Data / Rankings / Civilian labor force / US cities

US cities by civilian labor force

New York, NY had the highest civilian labor force of 1706 cities in 2024, at 4.35 million. Paradise, CA had the lowest, at 2,436. The median was 24,267. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest4,349,940New York, NY
Lowest2,436Paradise, CA
Median24,2671706 cities

Top 40 cities, 2024

New York, NY: 4,349,940 personsNew York, NY4,349,940Los Angeles, CA: 2,096,758 personsLos Angeles, CA2,096,758Chicago, IL: 1,496,105 personsChicago, IL1,496,105Houston, TX: 1,214,819 personsHouston, TX1,214,819Phoenix, AZ: 913,926 personsPhoenix, AZ913,926Philadelphia, PA: 786,669 personsPhiladelphia, PA786,669San Antonio, TX: 749,594 personsSan Antonio, TX749,594San Diego, CA: 748,498 personsSan Diego, CA748,498Dallas, TX: 713,304 personsDallas, TX713,304Austin, TX: 647,097 personsAustin, TX647,097San Jose, CA: 534,226 personsSan Jose, CA534,226Fort Worth, TX: 528,137 personsFort Worth, TX528,137Charlotte, NC: 519,711 personsCharlotte, NC519,711Columbus, OH: 511,320 personsColumbus, OH511,320Seattle, WA: 509,155 personsSeattle, WA509,155San Francisco, CA: 508,772 personsSan Francisco, CA508,772Jacksonville, FL: 496,655 personsJacksonville, FL496,655Indianapolis, IN: 465,684 personsIndianapolis, IN465,684Denver, CO: 451,479 personsDenver, CO451,479Boston, MA: 405,883 personsBoston, MA405,883Portland, OR: 381,713 personsPortland, OR381,713Oklahoma City, OK: 379,492 personsOklahoma City, OK379,492Las Vegas, NV: 337,889 personsLas Vegas, NV337,889El Paso, TX: 328,904 personsEl Paso, TX328,904Albuquerque, NM: 296,514 personsAlbuquerque, NM296,514Atlanta, GA: 289,679 personsAtlanta, GA289,679Raleigh, NC: 288,154 personsRaleigh, NC288,154Memphis, TN: 282,343 personsMemphis, TN282,343Kansas City, MO: 282,183 personsKansas City, MO282,183Baltimore, MD: 282,138 personsBaltimore, MD282,138Mesa, AZ: 274,449 personsMesa, AZ274,449Sacramento, CA: 269,155 personsSacramento, CA269,155Milwaukee, WI: 268,929 personsMilwaukee, WI268,929Tucson, AZ: 266,320 personsTucson, AZ266,320Detroit, MI: 264,685 personsDetroit, MI264,685Colorado Springs, CO: 264,612 personsColorado Springs, CO264,612Miami, FL: 263,999 personsMiami, FL263,999Omaha, NE: 260,745 personsOmaha, NE260,745Fresno, CA: 254,636 personsFresno, CA254,636Minneapolis, MN: 251,841 personsMinneapolis, MN251,841New York, NY: 4,349,940 personsNew York, NY4,349,940Los Angeles, CA: 2,096,758 personsLos Angeles, CA2,096,758Chicago, IL: 1,496,105 personsChicago, IL1,496,105Houston, TX: 1,214,819 personsHouston, TX1,214,819Phoenix, AZ: 913,926 personsPhoenix, AZ913,926Philadelphia, PA: 786,669 personsPhiladelphia, PA786,669San Antonio, TX: 749,594 personsSan Antonio, TX749,594San Diego, CA: 748,498 personsSan Diego, CA748,498Dallas, TX: 713,304 personsDallas, TX713,304Austin, TX: 647,097 personsAustin, TX647,097San Jose, CA: 534,226 personsSan Jose, CA534,226Fort Worth, TX: 528,137 personsFort Worth, TX528,137Charlotte, NC: 519,711 personsCharlotte, NC519,711Columbus, OH: 511,320 personsColumbus, OH511,320Seattle, WA: 509,155 personsSeattle, WA509,155San Francisco, CA: 508,772 personsSan Francisco, CA508,772Jacksonville, FL: 496,655 personsJacksonville, FL496,655Indianapolis, IN: 465,684 personsIndianapolis, IN465,684Denver, CO: 451,479 personsDenver, CO451,479Boston, MA: 405,883 personsBoston, MA405,883Portland, OR: 381,713 personsPortland, OR381,713Oklahoma City, OK: 379,492 personsOklahoma City, OK379,492Las Vegas, NV: 337,889 personsLas Vegas, NV337,889El Paso, TX: 328,904 personsEl Paso, TX328,904Albuquerque, NM: 296,514 personsAlbuquerque, NM296,514Atlanta, GA: 289,679 personsAtlanta, GA289,679Raleigh, NC: 288,154 personsRaleigh, NC288,154Memphis, TN: 282,343 personsMemphis, TN282,343Kansas City, MO: 282,183 personsKansas City, MO282,183Baltimore, MD: 282,138 personsBaltimore, MD282,138Mesa, AZ: 274,449 personsMesa, AZ274,449Sacramento, CA: 269,155 personsSacramento, CA269,155Milwaukee, WI: 268,929 personsMilwaukee, WI268,929Tucson, AZ: 266,320 personsTucson, AZ266,320Detroit, MI: 264,685 personsDetroit, MI264,685Colorado Springs, CO: 264,612 personsColorado Springs, CO264,612Miami, FL: 263,999 personsMiami, FL263,999Omaha, NE: 260,745 personsOmaha, NE260,745Fresno, CA: 254,636 personsFresno, CA254,636Minneapolis, MN: 251,841 personsMinneapolis, MN251,841
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

