Data / Rankings / Labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) / US states

US states by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)

District of Columbia had the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 51 states in 2021, at 71.4%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 53.3%. The median was 63.9% and the figure for the United States was 63.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest71.4District of Columbia
Lowest53.3West Virginia
Median63.951 states
United States63.6History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 57.8 %Alaska: 67.1 %Arizona: 60.6 %Arkansas: 58.4 %California: 63.9 %Colorado: 68.6 %Connecticut: 66 %Delaware: 62.2 %District of Columbia: 71.4 %Florida: 59.4 %Georgia: 63.6 %Hawaii: 65.1 %Idaho: 63.2 %Illinois: 65.3 %Indiana: 63.9 %Iowa: 66.9 %Kansas: 66.6 %Kentucky: 59.5 %Louisiana: 59.2 %Maine: 62.9 %Maryland: 67.5 %Massachusetts: 67.2 %Michigan: 61.6 %Minnesota: 69.2 %Mississippi: 57.4 %Missouri: 63.2 %Montana: 63.3 %Nebraska: 69.3 %Nevada: 63.4 %New Hampshire: 67.2 %New Jersey: 66 %New Mexico: 57.3 %New York: 63.1 %North Carolina: 62.6 %North Dakota: 69.8 %Ohio: 63.3 %Oklahoma: 61.5 %Oregon: 62.6 %Pennsylvania: 63 %Rhode Island: 65.4 %South Carolina: 60.5 %South Dakota: 67.9 %Tennessee: 61.8 %Texas: 65.1 %Utah: 69.2 %Vermont: 65.1 %Virginia: 66 %Washington: 64.7 %West Virginia: 53.3 %Wisconsin: 66.1 %Wyoming: 65.8 %
  • Under 61
  • 61 to 63
  • 63 to 64
  • 64 to 66
  • 66 to 67
  • 67 and over
%, 2021. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2021

