Population by labor force status in United States
United States: Population by labor force status was 59.38 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
59.38 million people
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
6th
of 186 countries
All-time high
62.95 million people
in 2018
All-time low
55.68 million people
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in United States, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population by labor force status in United States is 59.38 million people, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in United States peaked at 62.95 million people in 2018 and was at its lowest, 55.68 million people, in 1991.
That places United States 6th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in United States, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 55.68 million people | — |
| 1992 | 56.65 million people | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 57.45 million people | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 58.05 million people | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 58.45 million people | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 58.73 million people | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 58.93 million people | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 59.13 million people | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 59.35 million people | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 59.57 million people | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 59.79 million people | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 59.96 million people | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 60.09 million people | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 60.16 million people | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 60.16 million people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 60.22 million people | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 60.43 million people | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 60.72 million people | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 61.01 million people | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 61.28 million people | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 61.56 million people | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 61.86 million people | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 62.13 million people | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 62.38 million people | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 62.59 million people | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 62.77 million people | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 62.92 million people | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 62.95 million people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 62.86 million people | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 62.43 million people | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 61.73 million people | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 61.07 million people | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 60.43 million people | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 59.84 million people | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 59.38 million people | -0.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 59.38 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 941,170 people, 63.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 58.05 million people | 55.68 million people | 59.35 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 60.21 million people | 59.57 million people | 61.01 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.33 million people | 61.28 million people | 62.95 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.81 million people | 59.38 million people | 62.43 million people | 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 population by labor force status in United States?
- Population by labor force status in United States was 59.38 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 62.95 million people in 2018.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.68 million people in 1991.
- How does United States rank for population by labor force status?
- United States ranks 6th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).