Summary

Labor force participation rate, US states

Labor force participation rate by state · all 52 states · hover or tap a state for every figure on this page

StatesDistrict of Columbia

Summary

Darker amber is a higher labor force participation rate. Puerto Rico is listed in the ranking and table but is not on this map.

A typical published area has a labor force participation rate of 63.8 percent, the midpoint of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on the 2023 ACS five-year estimates. The District of Columbia leads at 72.0 percent, and Utah is the highest of the 50 states at 69.6 percent. West Virginia is the lowest of the 50 states at 53.6 percent. Puerto Rico, which this table also returns, sits far lower at 45.5 percent. The District of Columbia is 18.3 percentage points above West Virginia and 26.4 percentage points above Puerto Rico. These are each area's own participation rate (people in the labor force, including the Armed Forces, divided by the population 16 years and over), not a national average of states.

63.8%typical published areamidpoint of the ranked areas, not a United States rate

72.0%District of Columbiahighest participation rate

53.6%West Virginialowest of the 50 states

45.5%Puerto Ricolowest figure the Census published

21areas at or above 65%including District of Columbia and Utah

Figure 1

Labor force participation rate, all published states

Labor force participation rate · all 52 · ranked high to low

Summary

Every area the Census published in this table: 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, 52 in all. The District of Columbia leads at 72.0 percent, then Utah at 69.6 percent. West Virginia is the lowest of the 50 states at 53.6 percent. Puerto Rico is 45.5 percent. The middle published area sits at 63.8 percent. 21 areas are at or above 65 percent. The ranking is each area's own participation rate: people in the labor force (including the Armed Forces) divided by the population 16 years and over.

Table 1

All states

52 rows · 10 columns

Summary

Every published area with participation rate, labor force, population 16 years and over, and related employment-status counts from ACS table B23025.

