US cities by civilian labor force, 2025

New York, NY had the highest civilian labor force of 1706 cities in 2025, at 4.4 million. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 2,459. The median was 24,435. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest4,399,248New York, NY
Lowest2,459Paradise, CA
Median24,4351706 cities

Top 40 cities, 2025

New York, NY: 4,399,248 personsNew York, NY4,399,248Los Angeles, CA: 2,093,433 personsLos Angeles, CA2,093,433Chicago, IL: 1,496,072 personsChicago, IL1,496,072Houston, TX: 1,232,972 personsHouston, TX1,232,972Phoenix, AZ: 927,815 personsPhoenix, AZ927,815Philadelphia, PA: 788,528 personsPhiladelphia, PA788,528San Antonio, TX: 758,322 personsSan Antonio, TX758,322San Diego, CA: 753,078 personsSan Diego, CA753,078Dallas, TX: 724,653 personsDallas, TX724,653Austin, TX: 661,792 personsAustin, TX661,792San Jose, CA: 540,249 personsSan Jose, CA540,249Fort Worth, TX: 535,209 personsFort Worth, TX535,209Charlotte, NC: 522,013 personsCharlotte, NC522,013Columbus, OH: 518,130 personsColumbus, OH518,130Seattle, WA: 510,313 personsSeattle, WA510,313San Francisco, CA: 506,364 personsSan Francisco, CA506,364Jacksonville, FL: 492,976 personsJacksonville, FL492,976Indianapolis, IN: 472,607 personsIndianapolis, IN472,607Denver, CO: 452,991 personsDenver, CO452,991Boston, MA: 408,983 personsBoston, MA408,983Portland, OR: 384,349 personsPortland, OR384,349Oklahoma City, OK: 383,198 personsOklahoma City, OK383,198Las Vegas, NV: 344,082 personsLas Vegas, NV344,082El Paso, TX: 334,521 personsEl Paso, TX334,521Albuquerque, NM: 296,237 personsAlbuquerque, NM296,237Raleigh, NC: 291,819 personsRaleigh, NC291,819Atlanta, GA: 289,367 personsAtlanta, GA289,367Kansas City, MO: 285,825 personsKansas City, MO285,825Memphis, TN: 285,440 personsMemphis, TN285,440Baltimore, MD: 282,250 personsBaltimore, MD282,250Mesa, AZ: 278,381 personsMesa, AZ278,381Sacramento, CA: 273,560 personsSacramento, CA273,560Tucson, AZ: 270,315 personsTucson, AZ270,315Omaha, NE: 267,175 personsOmaha, NE267,175Milwaukee, WI: 266,089 personsMilwaukee, WI266,089Detroit, MI: 264,639 personsDetroit, MI264,639Colorado Springs, CO: 262,921 personsColorado Springs, CO262,921Miami, FL: 262,609 personsMiami, FL262,609Fresno, CA: 256,739 personsFresno, CA256,739Minneapolis, MN: 254,898 personsMinneapolis, MN254,898New York, NY: 4,399,248 personsNew York, NY4,399,248Los Angeles, CA: 2,093,433 personsLos Angeles, CA2,093,433Chicago, IL: 1,496,072 personsChicago, IL1,496,072Houston, TX: 1,232,972 personsHouston, TX1,232,972Phoenix, AZ: 927,815 personsPhoenix, AZ927,815Philadelphia, PA: 788,528 personsPhiladelphia, PA788,528San Antonio, TX: 758,322 personsSan Antonio, TX758,322San Diego, CA: 753,078 personsSan Diego, CA753,078Dallas, TX: 724,653 personsDallas, TX724,653Austin, TX: 661,792 personsAustin, TX661,792San Jose, CA: 540,249 personsSan Jose, CA540,249Fort Worth, TX: 535,209 personsFort Worth, TX535,209Charlotte, NC: 522,013 personsCharlotte, NC522,013Columbus, OH: 518,130 personsColumbus, OH518,130Seattle, WA: 510,313 personsSeattle, WA510,313San Francisco, CA: 506,364 personsSan Francisco, CA506,364Jacksonville, FL: 492,976 personsJacksonville, FL492,976Indianapolis, IN: 472,607 personsIndianapolis, IN472,607Denver, CO: 