District of Columbia: 71.4 %District of Columbia71.4North Dakota: 69.8 %North Dakota69.8Nebraska: 69.3 %Nebraska69.3Minnesota: 69.2 %Minnesota69.2Utah: 69.2 %Utah69.2Colorado: 68.6 %Colorado68.6South Dakota: 67.9 %South Dakota67.9Maryland: 67.5 %Maryland67.5Massachusetts: 67.2 %Massachusetts67.2New Hampshire: 67.2 %New Hampshire67.2Alaska: 67.1 %Alaska67.1Iowa: 66.9 %Iowa66.9Kansas: 66.6 %Kansas66.6Wisconsin: 66.1 %Wisconsin66.1Connecticut: 66 %Connecticut66New Jersey: 66 %New Jersey66Virginia: 66 %Virginia66Wyoming: 65.8 %Wyoming65.8Rhode Island: 65.4 %Rhode Island65.4Illinois: 65.3 %Illinois65.3Hawaii: 65.1 %Hawaii65.1Texas: 65.1 %Texas65.1Vermont: 65.1 %Vermont65.1Washington: 64.7 %Washington64.7Indiana: 63.9 %Indiana63.9California: 63.9 %California63.9Georgia: 63.6 %Georgia63.6Nevada: 63.4 %Nevada63.4Ohio: 63.3 %Ohio63.3Montana: 63.3 %Montana63.3Missouri: 63.2 %Missouri63.2Idaho: 63.2 %Idaho63.2New York: 63.1 %New York63.1Pennsylvania: 63 %Pennsylvania63Maine: 62.9 %Maine62.9Oregon: 62.6 %Oregon62.6North Carolina: 62.6 %North Carolina62.6Delaware: 62.2 %Delaware62.2Tennessee: 61.8 %Tennessee61.8Michigan: 61.6 %Michigan61.6Oklahoma: 61.5 %Oklahoma61.5Arizona: 60.6 %Arizona60.6South Carolina: 60.5 %South Carolina60.5Kentucky: 59.5 %Kentucky59.5Florida: 59.4 %Florida59.4Louisiana: 59.2 %Louisiana59.2Arkansas: 58.4 %Arkansas58.4Alabama: 57.8 %Alabama57.8Mississippi: 57.4 %Mississippi57.4New Mexico: 57.3 %New Mexico57.3West Virginia: 53.3 %West Virginia53.3District of Columbia: 71.4 %District of Columbia71.4North Dakota: 69.8 %North Dakota69.8Nebraska: 69.3 %Nebraska69.3Minnesota: 69.2 %Minnesota69.2Utah: 69.2 %Utah69.2Colorado: 68.6 %Colorado68.6South Dakota: 67.9 %South Dakota67.9Maryland: 67.5 %Maryland67.5Massachusetts: 67.2 %Massachusetts67.2New Hampshire: 67.2 %New Hampshire67.2Alaska: 67.1 %Alaska67.1Iowa: 66.9 %Iowa66.9Kansas: 66.6 %Kansas66.6Wisconsin: 66.1 %Wisconsin66.1Connecticut: 66 %Connecticut66New Jersey: 66 %New Jersey66Virginia: 66 %Virginia66Wyoming: 65.8 %Wyoming65.8Rhode Island: 65.4 %Rhode Island65.4Illinois: 65.3 %Illinois65.3Hawaii: 65.1 %Hawaii65.1Texas: 65.1 %Texas65.1Vermont: 65.1 %Vermont65.1Washington: 64.7 %Washington64.7Indiana: 63.9 %Indiana63.9California: 63.9 %California63.9Georgia: 63.6 %Georgia63.6Nevada: 63.4 %Nevada63.4Ohio: 63.3 %Ohio63.3Montana: 63.3 %Montana63.3Missouri: 63.2 %Missouri63.2Idaho: 63.2 %Idaho63.2New York: 63.1 %New York63.1Pennsylvania: 63 %Pennsylvania63Maine: 62.9 %Maine62.9Oregon: 62.6 %Oregon62.6North Carolina: 62.6 %North Carolina62.6Delaware: 62.2 %Delaware62.2Tennessee: 61.8 %Tennessee61.8Michigan: 61.6 %Michigan61.6Oklahoma: 61.5 %Oklahoma61.5Arizona: 60.6 %Arizona60.6South Carolina: 60.5 %South Carolina60.5Kentucky: 59.5 %Kentucky59.5Florida: 59.4 %Florida59.4Louisiana: 59.2 %Louisiana59.2Arkansas: 58.4 %Arkansas58.4Alabama: 57.8 %Alabama57.8Mississippi: 57.4 %Mississippi57.4New Mexico: 57.3 %New Mexico57.3West Virginia: 53.3 %West Virginia53.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)
1District of Columbia71.4
2North Dakota69.8
3Nebraska69.3
4Minnesota69.2
5Utah69.2
6Colorado68.6
7South Dakota67.9
8Maryland67.5
9Massachusetts67.2
9New Hampshire67.2
11Alaska67.1
12Iowa66.9
13Kansas66.6
14Wisconsin66.1
15Connecticut66
16New Jersey66
17Virginia66
18Wyoming65.8
19Rhode Island65.4
20Illinois65.3
21Hawaii65.1
22Texas65.1
23Vermont65.1
24Washington64.7
25Indiana63.9
26California63.9
27Georgia63.6
28Nevada63.4
29Ohio63.3
30Montana63.3
31Missouri63.2
32Idaho63.2
33New York63.1
34Pennsylvania63
35Maine62.9
36Oregon62.6
37North Carolina62.6
38Delaware62.2
39Tennessee61.8
40Michigan61.6
41Oklahoma61.5
42Arizona60.6
43South Carolina60.5
44Kentucky59.5
45Florida59.4
46Louisiana59.2
47Arkansas58.4
48Alabama57.8
49Mississippi57.4
50New Mexico57.3
51West Virginia53.3

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 states are compared on one definition. 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b23025.dat. 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. 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 states 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 states 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-states?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 states 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-states?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 states 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-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_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 states 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-states?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. 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 states 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-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/us-states?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. 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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Questions

Which state has the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

District of Columbia, with 71.4% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

West Virginia, with 53.3% 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. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

US states: more rankings