All states
	?	?
Alabama	58.1%	0.2%	2,342,761	4,056,609	2,229,912	112,849	2,358,667	15,906	1,697,942
Alaska	66.4%	0.4%	358,896	574,021	338,252	20,644	380,935	22,039	193,086
Arizona	60.5%	0.1%	3,522,511	5,862,117	3,340,327	182,184	3,547,314	24,803	2,314,803
Arkansas	58.3%	0.3%	1,399,009	2,409,758	1,327,740	71,269	1,405,609	6,600	1,004,149
California	63.9%	0.1%	19,982,482	31,545,603	18,700,223	1,282,259	20,144,078	161,596	11,401,525
Colorado	68.6%	0.1%	3,195,037	4,717,446	3,051,664	143,373	3,237,720	42,683	1,479,726
Connecticut	66.1%	0.2%	1,945,293	2,955,944	1,835,455	109,838	1,953,702	8,409	1,002,242
Delaware	62.3%	0.3%	507,368	820,630	481,728	25,640	511,321	3,953	309,309
District of Columbia	72.0%	0.5%	397,158	556,577	371,410	25,748	400,621	3,463	155,956
Florida	59.6%	0.1%	10,725,531	18,129,301	10,209,399	516,132	10,803,556	78,025	7,325,745
Georgia	63.7%	0.2%	5,407,819	8,582,918	5,130,869	276,950	5,467,313	59,494	3,115,605
Hawaii	64.0%	0.3%	703,472	1,175,666	668,094	35,378	752,761	49,289	422,905
Idaho	63.0%	0.3%	930,589	1,484,640	896,360	34,229	935,761	5,172	548,879
Illinois	65.1%	0.1%	6,638,033	10,223,628	6,253,243	384,790	6,658,874	20,841	3,564,754
Indiana	64.0%	0.2%	3,451,448	5,403,282	3,302,869	148,579	3,456,888	5,440	1,946,394
Iowa	66.5%	0.2%	1,691,052	2,547,553	1,629,641	61,411	1,694,191	3,139	853,362
Kansas	66.3%	0.2%	1,513,914	2,315,234	1,454,760	59,154	1,534,589	20,675	780,645
Kentucky	59.6%	0.2%	2,136,157	3,605,426	2,032,890	103,267	2,150,592	14,435	1,454,834
Louisiana	59.3%	0.2%	2,148,961	3,655,132	2,013,227	135,734	2,168,876	19,915	1,486,256
Maine	62.1%	0.3%	716,296	1,157,198	688,248	28,048	718,405	2,109	438,793
Maryland	67.2%	0.2%	3,296,039	4,954,123	3,133,266	162,773	3,328,517	32,478	1,625,606
Massachusetts	67.2%	0.1%	3,886,902	5,791,845	3,687,020	199,882	3,892,683	5,781	1,899,162
Michigan	61.4%	0.1%	5,002,850	8,155,338	4,712,135	290,715	5,008,264	5,414	3,147,074
Minnesota	68.5%	0.1%	3,111,680	4,549,661	2,989,357	122,323	3,115,750	4,070	1,433,911
Mississippi	57.2%	0.3%	1,326,878	2,342,850	1,247,172	79,706	1,340,330	13,452	1,002,520
Missouri	63.1%	0.2%	3,102,218	4,945,676	2,974,499	127,719	3,121,721	19,503	1,823,955
Montana	62.8%	0.3%	560,181	897,820	539,136	21,045	564,064	3,883	333,756
Nebraska	68.8%	0.2%	1,050,295	1,536,522	1,018,867	31,428	1,056,798	6,503	479,724
Nevada	63.1%	0.2%	1,582,026	2,528,760	1,474,290	107,736	1,595,039	13,013	933,721
New Hampshire	66.4%	0.2%	771,014	1,164,149	745,100	25,914	772,933	1,919	391,216
New Jersey	66.3%	0.1%	4,949,651	7,477,249	4,644,770	304,881	4,961,028	11,377	2,516,221
New Mexico	57.8%	0.3%	970,453	1,705,686	912,332	58,121	985,090	14,637	720,596
New York	63.0%	0.1%	10,200,538	16,235,440	9,568,411	632,127	10,226,460	25,922	6,008,980
North Carolina	62.7%	0.1%	5,243,966	8,533,822	4,990,710	253,256	5,351,978	108,012	3,181,844
North Dakota	69.0%	0.4%	416,422	613,763	404,575	11,847	423,728	7,306	190,035
Ohio	63.3%	0.1%	5,984,743	9,477,782	5,694,732	290,011	5,996,927	12,184	3,480,855
Oklahoma	61.3%	0.2%	1,901,599	3,142,477	1,808,400	93,199	1,925,085	23,486	1,217,392
Oregon	62.3%	0.2%	2,167,746	3,483,666	2,051,335	116,411	2,172,047	4,301	1,311,619
Pennsylvania	62.8%	0.1%	6,665,571	10,628,282	6,315,752	349,819	6,674,961	9,390	3,953,321
Rhode Island	65.0%	0.4%	589,549	912,681	555,915	33,634	593,598	4,049	319,083
South Carolina	60.5%	0.2%	2,513,298	4,216,865	2,388,777	124,521	2,552,710	39,412	1,664,155
South Dakota	67.5%	0.3%	471,613	704,344	457,450	14,163	475,387	3,774	228,957
Tennessee	62.1%	0.2%	3,465,315	5,612,667	3,301,152	164,163	3,485,218	19,903	2,127,449
Texas	65.3%	0.1%	14,906,660	23,026,070	14,140,748	765,912	15,025,019	118,359	8,001,051
Utah	69.6%	0.2%	1,732,689	2,498,070	1,673,539	59,150	1,739,665	6,976	758,405
Vermont	64.7%	0.4%	350,073	543,008	337,258	12,815	351,168	1,095	191,840
Virginia	65.6%	0.1%	4,450,159	6,980,834	4,258,744	191,415	4,580,910	130,751	2,399,924
Washington	64.7%	0.1%	3,979,692	6,252,501	3,781,332	198,360	4,043,093	63,401	2,209,408
West Virginia	53.6%	0.3%	785,615	1,469,375	740,597	45,018	788,145	2,530	681,230
Wisconsin	65.5%	0.1%	3,121,577	4,771,274	3,018,918	102,659	3,125,057	3,480	1,646,217
Wyoming	65.0%	0.4%	297,053	462,236	285,935	11,118	300,480	3,427	161,756
Puerto Rico	45.5%	0.2%	1,266,487	2,787,925	1,113,397	153,090	1,269,847	3,360	1,518,078

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Figure 1

Labor force participation rate, US states

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Figure 2

Labor force participation rate, all published states

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Table 1

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About this data

The labor force participation rate is people in the labor force (ACS B23025_002, which includes the Armed Forces) divided by the population 16 years and over (B23025_001). It is not the unemployment rate, and it is not the civilian-only rate.
A state participation rate is that state's own share, so these figures cannot be averaged to produce a national figure. The typical value shown here is the midpoint of the ranked area rates, not a United States rate.
The Census published 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. None of the rates were suppressed.
Puerto Rico is listed in the ranking and table but is not on the choropleth. Alaska and Hawaii appear on the ranking and as insets on the map.

In short

Labor force participation rate, US states

Labor force participation rate, all published states

All states

About this data