452,991 personsDenver, CO452,991Boston, MA: 408,983 personsBoston, MA408,983Portland, OR: 384,349 personsPortland, OR384,349Oklahoma City, OK: 383,198 personsOklahoma City, OK383,198Las Vegas, NV: 344,082 personsLas Vegas, NV344,082El Paso, TX: 334,521 personsEl Paso, TX334,521Albuquerque, NM: 296,237 personsAlbuquerque, NM296,237Raleigh, NC: 291,819 personsRaleigh, NC291,819Atlanta, GA: 289,367 personsAtlanta, GA289,367Kansas City, MO: 285,825 personsKansas City, MO285,825Memphis, TN: 285,440 personsMemphis, TN285,440Baltimore, MD: 282,250 personsBaltimore, MD282,250Mesa, AZ: 278,381 personsMesa, AZ278,381Sacramento, CA: 273,560 personsSacramento, CA273,560Tucson, AZ: 270,315 personsTucson, AZ270,315Omaha, NE: 267,175 personsOmaha, NE267,175Milwaukee, WI: 266,089 personsMilwaukee, WI266,089Detroit, MI: 264,639 personsDetroit, MI264,639Colorado Springs, CO: 262,921 personsColorado Springs, CO262,921Miami, FL: 262,609 personsMiami, FL262,609Fresno, CA: 256,739 personsFresno, CA256,739Minneapolis, MN: 254,898 personsMinneapolis, MN254,898
persons. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2025
persons
Change on 2024
1New York, NY4,399,248+1.1%
2Los Angeles, CA2,093,433-0.2%
3Chicago, IL1,496,072-0%
4Houston, TX1,232,972+1.5%
5Phoenix, AZ927,815+1.5%
6Philadelphia, PA788,528+0.2%
7San Antonio, TX758,322+1.2%
8San Diego, CA753,078+0.6%
9Dallas, TX724,653+1.6%
10Austin, TX661,792+2.3%
11San Jose, CA540,249+1.1%
12Fort Worth, TX535,209+1.3%
13Charlotte, NC522,013+0.4%
14Columbus, OH518,130+1.3%
15Seattle, WA510,313+0.2%
16San Francisco, CA506,364-0.5%
17Jacksonville, FL492,976-0.7%
18Indianapolis, IN472,607+1.5%
19Denver, CO452,991+0.3%
20Boston, MA408,983+0.8%
21Portland, OR384,349+0.7%
22Oklahoma City, OK383,198+1%
23Las Vegas, NV344,082+1.8%
24El Paso, TX334,521+1.7%
25Albuquerque, NM296,237-0.1%
26Raleigh, NC291,819+1.3%
27Atlanta, GA289,367-0.1%
28Kansas City, MO285,825+1.3%
29Memphis, TN285,440+1.1%
30Baltimore, MD282,2500%
31Mesa, AZ278,381+1.4%
32Sacramento, CA273,560+1.6%
33Tucson, AZ270,315+1.5%
34Omaha, NE267,175+2.5%
35Milwaukee, WI266,089-1.1%
36Detroit, MI264,639-0%
37Colorado Springs, CO262,921-0.6%
38Miami, FL262,609-0.5%
39Fresno, CA256,739+0.8%
40Minneapolis, MN254,898+1.2%
41Long Beach, CA244,648-0.2%
42Oakland, CA239,578+0.3%
43Virginia Beach, VA233,058-0.8%
44Aurora, CO223,304+0.3%
45Arlington, TX222,478+1.2%
46Tampa, FL216,524+0.2%
47Tulsa, OK211,793+1.3%
48Wichita, KS208,917+1.3%
49Bakersfield, CA195,504+1.1%
50Orlando, FL188,236-0.2%
51Lexington, KY179,091+1.5%
52Anaheim, CA179,008+0.6%
53Henderson, NV175,769+1.7%
54Jersey City, NJ175,536-0.4%
55New Orleans, LA175,419+0.1%
56Lincoln, NE173,782+2.7%
57Madison, WI170,886-0.3%
58Durham, NC169,630-0.2%
59St. Paul, MN168,432+1.2%
60Plano, TX168,335+1.7%
61Cleveland, OH167,060+1.3%
62Chandler, AZ166,808+1.4%
63Riverside, CA166,265+1.6%
64Irvine, CA165,323+0.5%
65Cincinnati, OH164,751+0.5%
66Pittsburgh, PA164,603-0.6%
67Gilbert, AZ163,336+1.4%
68Santa Ana, CA162,272+0.7%
69St. Louis, MO156,226+0.5%
70Corpus Christi, TX155,237+1.8%
71Reno, NV155,200+1.8%
72Anchorage, AK151,131+1.3%
73Greensboro, NC149,785+0.1%
74St. Petersburg, FL148,569-1.2%
75Stockton, CA148,153+2.3%
76North Las Vegas, NV146,709+1.7%
77Irving, TX144,484+1.7%