RankCities2024
persons		Change on 2023
1New York, NY4,349,940+2.1%
2Los Angeles, CA2,096,758+1.2%
3Chicago, IL1,496,105+2.7%
4Houston, TX1,214,819+1.6%
5Phoenix, AZ913,926+1.4%
6Philadelphia, PA786,669+0.7%
7San Antonio, TX749,594+2.3%
8San Diego, CA748,498+1.4%
9Dallas, TX713,304+0.6%
10Austin, TX647,097+1.4%
11San Jose, CA534,226+0.1%
12Fort Worth, TX528,137+3.1%
13Charlotte, NC519,711+0.7%
14Columbus, OH511,320+2.4%
15Seattle, WA509,155+0.4%
16San Francisco, CA508,772-1.9%
17Jacksonville, FL496,655+0.3%
18Indianapolis, IN465,684+1.7%
19Denver, CO451,479+1%
20Boston, MA405,883+2.9%
21Portland, OR381,713+0.3%
22Oklahoma City, OK379,492+2.2%
23Las Vegas, NV337,889+2.4%
24El Paso, TX328,904+3.3%
25Albuquerque, NM296,514+0.9%
26Atlanta, GA289,679+1.2%
27Raleigh, NC288,154+1%
28Memphis, TN282,343-0.2%
29Kansas City, MO282,183+1.8%
30Baltimore, MD282,138+1.9%
31Mesa, AZ274,449+1%
32Sacramento, CA269,155+1.8%
33Milwaukee, WI268,929-0.1%
34Tucson, AZ266,320-0.4%
35Detroit, MI264,685+2.4%
36Colorado Springs, CO264,612+1.2%
37Miami, FL263,999+2%
38Omaha, NE260,745+1%
39Fresno, CA254,636+2%
40Minneapolis, MN251,841+0.1%
41Long Beach, CA245,058+0.5%
42Oakland, CA238,827+0.5%
43Virginia Beach, VA234,963-0.1%
44Aurora, CO222,527+1.2%
45Arlington, TX219,747+1.3%
46Tampa, FL216,092+0.1%
47Tulsa, OK208,975+1.1%
48Wichita, KS206,172+1.4%
49Bakersfield, CA193,357+1.2%
50Orlando, FL188,654+0.3%
51Anaheim, CA177,951+1%
52Lexington, KY176,503+2.2%
53Jersey City, NJ176,246+1.2%
54New Orleans, LA175,283-0.8%
55Henderson, NV172,781+3.8%
56Madison, WI171,445+1.5%
57Durham, NC169,901+1.6%
58Lincoln, NE169,248+1.4%
59St. Paul, MN166,410+0.5%
60Pittsburgh, PA165,523+1.1%
61Plano, TX165,456-0.1%
62Cleveland, OH164,898+1.4%
63Chandler, AZ164,432+0.3%
64Irvine, CA164,430+1.6%
65Cincinnati, OH163,968+1.3%
66Riverside, CA163,587+1.1%
67Santa Ana, CA161,185+1.6%
68Gilbert, AZ161,151+1.2%
69St. Louis, MO155,476-0.4%
70Corpus Christi, TX152,499+1.6%
71Reno, NV152,422+1.4%
72St. Petersburg, FL150,378-0.1%
73Greensboro, NC149,577+0.7%
74Anchorage, AK149,227+0.6%
75Stockton, CA144,892+1.1%
76North Las Vegas, NV144,277+3.2%
77Irving, TX142,137+0.2%
78Newark, NJ140,677+1.7%
79Lubbock, TX140,520+2.6%
80Boise City, ID139,755+1.6%
81Scottsdale, AZ137,574+0.7%
82Salt Lake City, UT137,018+2.7%
83Fort Wayne, IN136,808+1.5%
84Chula Vista, CA135,003+1.6%
85Garland, TX132,202+1.6%
86Glendale, AZ131,328+1.6%
87Richmond, VA130,457+0.5%
88Frisco, TX128,731+3.5%
89Tacoma, WA126,856+1.4%
90Chesapeake, VA126,822+0.2%
91Toledo, OH125,036+2.1%
92McKinney, TX123,942+5.3%
93Buffalo, NY122,894-0.9%
94Huntsville, AL120,606+2.9%
95Hialeah, FL119,980+1.6%
96Santa Clarita, CA119,964+0.2%
97Tempe, AZ119,723+0.1%
