Data / Rankings / Civilian labor force / US cities

US cities by civilian labor force

New York, NY had the highest civilian labor force of 1699 cities in 2023, at 4.26 million. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 2,278. The median was 23,940. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest4,260,154New York, NY
Lowest2,278Paradise, CA
Median23,9401699 cities

Top 40 cities, 2023

New York, NY: 4,260,154 personsNew York, NY4,260,154Los Angeles, CA: 2,070,921 personsLos Angeles, CA2,070,921Chicago, IL: 1,456,449 personsChicago, IL1,456,449Houston, TX: 1,195,754 personsHouston, TX1,195,754Phoenix, AZ: 901,336 personsPhoenix, AZ901,336Philadelphia, PA: 781,490 personsPhiladelphia, PA781,490San Diego, CA: 738,115 personsSan Diego, CA738,115San Antonio, TX: 732,570 personsSan Antonio, TX732,570Dallas, TX: 709,092 personsDallas, TX709,092Austin, TX: 638,314 personsAustin, TX638,314San Jose, CA: 533,920 personsSan Jose, CA533,920San Francisco, CA: 518,704 personsSan Francisco, CA518,704Charlotte, NC: 516,207 personsCharlotte, NC516,207Fort Worth, TX: 512,215 personsFort Worth, TX512,215Seattle, WA: 507,194 personsSeattle, WA507,194Columbus, OH: 499,134 personsColumbus, OH499,134Jacksonville, FL: 495,356 personsJacksonville, FL495,356Indianapolis, IN: 457,693 personsIndianapolis, IN457,693Denver, CO: 447,132 personsDenver, CO447,132Boston, MA: 394,455 personsBoston, MA394,455Portland, OR: 380,536 personsPortland, OR380,536Oklahoma City, OK: 371,219 personsOklahoma City, OK371,219Las Vegas, NV: 330,025 personsLas Vegas, NV330,025El Paso, TX: 318,307 personsEl Paso, TX318,307Albuquerque, NM: 293,800 personsAlbuquerque, NM293,800Atlanta, GA: 286,215 personsAtlanta, GA286,215Raleigh, NC: 285,398 personsRaleigh, NC285,398Memphis, TN: 282,923 personsMemphis, TN282,923Kansas City, MO: 277,312 personsKansas City, MO277,312Baltimore, MD: 276,806 personsBaltimore, MD276,806Mesa, AZ: 271,802 personsMesa, AZ271,802Milwaukee, WI: 269,203 personsMilwaukee, WI269,203Tucson, AZ: 267,300 personsTucson, AZ267,300Sacramento, CA: 264,511 personsSacramento, CA264,511Colorado Springs, CO: 261,404 personsColorado Springs, CO261,404Miami, FL: 258,880 personsMiami, FL258,880Detroit, MI: 258,491 personsDetroit, MI258,491Omaha, NE: 258,251 personsOmaha, NE258,251Minneapolis, MN: 251,548 personsMinneapolis, MN251,548Fresno, CA: 249,648 personsFresno, CA249,648New York, NY: 4,260,154 personsNew York, NY4,260,154Los Angeles, CA: 2,070,921 personsLos Angeles, CA2,070,921Chicago, IL: 1,456,449 personsChicago, IL1,456,449Houston, TX: 1,195,754 personsHouston, TX1,195,754Phoenix, AZ: 901,336 personsPhoenix, AZ901,336Philadelphia, PA: 781,490 personsPhiladelphia, PA781,490San Diego, CA: 738,115 personsSan Diego, CA738,115San Antonio, TX: 732,570 personsSan Antonio, TX732,570Dallas, TX: 709,092 personsDallas, TX709,092Austin, TX: 638,314 personsAustin, TX638,314San Jose, CA: 533,920 personsSan Jose, CA533,920San Francisco, CA: 518,704 personsSan Francisco, CA518,704Charlotte, NC: 516,207 personsCharlotte, NC516,207Fort Worth, TX: 512,215 personsFort Worth, TX512,215Seattle, WA: 507,194 personsSeattle, WA507,194Columbus, OH: 499,134 personsColumbus, OH499,134Jacksonville, FL: 495,356 personsJacksonville, FL495,356Indianapolis, IN: 457,693 personsIndianapolis, IN457,693Denver, CO: 447,132 personsDenver, CO447,132Boston, MA: 394,455 personsBoston, MA394,455Portland, OR: 380,536 personsPortland, OR380,536Oklahoma City, OK: 371,219 personsOklahoma City, OK371,219Las Vegas, NV: 330,025 personsLas Vegas, NV330,025El Paso, TX: 318,307 personsEl Paso, TX318,307Albuquerque, NM: 293,800 personsAlbuquerque, NM293,800Atlanta, GA: 286,215 personsAtlanta, GA286,215Raleigh, NC: 285,398 personsRaleigh, NC285,398Memphis, TN: 282,923 personsMemphis, TN282,923Kansas City, MO: 277,312 personsKansas City, MO277,312Baltimore, MD: 276,806 personsBaltimore, MD276,806Mesa, AZ: 271,802 personsMesa, AZ271,802Milwaukee, WI: 269,203 personsMilwaukee, WI269,203Tucson, AZ: 267,300 personsTucson, AZ267,300Sacramento, CA: 264,511 personsSacramento, CA264,511Colorado Springs, CO: 261,404 personsColorado Springs, CO261,404Miami, FL: 258,880 personsMiami, FL258,880Detroit, MI: 258,491 personsDetroit, MI258,491Omaha, NE: 258,251 personsOmaha, NE258,251Minneapolis, MN: 251,548 personsMinneapolis, MN251,548Fresno, CA: 249,648 personsFresno, CA249,648
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