78Lubbock, TX142,727+1.6%
79Boise City, ID142,050+1.6%
80Newark, NJ140,794+0.1%
81Scottsdale, AZ139,391+1.3%
82Fort Wayne, IN139,022+1.6%
83Salt Lake City, UT137,915+0.7%
84Chula Vista, CA135,985+0.7%
85Garland, TX134,535+1.8%
86Glendale, AZ133,403+1.6%
87Frisco, TX130,939+1.7%
88Richmond, VA130,766+0.2%
89Tacoma, WA128,433+1.2%
90McKinney, TX126,138+1.8%
91Chesapeake, VA125,831-0.8%
92Huntsville, AL123,636+2.5%
93Toledo, OH123,549-1.2%
94Buffalo, NY123,493+0.5%
95Sioux Falls, SD122,371+2.3%
96Tempe, AZ121,561+1.5%
97Overland Park, KS120,393+1.8%
98Santa Clarita, CA119,715-0.2%
99Fremont, CA119,617+0.2%
100Hialeah, FL119,325-0.5%
101Des Moines, IA119,163+1.8%
102Port St. Lucie, FL118,904+0.7%
103Laredo, TX117,423+2.6%
104Winston-Salem, NC116,400-0.3%
105Tallahassee, FL116,267+0.4%
106Spokane, WA112,130+0.1%
107Worcester, MA111,161+0.9%
108Yonkers, NY110,933+0.2%
109Grand Rapids, MI110,613-1%
110Grand Prairie, TX110,273+1.5%
111Cape Coral, FL110,079-0%
112Fontana, CA110,041+1.7%
113Norfolk, VA107,182-0.6%
114Baton Rouge, LA107,081-0.2%
115Little Rock, AR106,798+1.8%
116Amarillo, TX105,948+2%
117San Bernardino, CA104,646+1.8%
118Huntington Beach, CA104,484+0.6%
119Knoxville, TN104,254+2.9%
120Moreno Valley, CA103,519+1.7%
121Peoria, AZ103,202+1.5%
122Fort Lauderdale, FL103,029-0.7%
123Cary, NC101,973+1.3%
124Modesto, CA101,752+1.4%
125Providence, RI101,1630%
126Oxnard, CA101,105+0.7%
127Alexandria, VA101,035-0.3%
128Chattanooga, TN100,540+1.8%
129Vancouver, WA99,641-0.6%
130Fort Collins, CO99,174-1.9%
131Murfreesboro, TN99,042+2.6%
132Rochester, NY97,835+0.6%
133Aurora, IL97,652-0.8%
134Glendale, CA96,088-0.3%
135Ontario, CA95,926+1.6%
136Mobile, AL94,752-0.3%
137Birmingham, AL94,222+0.5%
138Denton, TX93,977+1.8%
139Pembroke Pines, FL93,220-0.6%
140Rancho Cucamonga, CA92,936+1.7%
141Salem, OR92,819+2.6%
142Eugene, OR92,604+0.6%
143Santa Rosa, CA92,415+0.6%
144Lakewood, CO92,395+0.2%
145Akron, OH91,834-0.1%
146Charleston, SC91,755+2.4%
147Sunnyvale, CA90,414+1.2%
148Elk Grove, CA89,728+1.5%
149Montgomery, AL89,606+0.4%
150Newport News, VA88,797-0.6%
151Oceanside, CA88,618+0.6%
152Springfield, MO87,928+1.1%
153Brownsville, TX87,536+2.2%
154Garden Grove, CA86,729+0.8%
155Hollywood, FL86,585-0.6%
156Bellevue, WA86,496+0.2%
157Olathe, KS86,201+1.9%
158Corona, CA85,596+1.6%
159Carrollton, TX85,061+1.7%
160Salinas, CA84,505+1.5%
161Thornton, CO83,997+0.3%
162Hayward, CA83,949+0.3%
163Naperville, IL83,459+0.1%
164Lewisville, TX83,306+1.7%
165Roseville, CA83,242+1.6%
166Round Rock, TX83,202+2.5%
167Columbus, GA82,276+0.1%
168Joliet, IL82,003-0.1%
169Fargo, ND81,865+1.5%
170Miramar, FL81,786-0.7%
171Stamford, CT81,345-0.1%
172Mesquite, TX80,750+1.7%
173Surprise, AZ80,380+1.5%
174Midland, TX80,358+2.2%
175Clarksville, TN79,856+2.7%
176Fayetteville, NC79,410-0.9%
177Pasadena, CA79,182+0.1%
178Shreveport, LA79,021+0.9%
179Kansas City, KS78,849+2.2%
180Santa Clara, CA78,077+1.1%
181Bridgeport, CT78,038+0.3%
182Meridian, ID77,922+1.6%
183Paterson, NJ76,075-0.1%
184Escondido, CA75,727+0.6%
185Savannah, GA75,455+1%
186West Valley City, UT75,438+0.8%
187Cedar Rapids, IA75,156+1.2%
188Coral Springs, FL74,749-0.6%
189Cambridge, MA74,234+0.2%
190Pomona, CA73,958-0%
191Kent, WA73,754+0.3%
192Gainesville, FL73,738+0.8%
