The labor force participation rate is the percentage of the population that is either employed or unemployed (that is, either working or actively seeking work). People with jobs are employed. People who are jobless, looking for a job, and available for work are unemployed. The labor force is made up of the employed and the unemployed. People who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labor force.

Labor force participation rate is the percent of persons classified as employed or unemployed as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population. The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces industry estimates of nonfarm payroll employment as part of the Current Population Survey. Employment data are seasonally adjusted to remove the effects of normal seasonal variation.

This dataset uses seasonally adjusted data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to present information on Maryland's labor force participation rate, employment rate, and unemployment rate.

Labor force participation rate is a measure of the active workforce. It is the total number of those employed or actively seeking employment divided by the all working age population, however, from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), the universe for the working age population considered varies. For participation rates by sex, the population used is 20 to 64 years old. For race and ethnic groupings, the age range is 16 and older. As a result of the narrower age range the rates by sex are higher than those by race.

This dataset contains non-seasonally adjusted California Labor Force Participation Rate by age groups, from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The age group ranges are as follows: 16-19; 20-24; 25-34; 35-44; 45-54; 55-64; 65+. This data is based on a 12-month moving average.

United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Male: Age 35 to 39 data was reported at 91.400 % in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 91.000 % for Sep 2018. United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Male: Age 35 to 39 data is updated monthly, averaging 93.100 % from Jun 1976 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 509 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 96.700 % in Oct 1977 and a record low of 89.700 % in Feb 2015. United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Male: Age 35 to 39 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Current Population Survey: Labour Force.

United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Foreign Born: Female data was reported at 56.500 % in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 56.800 % for Mar 2025. United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Foreign Born: Female data is updated monthly, averaging 54.600 % from Jan 2007 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 220 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 57.200 % in Aug 2024 and a record low of 50.200 % in Apr 2020. United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Foreign Born: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G: Current Population Survey: Labour Force: Participation Rate.

This dataset uses seasonally adjusted data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to present information on Maryland's labor force participation rate, employment rate, and unemployment rate.

ACS 1-year estimates are based on data collected over one calendar year, offering more current information but with a higher margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates combine five years of data, providing more reliable information but less current. Both are based on probability samples. Some racial and ethnic categories are suppressed to avoid misleading estimates when the relative standard error exceeds 30%.

Data Source: American Community Survey (ACS) 1- & 5-Year Estimates

Why This Matters

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor force participation rate is an important measure of the health of the labor market, which represents the relative amount of labor resources available for the production of goods and services.

Changes in overall labor force participation reflect demographic, policy, and employer changes, whereas gaps in labor force participation between different segments of the working-age population reveal barriers to participation.

Black, Indigenous, and people of color participate in the labor market at lower rates than white people. These inequities reflect policies and practices, such as employment discrimination, racial segregation, and mass incarceration, among other factors.

The District's Response

Investing in targeted programs that provide pathways to higher wages and jobs, such as the Advanced Technical Centers (ATC), the DC Infrastructure Academy, and Career MAP, which aim to tackle the systemic barriers that keep people out of the labor force.

Administering federal and local safety net programs such as TANF For District Families, SNAP, unemployment insurance, and Medicaid that provide temporary cash and health benefits to address economic hardship.

Partners with the Department of Employment Services in building youth from the ground up through its various programs and services, including mentorship, counseling justice system services, job training development, and employment.

This dataset uses seasonally adjusted data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to present information on Maryland's labor force participation rate, employment rate, and unemployment rate.

Increase the total labor force participation rate from 61.61% in 2013 to 64.00% by 2017.

United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Foreign Born: Male data was reported at 76.800 % in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 77.100 % for Mar 2025. United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Foreign Born: Male data is updated monthly, averaging 78.300 % from Jan 2007 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 220 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.100 % in Jul 2008 and a record low of 74.400 % in Apr 2020. United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Foreign Born: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G: Current Population Survey: Labour Force: Participation Rate.

This dataset uses seasonally adjusted data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to present information on Maryland's labor force participation rate, employment rate, and unemployment rate.

The employment and unemployment indicator shows several data points. The first figure is the number of people in the labor force, which includes the number of people who are either working or looking for work. The second two figures, the number of people who are employed and the number of people who are unemployed, are the two subcategories of the labor force. The unemployment rate is a calculation of the number of people who are in the labor force and unemployed as a percentage of the total number of people in the labor force.

The unemployment rate does not include people who are not employed and not in the labor force. This includes adults who are neither working nor looking for work. For example, full-time students may choose not to seek any employment during their college career, and are thus not considered in the unemployment rate. Stay-at-home parents and other caregivers are also considered outside of the labor force, and therefore outside the scope of the unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate is a key economic indicator, and is illustrative of economic conditions in the county at the individual scale.