RankCities2023
persons		Change on 2022
1New York, NY4,260,154+2.3%
2Los Angeles, CA2,070,921+1.2%
3Chicago, IL1,456,449+0.7%
4Houston, TX1,195,754+2.9%
5Phoenix, AZ901,336+2.3%
6Philadelphia, PA781,490+1.4%
7San Diego, CA738,115+2.2%
8San Antonio, TX732,570+2.8%
9Dallas, TX709,092+1.7%
10Austin, TX638,314+3.6%
11San Jose, CA533,920+1.1%
12San Francisco, CA518,704-0.2%
13Charlotte, NC516,207+2.1%
14Fort Worth, TX512,215+3.7%
15Seattle, WA507,194+2.9%
16Columbus, OH499,134+1.4%
17Jacksonville, FL495,356+1.8%
18Indianapolis, IN457,693+0.9%
19Denver, CO447,132+1.5%
20Boston, MA394,455+1.8%
21Portland, OR380,536-0.3%
22Oklahoma City, OK371,219+4%
23Las Vegas, NV330,025+3.7%
24El Paso, TX318,307+2.4%
25Albuquerque, NM293,800+1.8%
26Atlanta, GA286,215+3.8%
27Raleigh, NC285,398+3.8%
28Memphis, TN282,923-2.3%
29Kansas City, MO277,312+2.2%
30Baltimore, MD276,806+0.1%
31Mesa, AZ271,802+1.8%
32Milwaukee, WI269,203+0.2%
33Tucson, AZ267,300+0.8%
34Sacramento, CA264,511+2.2%
35Colorado Springs, CO261,404+2.4%
36Miami, FL258,880+3.5%
37Detroit, MI258,491+2.4%
38Omaha, NE258,251+0.1%
39Minneapolis, MN251,548+1.4%
40Fresno, CA249,648+3.9%
41Long Beach, CA243,785-0.1%
42Oakland, CA237,710+1.6%
43Virginia Beach, VA235,121+2.5%
44Aurora, CO219,935+1.1%
45Arlington, TX216,837+2.4%
46Tampa, FL215,803+2.9%
47Tulsa, OK206,619+2.9%
48Wichita, KS203,354+1.3%
49Bakersfield, CA191,123+2.7%
50Orlando, FL188,114+3.5%
51New Orleans, LA176,687-0.9%
52Anaheim, CA176,158+0.7%
53Jersey City, NJ174,117+4%
54Lexington, KY172,706+1.3%
55Madison, WI168,960+2.6%
56Durham, NC167,150+3%
57Lincoln, NE166,937+1.7%
58Henderson, NV166,465+4.8%
59St. Paul, MN165,640+0.4%
60Plano, TX165,632+1.6%
61Chandler, AZ163,927+1.9%
62Pittsburgh, PA163,759+1.7%
63Cleveland, OH162,595+1.1%
64Cincinnati, OH161,830+1.6%
65Irvine, CA161,827+2%
66Riverside, CA161,762+1.5%
67Gilbert, AZ159,196+3.4%
68Santa Ana, CA158,644+1.3%
69St. Louis, MO156,164+0.5%
70St. Petersburg, FL150,601+2%
71Reno, NV150,334+2.6%
72Corpus Christi, TX150,165+2.3%
73Greensboro, NC148,556-0.3%
74Anchorage, AK148,323+0.5%
75Stockton, CA143,317+1%
76Irving, TX141,858+1.3%
77North Las Vegas, NV139,782+4.5%
78Newark, NJ138,260+2.6%
79Boise City, ID137,584+0.6%
80Lubbock, TX136,992+1.9%
81Scottsdale, AZ136,641+2.6%
82Fort Wayne, IN134,791+1%
83Salt Lake City, UT133,417+3.5%
84Chula Vista, CA132,924+1.8%
85Garland, TX130,180+0.3%
86Richmond, VA129,805+2.6%
87Glendale, AZ129,301+2.7%
88Chesapeake, VA126,611+3.3%
89Tacoma, WA125,069+4.1%
90Frisco, TX124,403+4%
91Buffalo, NY124,029+1.6%
92Toledo, OH122,456+1.2%
93Santa Clarita, CA119,720+0.9%
94Tempe, AZ119,654+2.2%
95Fremont, CA119,645+1.5%
96Hialeah, FL118,097+2.6%
97Winston-Salem, NC117,784-0.3%
98McKinney, TX117,714+4.2%
99Huntsville, AL117,159+3.2%
100Sioux Falls, SD116,828+2.2%
