US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)
Harrisburg, SD had the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 3211 cities in 2021, at 87.5%. Florence, AZ had the lowest, at 17.5%. The median was 64.9% and the figure for the United States was 63.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.
Top 40 cities, 2021
Full ranking
Other periods
About this ranking
People aged 16 and over in the labor force (employed, unemployed or in the Armed Forces) as a percentage of all people aged 16 and over, including people in group quarters. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.
The Census Bureau definition used in its data profiles. It differs from the BLS labor_force_participation_rate, which counts the civilian noninstitutional population only.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. 8 cities with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat
MLA 9
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/us-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/us-cities?period=2021.
Harvard
U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/us-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{census_us_cities_by_labor_2021,
author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/us-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Census Bureau
TI - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2021
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/01/29
PB - U.S. Census Bureau
DB - Invokely
UR - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/us-cities?period=2021
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/us-cities?period=2021.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
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Rank US cities by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"labor_force_participation_rate_acs","level":"municipality","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=labor_force_participation_rate_acs&level=municipality&within=United%20States&limit=10Questions
Which city has the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?
Harrisburg, SD, with 87.5% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Which city has the lowest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?
Florence, AZ, with 17.5% in 2021.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 8 cities have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.
Labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings
- Cities in Montana
- Cities in North Dakota
- Cities in Connecticut
- Counties in Nebraska
- Counties in New Hampshire
- Counties in Alaska