193Palmdale, CA73,657-0.2%
194McAllen, TX73,610+2.3%
195Orange, CA73,412+0.6%
196Torrance, CA72,767-0.1%
197Arvada, CO72,127+0.2%
198Norman, OK71,884+1%
199Waco, TX71,788+0.9%
200College Station, TX71,718+2.7%
201Columbia, SC71,076+1.6%
202Westminster, CO70,356+0.1%
203Lancaster, CA70,255-0.4%
204Visalia, CA70,225+1.2%
205Fullerton, CA70,158+0.7%
206New Haven, CT70,098-0.4%
207Columbia, MO69,601+1.5%
208Rochester, MN69,519+1.5%
209Elizabeth, NJ69,174+0.2%
210Ann Arbor, MI68,971-0.6%
211Richardson, TX68,907+1.7%
212Springfield, MA68,845+0.5%
213Simi Valley, CA68,675+0.8%
214Pasadena, TX68,635+1.6%
215Warren, MI68,372-0.4%
216West Jordan, UT67,973+0.7%
217West Palm Beach, FL67,710-0.1%
218Pearland, TX67,604+1.6%
219Manchester, NH67,507+0.3%
220North Charleston, SC67,453+2.5%
221Hampton, VA66,943-0.6%
222Palm Bay, FL66,937+0.3%
223Sterling Heights, MI66,590-0.5%
224Provo, UT66,528+0.6%
225Wilmington, NC66,238+1.2%
226Broken Arrow, OK65,969+1.3%
227Topeka, KS65,859+3.9%
228Hillsboro, OR65,146+1.1%
229Costa Mesa, CA65,000+0.5%
230Jackson, MS64,832+1.7%
231Odessa, TX64,818+1.9%
232Killeen, TX64,695+1.3%
233Concord, CA64,502+0.2%
234Sandy Springs, GA64,498-0.1%
235Rockford, IL64,487-2.2%
236Lowell, MA64,398+0.3%
237Syracuse, NY64,206+1.6%
238Nampa, ID63,882+1.7%
239Thousand Oaks, CA63,854+0.8%
240Berkeley, CA63,788+0.4%
241Billings, MT63,388+0.4%
242Macon, GA63,387+0.3%
243Abilene, TX63,043+1.3%
244League City, TX62,651+1.7%
245Clovis, CA62,592+0.9%
246Allen, TX62,507+1.7%
247Quincy, MA62,452+0.8%
248Lafayette, LA62,386+1.2%
249New Braunfels, TX62,104+1%
250Lansing, MI62,047-0.6%

Showing the top 250 of 1706. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

Employed plus unemployed residents, annual average.

More on how it is measured
  • People aged 16 and over by place of residence, from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions are excluded.

United States cities only for now. Counts people where they live, not jobs: for wage and salary jobs by state use oews_employment. BLS estimates cities by splitting county estimates with Census Bureau employment and population data and unemployment insurance claims, so city figures are less precise than state ones. BLS publishes cities of 25,000 or more, and smaller cities in New England.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average (US cities by civilian labor force, 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average, US cities by civilian labor force, 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. US cities by civilian labor force, 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average, US cities by civilian labor force, 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_civilian_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average: US cities by civilian labor force, 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average: US cities by civilian labor force, 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which city has the highest civilian labor force?

New York, NY, with 4.4 million in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest civilian labor force?

Paradise, CA, with 2,459 in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Civilian labor force: other rankings

US cities: more rankings