101Overland Park, KS116,774+1.2%
102Des Moines, IA116,684+0.9%
103Port St. Lucie, FL114,411+5.9%
104Tallahassee, FL114,143+2.2%
105Spokane, WA112,741-0.9%
106Laredo, TX111,062+2.8%
107Grand Rapids, MI110,505+3%
108Yonkers, NY110,376+1.5%
109Norfolk, VA108,164+2%
110Cape Coral, FL107,810+4.6%
111Worcester, MA107,339+1.3%
112Grand Prairie, TX106,589+1.6%
113Fontana, CA106,503+1.9%
114Baton Rouge, LA106,056-0.5%
115Huntington Beach, CA103,621+0.4%
116Fort Lauderdale, FL103,550+2.3%
117Little Rock, AR102,420+2.1%
118Amarillo, TX101,951+1.5%
119San Bernardino, CA101,858+1.8%
120Peoria, AZ101,113+2.4%
121Vancouver, WA100,909+1.4%
122Fort Collins, CO100,871+1.5%
123Moreno Valley, CA100,700+1.6%
124Cary, NC100,615+1.1%
125Alexandria, VA100,498+2.4%
126Knoxville, TN99,811+0.3%
127Modesto, CA99,012+1.9%
128Oxnard, CA98,698+0.7%
129Providence, RI98,418+1.6%
130Rochester, NY98,059+0.7%
131Aurora, IL97,281+1.1%
132Glendale, CA96,144+0.1%
133Chattanooga, TN95,827+3.5%
134Murfreesboro, TN95,033+2%
135Mobile, AL93,812-0%
136Birmingham, AL93,155+0.6%
137Ontario, CA92,627+2.2%
138Pembroke Pines, FL92,412+2.6%
139Lakewood, CO92,080+0.4%
140Santa Rosa, CA91,569+0.9%
141Eugene, OR91,126-0.7%
142Akron, OH90,995+1.2%
143Rancho Cucamonga, CA90,285+1.2%
144Newport News, VA89,588+2.1%
145Sunnyvale, CA89,134+1.5%
146Salem, OR88,610+0.6%
147Denton, TX88,495+6.2%
148Montgomery, AL87,776+0.6%
149Charleston, SC87,656+4.2%
150Oceanside, CA87,556+1.3%
151Hollywood, FL87,072+2.4%
152Bellevue, WA86,860+1.9%
153Elk Grove, CA86,304+2.3%
154Springfield, MO86,230+1.5%
155Garden Grove, CA84,522+1.1%
156Brownsville, TX84,069+2.3%
157Hayward, CA83,558+1.1%
158Columbus, GA83,416+0.2%
159Corona, CA83,399+1.6%
160Olathe, KS83,143+2.4%
161Thornton, CO83,126+1.8%
162Carrollton, TX82,985+0.7%
163Salinas, CA82,320+0.3%
164Miramar, FL82,180+2.6%
165Lewisville, TX81,174+3%
166Naperville, IL81,064+1.4%
167Fayetteville, NC80,887+0.4%
168Joliet, IL80,305+0.7%
169Stamford, CT80,278-0.4%
170Fargo, ND79,521+1.4%
171Roseville, CA79,407+3.7%
172Shreveport, LA79,328-0.5%
173Mesquite, TX78,748+0.9%
174Round Rock, TX78,058+5.8%
175Pasadena, CA77,971+1.1%
176Santa Clara, CA77,311+2%
177Bridgeport, CT76,457-0.7%
178Kansas City, KS75,617+1.4%
179Midland, TX75,302+6.2%
180Paterson, NJ75,286+3.3%
181Clarksville, TN75,105+2.1%
182Cedar Rapids, IA75,092-1.1%
183Surprise, AZ74,915+4.8%
184Escondido, CA74,766+1.4%
185West Valley City, UT74,447+1.9%
186Coral Springs, FL74,343+3%
187Savannah, GA73,941+0.6%
188Kent, WA73,761+0.7%
189Meridian, ID73,561+5%
190Gainesville, FL73,508+2%
191Palmdale, CA73,139-0.4%
192Pomona, CA73,021+0.7%
193Orange, CA72,899+1.5%
194Torrance, CA72,596-0%
195Cambridge, MA72,163+1.6%
196Arvada, CO71,926+0.5%
197McAllen, TX70,457+2.8%
198Westminster, CO70,360+0.9%
199Norman, OK70,063+3.4%
