for labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13)?
- United States ranks 1st out of 77 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labour force (previous ilo definition - icls13) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. 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 (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) (15+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
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 International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS) database description.