50.0%
2026 (thru Jul) (latest)
WOMEN'S SHARE OF PAYROLL JOBS
percent of all nonfarm payroll jobs held by women · 1964–2026 · neither direction is "better" · BLS Current Employment Statistics, via FRED (CES0000000010 ÷ PAYEMS)
31.8%
1964
50.0%
high · 2026
31.8%
low · 1964
+18 pts
since 1964
womenmenthe lines cross where women hold the majority
┊ dashed lines mark 1979 Oil shock & inflation peak · 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. Women employees as a share of all employees on total nonfarm payrolls (BLS Current Employment Statistics, seasonally adjusted, monthly since 1964; annual value is the mean of the months). Payroll jobs, not people: multiple jobholders are counted at each job, and farm work and self-employment are excluded. Women first crossed 50% in the monthly data in June 2009 (recession-driven, reversed May 2010), again from November 2019 until the pandemic (April 2020), touched it in August 2025, and crossed again in February 2026 — the first sustained majority. Latest month (2026-07): 50.06% women.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES0000000010
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PAYEMS
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Long-Run-Indicators
Data
| Year | Women's Share of Payroll Jobs | Men's Share of Payroll Jobs | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50.0% | 50.0% | +0.1 pts |
| 2025 | 50.0% | 50.0% | +0.1 pts |
| 2024 | 49.9% | 50.1% | +0.1 pts |
| 2023 | 49.8% | 50.2% | +0.1 pts |
| 2022 | 49.8% | 50.2% | +0.0 pts |
| 2021 | 49.8% | 50.2% | +0.1 pts |
| 2020 | 49.7% | 50.3% | −0.2 pts |
| 2019 | 49.9% | 50.1% | +0.2 pts |
| 2018 | 49.7% | 50.3% | +0.1 pts |
| 2017 | 49.5% | 50.5% | −0.0 pts |
| 2016 | 49.5% | 50.5% | +0.2 pts |
| 2015 | 49.3% | 50.7% | −0.0 pts |
| 2014 | 49.4% | 50.6% | −0.1 pts |
| 2013 | 49.5% | 50.5% | −0.0 pts |
| 2012 | 49.5% | 50.5% | −0.1 pts |
| 2011 | 49.6% | 50.4% | −0.3 pts |
| 2010 | 49.9% | 50.1% | −0.0 pts |
| 2009 | 50.0% | 50.0% | +0.8 pts |
| 2008 | 49.2% | 50.8% | +0.5 pts |
| 2007 | 48.6% | 51.4% | +0.4 pts |
| 2006 | 48.3% | 51.8% | −0.3 pts |
| 2005 | 48.5% | 51.5% | −0.1 pts |
| 2004 | 48.6% | 51.4% | −0.1 pts |
| 2003 | 48.7% | 51.3% | +0.0 pts |
| 2002 | 48.7% | 51.3% | +0.3 pts |
| 2001 | 48.4% | 51.6% | +0.3 pts |
| 2000 | 48.0% | 52.0% | +0.1 pts |
| 1999 | 48.0% | 52.0% | +0.0 pts |
| 1998 | 47.9% | 52.1% | −0.1 pts |
| 1997 | 48.0% | 52.0% | +0.0 pts |
| 1996 | 48.0% | 52.0% | +0.0 pts |
| 1995 | 48.0% | 52.0% | +0.0 pts |
| 1994 | 47.9% | 52.1% | −0.1 pts |
| 1993 | 48.0% | 52.0% | +0.0 pts |
| 1992 | 48.0% | 52.0% | +0.3 pts |
| 1991 | 47.7% | 52.3% | +0.6 pts |
| 1990 | 47.1% | 52.9% | +0.4 pts |
| 1989 | 46.8% | 53.2% | +0.4 pts |
| 1988 | 46.4% | 53.6% | +0.4 pts |
| 1987 | 46.0% | 54.0% | +0.5 pts |
| 1986 | 45.5% | 54.5% | +0.8 pts |
| 1985 | 44.7% | 55.3% | +0.5 pts |
| 1984 | 44.2% | 55.8% | +0.4 pts |
| 1983 | 43.8% | 56.2% | +0.6 pts |
| 1982 | 43.2% | 56.8% | +0.8 pts |
| 1981 | 42.4% | 57.6% | +0.6 pts |
| 1980 | 41.8% | 58.2% | +1.0 pts |
| 1979 | 40.8% | 59.2% | +0.6 pts |
| 1978 | 40.2% | 59.8% | +0.5 pts |
| 1977 | 39.6% | 60.4% | +0.7 pts |
| 1976 | 38.9% | 61.1% | +0.7 pts |
| 1975 | 38.2% | 61.8% | +0.7 pts |
| 1974 | 37.5% | 62.5% | +0.8 pts |
| 1973 | 36.7% | 63.3% | +0.5 pts |
| 1972 | 36.2% | 63.8% | +0.3 pts |
| 1971 | 35.9% | 64.1% | +0.3 pts |
| 1970 | 35.6% | 64.4% | +0.6 pts |
| 1969 | 35.0% | 65.0% | +0.5 pts |
| 1968 | 34.5% | 65.5% | +0.6 pts |
| 1967 | 33.9% | 66.1% | +0.8 pts |
| 1966 | 33.1% | 66.9% | +0.9 pts |
| 1965 | 32.2% | 67.8% | +0.4 pts |
| 1964 | 31.8% | 68.2% | — |
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