In October 2024, the civilian labor force amounted to 168.48 million people in the United States. The term civilian labor force is used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to describe the subset of Americans who have jobs or are seeking a job, are at least 16 years old, are not serving in the military, and are not institutionalized.

This graph shows the civilian labor force in the United States from 1990 to 2024. In 2024, the number of people who had jobs or were seeking employment amounted to about 168.11 million.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force Level (CLF16OV) from Jan 1948 to Jun 2025 about civilian, 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States decreased to 62.30 percent in June from 62.40 percent in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Labor Force Participation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Not in Labor Force (LNS15000000) from Jan 1975 to Jun 2025 about 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

In October 2024, the number of people in the civilian labor force in the United States amounted to 168.57 million. The term civilian labor force is used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to describe the subset of Americans who have jobs or are seeking a job, are at least 16 years old, are not serving in the military and are not institutionalized. In other words, all Americans who are eligible to work in the everyday U.S. economy.

Labor force, total in United States was reported at 174173594 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Labor force, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2023, California had the largest civilian labor force in the United States with about 19.31 million people. Wyoming had the smallest labor force with around 295,000 workers.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate - 25-54 Yrs. (LNU01300060) from Jan 1948 to Jun 2025 about 25 to 54 years, participation, civilian, labor force, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

As of October 2024, there were 133.89 million full-time employees in the United States. This is a slight decrease from the previous month, when there were 134.15 million full-time employees. The impact COVID-19 on employment In December 2019, the COVID-19 virus began its spread across the globe. Since being classified as a pandemic, the virus caused a global health crisis that has taken the lives of millions of people worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic changed many facets of society, most significantly, the economy. In the first years, many businesses across all industries were forced to shut down, with large numbers of employees being laid off. The economy continued its recovery in 2022 with the nationwide unemployment rate returning to a more normal 3.4 percent as of April 2023. Unemployment benefits Because so many people in the United States lost their jobs, record numbers of individuals applied for unemployment insurance for the first time. As an early response to this nation-wide upheaval, the government issued relief checks and extended the benefits paid by unemployment insurance. In May 2020, the amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid rose to 23.73 billion U.S. dollars. As of December 2022, this value had declined to 2.24 billion U.S. dollars.

Key information about United States Labour Force Participation Rate

• United States Labour Force Participation Rate remained the same rate at 62.3 % in Feb 2025, compared with 62.3 % in the previous month.
• US Labour Force Participation Rate is updated monthly, available from Jan 1948 to Feb 2025, with an average rate of 62.9 % .
• The data reached the an all-time high of 68.1 % in Jul 1997 and a record low of 57.2 % in Jan 1948.
• US Labour Force Participation Rate is reported by reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• In the latest reports, US Population reached 341.2 million people in Dec 2024.
• Unemployment Rate of US increased to 4.1 % in Feb 2025.
• The country's Monthly Earnings stood at 4,900.8 USD in Feb 2025.

United States workforce management market size is projected to exhibit a growth rate (CAGR) of 9.03% during 2025-2033. The integration of advanced technologies, growing trend of remote and hybrid work models, the implementation of strict labor laws and regulations, rapid expansion of the gig economy, and the escalating need for data-driven decision-making represent some of the key factors driving the market.

IMARC Group provides an analysis of the key trends in each segment of the market, along with forecasts at the country level for 2025-2033. Our report has categorized the market based on component, deployment type, organization size, and vertical.

Graph and download economic data for All Employees, Federal (CES9091000001) from Jan 1939 to Jun 2025 about establishment survey, federal, government, employment, and USA.

In 2023, it was estimated that over 161 million Americans were in some form of employment, while 3.64 percent of the total workforce was unemployed. This was the lowest unemployment rate since the 1950s, although these figures are expected to rise in 2023 and beyond. 1980s-2010s Since the 1980s, the total United States labor force has generally risen as the population has grown, however, the annual average unemployment rate has fluctuated significantly, usually increasing in times of crisis, before falling more slowly during periods of recovery and economic stability. For example, unemployment peaked at 9.7 percent during the early 1980s recession, which was largely caused by the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution on global oil prices and inflation. Other notable spikes came during the early 1990s; again, largely due to inflation caused by another oil shock, and during the early 2000s recession. The Great Recession then saw the U.S. unemployment rate soar to 9.6 percent, following the collapse of the U.S. housing market and its impact on the banking sector, and it was not until 2016 that unemployment returned to pre-recession levels. 2020s 2019 had marked a decade-long low in unemployment, before the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the sharpest year-on-year increase in unemployment since the Great Depression, and the total number of workers fell by almost 10 million people. Despite the continuation of the pandemic in the years that followed, alongside the associated supply-chain issues and onset of the inflation crisis, unemployment reached just 3.67 percent in 2022 - current projections are for this figure to rise in 2023 and the years that follow, although these forecasts are subject to change if recent years are anything to go by.

In 2023, firms with more than 250 employees employed 55.63 percent of the private sector work force in the United States. Since 2004 the share of the workforce employed by larger firms (250 employees or more) has grown considerably.

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force Level - Foreign Born (LNU01073395) from Jan 2007 to Jun 2025 about foreign, civilian, 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Working-Age Population Total: From 25 to 54 Years for United States (LFWA25TTUSM647N) from Jan 1955 to May 2025 about 25 to 54 years, working-age, population, and USA.

In 2024, the education and health services industry employed the largest number of people in the United States. That year, about 37 million people were employed in the education and health services industry. Education and Health Services Industry Despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States has started to fall behind in both education and the health care industry. Although the U.S. spends the most money in both these industries, they do not see their desired results in comparison to other nations. Furthermore, in the education services industry, there was a relatively significant wage gap between men and women. In 2019, men earned about 1,070 U.S. dollars per week on average, while their female counterparts only earned 773 U.S. dollars per week. Employment in the U.S. The 2008 financial crisis was a large-scale event that impacted the entire world, especially the United States. The economy started to improve after 2010, and the number of people employed in the United States has been steadily increasing since then. However, the number of people employed in the education sector is expected to slowly decrease until 2026. The overall unemployment rate in the United States has decreased since 2010 as well.

Key information about United States Employed Persons

• United States Employed Persons was reported at 163,307,000.000 Person in Feb 2025
• It recorded a decrease from the previous number of 163,895,000.000 Person for Jan 2025
• US Employed Persons data is updated monthly, averaging 109,912,500.000 Person from Jan 1948 to Feb 2025, with 926 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 163,895,000.000 Person in Jan 2025 and a record low of 57,172,000.000 Person in Jun 1949
• US Employed Persons data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by CEIC Data
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Global Economic Monitor – Table: Employed Persons: Monthly: Seasonally Adjusted

Graph and download economic data for Civilian Labor Force Level (LNU01000000) from Jan 1948 to May 2025 about civilian, 16 years +, labor force, labor, household survey, and USA.