Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States increased to 61.60 percent in August from 61.40 percent in July of 2026. Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States averaged 62.82 percent from 1948 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 67.30 percent in January of 2000 and a record low of 58.10 percent in December of 1954. source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States is expected to be 61.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United States Labor Force Participation Rate is projected to trend around 61.40 percent in 2027 and 61.60 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-07 12:30 PM
Participation Rate
Jul 61.4% 61.5% 61.6%
2026-09-04 12:30 PM
Participation Rate
Aug 61.6% 61.4% 61.4%
2026-10-02 12:30 PM
Participation Rate
Sep 61.6% 61.4%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Hourly Earnings MoM 0.30 0.20 percent Aug 2026
Average Hourly Earnings YoY 3.10 3.20 percent Aug 2026
Average Weekly Hours 34.40 34.30 Hours Aug 2026
Employment Rate 59.10 58.90 percent Aug 2026
Government Payrolls 35.00 -50.00 Thousand Aug 2026
JOLTs Job Openings 7271.00 7182.00 Thousand Jul 2026
Participation Rate 61.60 61.40 percent Aug 2026
Manufacturing Payrolls 16.00 14.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Non Farm Payrolls 162.00 21.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Nonfarm Payrolls Private 127.00 71.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Unemployment Rate 4.10 4.10 percent Aug 2026


United States Labor Force Participation Rate
The civilian labor force participation rate is the number of employed and unemployed but looking for a job as a percentage of the population aged 16 years and over.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
61.60 61.40 67.30 58.10 1948 - 2026 percent Monthly
SA

News Stream
US Labor Force Participation Rate Falls to 61.4%
The Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 61.4% in July 2026. It is the lowest rate since early 2021, as 264,000 people left the labor force. Excluding the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, the labour force is at its lowest since 1976.
2026-08-07
US Labor Force Participation Rate Falls to 61.5%
The Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 61.5% in June 2026. It is the lowest rate since March 2021, as 720,000 people left the labor force. Excluding the pandemic years 2020 and 2021, the labour force is at its lowest since 1976.
2026-07-02