Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United States
United States: Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) was 84.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United States, 1960–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United States is 84.5%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United States peaked at 84.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.3%, in 1960.
United States ranks 73rd of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 45.3% | — |
| 1961 | 46.0% | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 46.2% | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 47.1% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 47.8% | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 48.7% | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 50.1% | +2.9% |
| 1967 | 51.1% | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 51.9% | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 53.5% | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 54.3% | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 54.9% | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 55.6% | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 56.7% | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 58.1% | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 59.4% | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 61.0% | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 62.3% | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 64.2% | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 65.4% | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 66.5% | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 67.7% | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 68.7% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 69.2% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 70.2% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 71.4% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 72.5% | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 73.5% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 74.3% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 75.1% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 75.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 75.7% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 76.3% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 76.8% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 78.4% | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 78.7% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 79.1% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 79.8% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 79.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 80.3% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 80.1% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 80.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 80.5% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 81.0% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 80.7% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.8% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 80.8% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 81.0% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 81.5% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 82.3% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 82.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 82.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 82.2% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 82.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 82.3% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 82.1% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 82.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 82.6% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 82.7% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 83.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 83.0% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 83.5% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 84.2% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 84.5% | -0.2% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 84.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 85.1%, 99% of the median. (79 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 48.8% | 45.3% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.2% | 54.3% | 65.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 70.9% | 66.5% | 75.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.0% | 75.3% | 80.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.9% | 80.1% | 82.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.4% | 82.0% | 83.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.8% | 83.0% | 84.6% | 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 ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United States?
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) in United States was 84.5% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 84.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.3% in 1960.
- How does United States rank for ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%)?
- United States ranks 73rd out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is the proportion of female labor force participation relative to male labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the population ages 15 and older. The labor force is the sum of all persons of working age who are employed and those who are unemployed.