98Sioux Falls, SD119,601+2.4%
99Fremont, CA119,350-0.2%
100Overland Park, KS118,248+1.3%
101Port St. Lucie, FL118,076+3.2%
102Des Moines, IA117,023+0.3%
103Winston-Salem, NC116,774-0.9%
104Tallahassee, FL115,844+1.5%
105Laredo, TX114,436+3%
106Spokane, WA112,066-0.6%
107Grand Rapids, MI111,683+1.1%
108Yonkers, NY110,735+0.3%
109Worcester, MA110,167+2.6%
110Cape Coral, FL110,087+2.1%
111Grand Prairie, TX108,683+2%
112Fontana, CA108,192+1.6%
113Norfolk, VA107,865-0.3%
114Baton Rouge, LA107,328+1.2%
115Little Rock, AR104,917+2.4%
116Amarillo, TX103,915+1.9%
117Huntington Beach, CA103,851+0.2%
118Fort Lauderdale, FL103,769+0.2%
119San Bernardino, CA102,789+0.9%
120Moreno Valley, CA101,775+1.1%
121Peoria, AZ101,641+0.5%
122Alexandria, VA101,309+0.8%
123Knoxville, TN101,295+1.5%
124Providence, RI101,155+2.8%
125Fort Collins, CO101,081+0.2%
126Cary, NC100,6520%
127Oxnard, CA100,379+1.7%
128Modesto, CA100,314+1.3%
129Vancouver, WA100,257-0.6%
130Chattanooga, TN98,776+3.1%
131Aurora, IL98,405+1.2%
132Rochester, NY97,205-0.9%
133Murfreesboro, TN96,579+1.6%
134Glendale, CA96,332+0.2%
135Mobile, AL95,027+1.3%
136Ontario, CA94,397+1.9%
137Birmingham, AL93,770+0.7%
138Pembroke Pines, FL93,761+1.5%
139Denton, TX92,271+4.3%
140Lakewood, CO92,246+0.2%
141Eugene, OR92,083+1.1%
142Akron, OH91,947+1%
143Santa Rosa, CA91,892+0.4%
144Rancho Cucamonga, CA91,411+1.2%
145Salem, OR90,477+2.1%
146Charleston, SC89,583+2.2%
147Newport News, VA89,363-0.3%
148Sunnyvale, CA89,351+0.2%
149Montgomery, AL89,256+1.7%
150Elk Grove, CA88,360+2.4%
151Oceanside, CA88,083+0.6%
152Hollywood, FL87,135+0.1%
153Springfield, MO86,935+0.8%
154Bellevue, WA86,330-0.6%
155Garden Grove, CA86,066+1.8%
156Brownsville, TX85,625+1.9%
157Olathe, KS84,631+1.8%
158Corona, CA84,237+1%
159Thornton, CO83,740+0.7%
160Hayward, CA83,726+0.2%
161Carrollton, TX83,623+0.8%
162Naperville, IL83,377+2.9%
163Salinas, CA83,257+1.1%
164Miramar, FL82,367+0.2%
165Columbus, GA82,223-1.4%
166Joliet, IL82,096+2.2%
167Roseville, CA81,950+3.2%
168Lewisville, TX81,934+0.9%
169Stamford, CT81,418+1.4%
170Round Rock, TX81,200+4%
171Fargo, ND80,640+1.4%
172Fayetteville, NC80,105-1%
173Mesquite, TX79,397+0.8%
174Surprise, AZ79,174+5.7%
175Pasadena, CA79,133+1.5%
176Midland, TX78,611+4.4%
177Shreveport, LA78,317-1.3%
178Bridgeport, CT77,843+1.8%
179Clarksville, TN77,778+3.6%
180Santa Clara, CA77,193-0.2%
181Kansas City, KS77,128+2%
182Meridian, ID76,687+4.2%
183Paterson, NJ76,118+1.1%
184Escondido, CA75,287+0.7%
185Coral Springs, FL75,172+1.1%
186West Valley City, UT74,827+0.5%
187Savannah, GA74,713+1%
188Cedar Rapids, IA74,240-1.1%
189Cambridge, MA74,065+2.6%
190Pomona, CA73,960+1.3%
191Palmdale, CA73,812+0.9%
192Kent, WA73,501-0.4%
