Labor Force Participation Rates by State

63.5% of Americans 16 and older are in the labor force — working or actively looking for work. The state range is wide: from 69.6% in Utah down to 53.8% in West Virginia. This page ranks every state by the share of its adult population participating in the labor market — a measure that says as much about who lives in a state as about its economy.

Top 10 Participation Rates

71.6%

69.6%

68.6%

68.1%

67.2%

67.1%

67.0%

66.4%

Age structure drives this ranking more than economic strength does. The participation rate counts everyone 16 and older, retirees included, so states with young populations — Utah and Colorado lead the list — post high rates almost automatically, while the retirement destinations and aging states near the bottom of the oldest states ranking sit low regardless of how their job markets are doing. West Virginia, at 53.8%, combines an older population with long-running structural challenges.

Read together with the unemployment ranking, participation completes the labor-market picture: unemployment measures how those seeking work are faring, participation measures how many seek it at all. High-participation states also tend to post higher household incomes — more earners per household — which feeds directly into the income rankings.

Full Rankings

#	State	Participation	Unemployment	Median Age	Median Income
1	District of Columbia	71.6%	6.3%	34.9 years	$109,870
2	Utah	69.6%	3.6%	32.0 years	$95,166
3	Colorado	68.6%	4.6%	37.7 years	$95,470
4	North Dakota	68.6%	2.8%	35.9 years	$76,657
5	Nebraska	68.6%	3.0%	37.2 years	$76,475
6	Minnesota	68.1%	4.1%	38.8 years	$89,062
7	South Dakota	67.2%	2.9%	38.0 years	$75,081
8	Maryland	67.1%	4.9%	39.4 years	$103,678
9	Massachusetts	67.0%	5.1%	40.0 years	$103,960
10	Iowa	66.4%	3.6%	38.6 years	$75,059
11	New Jersey	66.4%	6.3%	40.1 years	$103,556
12	Alaska	66.3%	5.9%	35.8 years	$92,788
13	New Hampshire	66.3%	3.4%	43.3 years	$99,031
14	Kansas	66.1%	3.9%	37.4 years	$74,275
15	Connecticut	65.9%	5.6%	41.1 years	$95,781
16	Virginia	65.3%	4.3%	39.0 years	$93,170
17	Wisconsin	65.3%	3.3%	40.2 years	$77,485
18	Texas	65.3%	5.3%	35.6 years	$78,476
19	Wyoming	65.1%	3.7%	39.1 years	$76,176
20	Rhode Island	65.0%	5.8%	40.6 years	$87,796
21	Illinois	65.0%	5.8%	39.0 years	$83,390
22	Vermont	64.6%	3.6%	43.1 years	$81,203
23	Washington	64.5%	5.1%	38.3 years	$98,141
24	Indiana	63.8%	4.3%	38.1 years	$71,957
25	California	63.8%	6.6%	37.9 years	$99,122
26	Georgia	63.8%	5.1%	37.6 years	$77,353
27	Hawaii	63.7%	4.9%	40.9 years	$100,389
28	Nevada	63.2%	7.0%	39.1 years	$78,260
29	Missouri	63.1%	4.0%	39.0 years	$70,702
30	Ohio	63.1%	4.8%	39.7 years	$71,389
31	Idaho	63.0%	3.7%	37.3 years	$77,800
32	Montana	62.9%	3.6%	40.4 years	$72,509
33	North Carolina	62.8%	4.7%	39.1 years	$72,388
34	New York	62.7%	6.4%	39.8 years	$85,974
35	Pennsylvania	62.7%	5.3%	40.9 years	$77,971
36	Tennessee	62.4%	4.7%	38.9 years	$69,595
37	Oregon	62.3%	5.4%	40.4 years	$83,011
38	Delaware	62.1%	5.1%	41.6 years	$84,954
39	Maine	61.7%	3.8%	44.8 years	$74,733
40	Michigan	61.3%	5.7%	40.2 years	$72,875
41	Oklahoma	61.2%	5.0%	37.0 years	$65,039
42	Arizona	60.6%	5.1%	39.0 years	$79,964
43	South Carolina	60.5%	4.9%	40.2 years	$69,324
44	Florida	59.8%	4.8%	42.6 years	$74,568
45	Kentucky	59.7%	4.9%	39.1 years	$63,726
46	Louisiana	59.3%	6.3%	38.0 years	$60,756
47	Arkansas	58.4%	4.9%	38.5 years	$60,773
48	Alabama	58.3%	4.7%	39.3 years	$63,999
49	New Mexico	57.8%	6.0%	39.4 years	$64,059
50	Mississippi	57.4%	5.8%	38.6 years	$56,447
51	West Virginia	53.8%	5.4%	42.7 years	$59,608

The District of Columbia is included for comparison, although it is not a state.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates.

About This Ranking

All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, the Bureau's most reliable dataset for state and local statistics. Because estimates pool five years of survey responses, they describe a recent period rather than a single moment, and small differences between closely ranked entries may fall within the survey's margin of error. Learn more about the data on our methodology page or at data.census.gov.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What state has the highest labor force participation rate?

Utah leads all states with 69.6% of residents 16 and older in the labor force, followed by Colorado at 68.6%.

What state has the lowest labor force participation?

West Virginia has the lowest rate at 53.8%, reflecting an older population and long-standing structural economic challenges.

What does the labor force participation rate measure?

The share of the civilian population 16 and older that is either employed or actively looking for work. Unlike the unemployment rate, it counts people who have stopped searching — and it includes retirees in its base, which is why states with older populations post lower rates.