200Waco, TX69,752+2.5%
201Lancaster, CA69,688-0.3%
202Fullerton, CA69,459+0.6%
203New Haven, CT69,136-1.4%
204Ann Arbor, MI68,902+3.6%
205Visalia, CA68,630+3%
206Elizabeth, NJ68,611+3.3%
207Columbia, MO68,607+0.1%
208Warren, MI68,555+1.7%
209Richardson, TX68,062+0.2%
210College Station, TX67,808+3.4%
211Columbia, SC67,509+3.4%
212West Palm Beach, FL67,504+4.3%
213Rochester, MN67,503+1.1%
214Simi Valley, CA67,264+1.7%
215Pasadena, TX67,228+1.1%
216Hampton, VA67,210+2%
217West Jordan, UT67,140+0.9%
218Sterling Heights, MI66,913+2.7%
219Manchester, NH66,909-0.1%
220Springfield, MA66,867-1.2%
221Provo, UT66,283-0.3%
222Pearland, TX66,182+2.5%
223Rockford, IL66,087-0.1%
224Wilmington, NC65,362+2.2%
225Sandy Springs, GA65,160-0.6%
226Palm Bay, FL64,845+6%
227Costa Mesa, CA64,588+0.4%
228Concord, CA64,197+0.6%
229Hillsboro, OR63,687+1.6%
230Macon, GA63,601-0.6%
231Syracuse, NY63,292+0.3%
232Jackson, MS63,121-1.5%
233Topeka, KS63,077+1.1%
234Berkeley, CA63,074+1.7%
235Billings, MT63,021+0.4%
236Broken Arrow, OK62,954+4%
237Boulder, CO62,894+1.6%
238Killeen, TX62,790+0.2%
239Lowell, MA62,777+0.7%
240Thousand Oaks, CA62,726+1.1%
241North Charleston, SC62,692+5.1%
242Renton, WA61,699+1%
243Centennial, CO61,571+2.2%
244Lafayette, LA61,497+0.3%
245Davie, FL61,470+3%
246Odessa, TX61,247+4.5%
247San Mateo, CA60,959-0.7%
248Allen, TX60,941+1.5%
249Nampa, ID60,904+4.3%
250League City, TX60,685+1.7%

Showing the top 250 of 1699. 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. 7 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2023 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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.CurrentU20-24. 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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average, US cities by civilian labor force, 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_civilian_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU20-24},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities?period=2023. 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.CurrentU20-24. 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, 2023
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.CurrentU20-24
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities?period=2023.
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.CurrentU20-24. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest civilian labor force?

New York, NY, with 4.26 million in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest civilian labor force?

Paradise, CA, with 2,278 in 2023.

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. 7 cities have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.

Civilian labor force: other rankings

US cities: more rankings