193Gainesville, FL73,153-0.5%
194Orange, CA72,969+0.1%
195Torrance, CA72,815+0.3%
196McAllen, TX71,984+2.2%
197Arvada, CO71,978+0.1%
198Waco, TX71,166+2%
199Norman, OK71,158+1.6%
200Lancaster, CA70,512+1.2%
201New Haven, CT70,370+1.8%
202Westminster, CO70,285-0.1%
203Columbia, SC69,935+3.6%
204College Station, TX69,842+3%
205Fullerton, CA69,699+0.3%
206Visalia, CA69,411+1.1%
207Ann Arbor, MI69,371+0.7%
208Elizabeth, NJ69,038+0.6%
209Warren, MI68,648+0.1%
210Columbia, MO68,576-0%
211Rochester, MN68,519+1.5%
212Springfield, MA68,483+2.4%
213Simi Valley, CA68,151+1.3%
214Richardson, TX67,767-0.4%
215West Palm Beach, FL67,747+0.4%
216Pasadena, TX67,573+0.5%
217West Jordan, UT67,478+0.5%
218Hampton, VA67,323+0.2%
219Manchester, NH67,299+0.6%
220Sterling Heights, MI66,9200%
221Palm Bay, FL66,710+2.9%
222Pearland, TX66,544+0.5%
223Provo, UT66,106-0.3%
224Rockford, IL65,920-0.3%
225North Charleston, SC65,804+5%
226Wilmington, NC65,421+0.1%
227Broken Arrow, OK65,114+3.4%
228Costa Mesa, CA64,646+0.1%
229Sandy Springs, GA64,568-0.9%
230Hillsboro, OR64,460+1.2%
231Concord, CA64,352+0.2%
232Lowell, MA64,217+2.3%
233Killeen, TX63,870+1.7%
234Jackson, MS63,760+1%
235Odessa, TX63,623+3.9%
236Berkeley, CA63,526+0.7%
237Topeka, KS63,417+0.5%
238Thousand Oaks, CA63,359+1%
239Syracuse, NY63,184-0.2%
240Macon, GA63,175-0.7%
241Billings, MT63,142+0.2%
242Nampa, ID62,816+3.1%
243Boulder, CO62,720-0.3%
244Lansing, MI62,438+2.9%
245Abilene, TX62,230+3%
246Clovis, CA62,053+2.7%
247Quincy, MA61,987+2.8%
248Davie, FL61,888+0.7%
249Lafayette, LA61,674+0.3%
250League City, TX61,598+1.5%

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.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, 2024) [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, 2024. 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=2024. 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, 2024. 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=2024.

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, 2024 [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=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_cities_by_civilian_2024,
  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, 2024}},
  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=2024. 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, 2024
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=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/civilian-labor-force/us-cities?period=2024.
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 4.35 million in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest civilian labor force?

Paradise, CA, with 2,436 in 2024.

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