There are additional considerations to the unemployment rate. Because it does not count those who are outside the labor force, it can exclude individuals who were looking for a job previously, but have since given up. The impact of this on the overall unemployment rate is difficult to quantify, but it is important to note because it shows that no statistic is perfect.

The unemployment rates for Champaign County, the City of Champaign, and the City of Urbana are extremely similar between 2000 and 2023.

All three areas saw a dramatic increase in the unemployment rate between 2006 and 2009. The unemployment rates for all three areas decreased overall between 2010 and 2019. However, the unemployment rate in all three areas rose sharply in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate in all three areas dropped again in 2021 as pandemic restrictions were removed, and were almost back to 2019 rates in 2022. However, the unemployment rate in all three areas rose slightly from 2022 to 2023.

This data is sourced from the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Sources: Illinois Department of Employment Security, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unemployment Rate in the United States increased to 4.20 percent in July from 4.10 percent in June of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Native Born data was reported at 61.600 % in Apr 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 61.500 % for Mar 2025. United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Native Born data is updated monthly, averaging 62.300 % from Jan 2007 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 220 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.400 % in Jul 2008 and a record low of 59.600 % in Apr 2020. United States Labor Force Participation Rate: Native Born data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G: Current Population Survey: Labour Force: Participation Rate.

This layer contains the latest 14 months of unemployment statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The data is offered at the nationwide, state, and county geography levels. Puerto Rico is included. These are not seasonally adjusted values.The layer is updated monthly with the newest unemployment statistics available from BLS. There are attributes in the layer that specify which month is associated to each statistic. Most current month: April 2025 (preliminary values at the county level)The attributes included for each month are:Unemployment rate (%)Count of unemployed populationCount of employed population in the labor forceCount of people in the labor forceData obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data downloaded: June 24th, 2025Local Area Unemployment Statistics table download: https://www.bls.gov/lau/#tablesLocal Area Unemployment FTP downloads:State and CountyNationData Notes:This layer is updated automatically when the BLS releases their most current monthly statistics. The layer always contains the most recent estimates. It is updated within days of the BLS's county release schedule. BLS releases their county statistics roughly 2 months after-the-fact. The data is joined to 2023 TIGER boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau.Monthly values are subject to revision over time.For national values, employed plus unemployed may not sum to total labor force due to rounding.As of the January 2022 estimates released on March 18th, 2022, BLS is reporting new data for the two new census areas in Alaska - Copper River and Chugach - and historical data for the previous census area - Valdez Cordova.As of the March 17th, 2025 release, BLS now reports data for 9 planning regions in Connecticut rather than the 8 previous counties.To better understand the different labor force statistics included in this map, see the diagram below from BLS:

This dataset contains unemployment rates for the U.S. (1948 - Present) and California (1976 - Present). The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. Labor force data are restricted to people 16 years of age and older, who currently reside in 1 of the 50 states or the District of Columbia, who do not reside in institutions (e.g., penal and mental facilities, homes for the aged), and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces. This rate is also defined as the U-3 measure of labor underutilization.

LABOR MARKET ENGAGEMENT INDEXSummary

The labor market engagement index provides a summary description of the relative intensity of labor market engagement and human capital in a neighborhood. This is based upon the level of employment, labor force participation, and educational attainment in a census tract (i). Formally, the labor market index is a linear combination of three standardized vectors: unemployment rate (u), labor-force participation rate (l), and percent with a bachelor’s degree or higher (b), using the following formula:

Where means and standard errors are estimated over the national distribution. Also, the value for the standardized unemployment rate is multiplied by -1.

Interpretation

Values are percentile ranked nationally and range from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the labor force participation and human capital in a neighborhood.

Data Source: American Community Survey, 2011-2015Related AFFH-T Local Government, PHA and State Tables/Maps: Table 12; Map 9.

To learn more about the Labor Market Engagement Index visit: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/affh ; https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/FHEO/documents/AFFH-T-Data-Documentation-AFFHT0006-July-2020.pdf, for questions about the spatial attribution of this dataset, please reach out to us at GISHelpdesk@hud.gov. Date of Coverage: 07/2020

United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Female: Age 62 to 64 data was reported at 46.700 % in Jun 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 46.700 % for May 2018. United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Female: Age 62 to 64 data is updated monthly, averaging 33.400 % from Jun 1976 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 505 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 47.900 % in Feb 2018 and a record low of 25.900 % in Oct 1981. United States Labour Force Participation Rate: Female: Age 62 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G008: Current Population Survey: Labour Force.