LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in United States
United States: LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization was 10,340 in 2025. ▲ Rising
LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in United States, 1994–2025
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
United States recorded 10,340 for lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in 2025.
The figure is up 8.0% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in United States peaked at 19,035 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 8,010, in 2000.
United States ranks 4th of 79 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 11,098 | — |
| 1995 | 10,438 | -5.9% |
| 1996 | 10,162 | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 9,510 | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 8,735 | -8.2% |
| 1999 | 8,256 | -5.5% |
| 2000 | 8,010 | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 9,418 | +17.6% |
| 2002 | 11,197 | +18.9% |
| 2003 | 11,717 | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 11,037 | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 10,406 | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 9,741 | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 9,906 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 12,466 | +25.8% |
| 2009 | 18,899 | +51.6% |
| 2010 | 19,035 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 17,765 | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 16,367 | -7.9% |
| 2013 | 15,160 | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 13,039 | -14.0% |
| 2015 | 11,411 | -12.5% |
| 2016 | 10,760 | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 9,699 | -9.9% |
| 2018 | 8,946 | -7.8% |
| 2019 | 8,518 | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 18,160 | +113.2% |
| 2021 | 11,727 | -35.4% |
| 2022 | 8,676 | -26.0% |
| 2023 | 8,740 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 9,578 | +9.6% |
| 2025 | 10,340 | +8.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 10,340 is above the median for high income countries, which is 393.33, 26.3× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +113.2% | 8,518 | 18,160 |
| 2009 | +51.6% | 12,466 | 18,899 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9,700 | 8,256 | 11,098 | 6 |
| 2000s | 11,280 | 8,010 | 18,899 | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,070 | 8,518 | 19,035 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,203 | 8,676 | 18,160 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 Indonesia 19,007 compare
- 2 Brazil 16,257 compare
- 3 South Africa 13,113 compare
- 5 France 5,848 compare
- 6 Bangladesh 5,697 compare
- 7 Philippines 5,651 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 lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in United States?
- Lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization in United States was 10,340 in 2025, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 19,035 in 2010.
- What is the lowest lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,010 in 2000.
- How does United States rank for lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization?
- United States ranks 4th out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lu4: composite measure of labour underutilization rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. 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 LU4: Composite measure of labour underutilization. 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
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. LU4 represents the share of the extended labour force that are in unemployment, time-related underemployment or the potential labour force. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.