United States — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for United States, 1990–2025.
Labor participation for United States was 61.70% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 66.15% in 2000. The lowest was 61.50% in 2021 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.16% per year.
United States ranks 92 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 49%. The median for North America is 64.52%, so United States sits below it. It peaked in 2000 and has fallen 7% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 1%.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 66th of 187 in 1990 → 55th of 187 in 2000 → 70th of 187 in 2010 → 81st of 187 in 2020 → 91st of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1990 to 2025
| Year | % of population ages 15+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 61.7% | -0.3 pp |
| 2024 | 61.96% | -0.1 pp |
| 2023 | 62.08% | +0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 61.79% | +0.3 pp |
| 2021 | 61.5% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 61.56% | -1.3 pp |
| 2019 | 62.85% | +0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 62.59% | +0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 62.55% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 62.43% | +0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 62.27% | -0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 62.45% | -0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 62.74% | -0.4 pp |
| 2012 | 63.11% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 63.23% | -0.5 pp |
| 2010 | 63.73% | -0.6 pp |
| 2009 | 64.37% | -0.6 pp |
| 2008 | 64.99% | -0.0 pp |
| 2007 | 64.99% | -0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 65.18% | +0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 65.05% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 65% | -0.2 pp |
| 2003 | 65.22% | -0.4 pp |
| 2002 | 65.59% | -0.3 pp |
| 2001 | 65.86% | -0.3 pp |
| 2000 | 66.15% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 66.06% | +0.0 pp |
| 1998 | 66.01% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 66.08% | +0.3 pp |
| 1996 | 65.78% | +0.2 pp |
| 1995 | 65.6% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 65.47% | +0.3 pp |
| 1993 | 65.14% | -0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 65.25% | +0.3 pp |
| 1991 | 65% | -0.3 pp |
| 1990 | 65.29% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was United States’s Labor participation in 1991?
65% (1991). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population ages 15+, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is United States’s Labor participation growing or shrinking?
Between 1990 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -5.5% in total — about 0.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.TLF.CACT.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 61.7%; 2024: 61.96%; 2023: 62.08%; 2022: 61.79%; 2021: 61.5%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.