80.6%
2026 (YTD) (latest)
PRIME-AGE EMPLOYMENT RATE
percent of 25–54-year-olds employed, annual average · 1948–2026 · higher is better · BLS Current Population Survey via FRED (LNS12300060)
63.0%
1948
81.5%
high · 2000
62.1%
low · 1949
+18 pts
since 1948
┊ 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. Employment-population ratio for ages 25 to 54, seasonally adjusted monthly, averaged by calendar year. The cleanest long-run read on whether working-age Americans have jobs, unaffected by retirement and schooling trends that move the overall rate.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS12300060
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Societal-Health
Data
| Year | Prime-Age Employment Rate | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 80.6% | +6.7 pts |
| 2025 | 73.9% | −6.8 pts |
| 2024 | 80.7% | +0.0 pts |
| 2023 | 80.7% | +0.8 pts |
| 2022 | 79.9% | +2.3 pts |
| 2021 | 77.6% | +2.0 pts |
| 2020 | 75.6% | −4.3 pts |
| 2019 | 79.9% | +0.5 pts |
| 2018 | 79.4% | +0.8 pts |
| 2017 | 78.6% | +0.7 pts |
| 2016 | 77.9% | +0.7 pts |
| 2015 | 77.2% | +0.5 pts |
| 2014 | 76.7% | +0.8 pts |
| 2013 | 75.9% | +0.2 pts |
| 2012 | 75.7% | +0.6 pts |
| 2011 | 75.1% | +0.0 pts |
| 2010 | 75.1% | −0.7 pts |
| 2009 | 75.8% | −3.3 pts |
| 2008 | 79.1% | −0.8 pts |
| 2007 | 79.9% | +0.1 pts |
| 2006 | 79.8% | +0.5 pts |
| 2005 | 79.3% | +0.3 pts |
| 2004 | 79.0% | +0.2 pts |
| 2003 | 78.8% | −0.5 pts |
| 2002 | 79.3% | −1.2 pts |
| 2001 | 80.5% | −1.0 pts |
| 2000 | 81.5% | +0.1 pts |
| 1999 | 81.4% | +0.3 pts |
| 1998 | 81.1% | +0.2 pts |
| 1997 | 80.9% | +0.7 pts |
| 1996 | 80.2% | +0.5 pts |
| 1995 | 79.7% | +0.5 pts |
| 1994 | 79.2% | +0.7 pts |
| 1993 | 78.5% | +0.2 pts |
| 1992 | 78.3% | −0.3 pts |
| 1991 | 78.6% | −1.1 pts |
| 1990 | 79.7% | −0.2 pts |
| 1989 | 79.9% | +0.7 pts |
| 1988 | 79.2% | +0.8 pts |
| 1987 | 78.4% | +1.1 pts |
| 1986 | 77.3% | +0.6 pts |
| 1985 | 76.7% | +0.9 pts |
| 1984 | 75.8% | +2.1 pts |
| 1983 | 73.7% | +0.2 pts |
| 1982 | 73.5% | −1.2 pts |
| 1981 | 74.7% | +0.4 pts |
| 1980 | 74.3% | −0.3 pts |
| 1979 | 74.6% | +1.0 pts |
| 1978 | 73.6% | +1.7 pts |
| 1977 | 71.9% | +1.3 pts |
| 1976 | 70.6% | +1.3 pts |
| 1975 | 69.3% | −1.5 pts |
| 1974 | 70.8% | +0.3 pts |
| 1973 | 70.5% | +1.0 pts |
| 1972 | 69.5% | +0.5 pts |
| 1971 | 69.0% | −0.6 pts |
| 1970 | 69.6% | −0.4 pts |
| 1969 | 70.0% | +0.5 pts |
| 1968 | 69.5% | +0.5 pts |
| 1967 | 69.0% | +0.5 pts |
| 1966 | 68.5% | +0.9 pts |
| 1965 | 67.6% | +0.6 pts |
| 1964 | 67.0% | +0.6 pts |
| 1963 | 66.4% | +0.4 pts |
| 1962 | 66.0% | +0.7 pts |
| 1961 | 65.3% | −0.5 pts |
| 1960 | 65.8% | +0.2 pts |
| 1959 | 65.6% | +1.0 pts |
| 1958 | 64.6% | −1.4 pts |
| 1957 | 66.0% | +0.1 pts |
| 1956 | 65.9% | +0.7 pts |
| 1955 | 65.2% | +1.3 pts |
| 1954 | 63.9% | −1.4 pts |
| 1953 | 65.3% | +0.3 pts |
| 1952 | 65.0% | +0.6 pts |
| 1951 | 64.4% | +1.6 pts |
| 1950 | 62.8% | +0.7 pts |
| 1949 | 62.1% | −0.9 pts |
| 1948 | 63.0% | — |
Also in Economy & Work