Labor force participation, ages 16

Labor force participation, ages 16–64 by state

Minnesota and South Dakota share the highest estimate (82.4%); West Virginia has the lowest (69.5%). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year, 2024.

Data year: 2024Source released Sept. 11, 2025Last updated Oct. 23, 2026GCT2301

50 ranked states; DC and Puerto Rico appear as reference rows where the source supplies them. Highest does not mean best. Ranks reflect point estimates; close values may not differ statistically.

State distribution and comparisons

The middle of the 50-state distribution is 77.45%: the average of the 25th and 26th ordered state estimates. This treats each state equally, so it answers a different question from a population-weighted national estimate.

3 other states are statistically tied with Minnesota at 90% confidence: South Dakota, Nebraska and North Dakota. This is not a confidence interval for rank, and testing multiple pairs increases false-positive risk.

See the top ten estimates with their 90% margins of error

Shared axis spans the complete 50-state estimate ± MOE range. Intervals describe individual estimates; overlapping intervals alone are not our significance test.

How does this compare with male full-time earnings?

These states’ ranks change the most between labor force participation, ages 16–64 and male full-time earnings. These comparisons identify different questions worth investigating; a rank gap does not measure a causal effect or a statistical difference between unlike units.

State	Labor force participation, ages 16–64	Male full-time earnings
South Dakota	82.4% · #1	$61,219 · #40
Nebraska	82.0% · #3	$61,827 · #36
California	75.4% · #40	$72,043 · #11

Labor force participation, ages 16–64 · 2024 · Percent
Rank	State / jurisdiction	Value	90% margin of error	Difference from previous rank
1	Minnesota	82.4%	± 0.3%	Highest estimate
1	South Dakota	82.4%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
3	Nebraska	82.0%	± 0.6%	Not distinguishable at 90%
4	North Dakota	81.8%	± 1.0%	Not distinguishable at 90%
5	Iowa	81.1%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
6	Colorado	80.8%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
6	New Hampshire	80.8%	± 0.9%	Not distinguishable at 90%
8	Wisconsin	80.4%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
9	Wyoming	80.2%	± 1.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
10	Kansas	80.1%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
10	Vermont	80.1%	± 0.9%	Not distinguishable at 90%
12	Maryland	80.0%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
13	Massachusetts	79.7%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
14	Utah	79.4%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
15	Rhode Island	79.3%	± 1.1%	Not distinguishable at 90%
16	Connecticut	79.2%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
17	New Jersey	79.0%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
18	Hawaii	78.8%	± 0.7%	Not distinguishable at 90%
19	Delaware	78.4%	± 1.0%	Not distinguishable at 90%
20	Montana	78.3%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
21	Illinois	78.2%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
22	Maine	78.0%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
23	Washington	77.7%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
24	Oregon	77.6%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
25	Pennsylvania	77.5%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
26	Virginia	77.4%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
27	Ohio	77.3%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
28	Alaska	77.2%	± 1.0%	Not distinguishable at 90%
28	Missouri	77.2%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
28	Nevada	77.2%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
31	Indiana	76.9%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
32	Idaho	76.5%	± 0.7%	Not distinguishable at 90%
33	North Carolina	76.1%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
34	Florida	76.0%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
35	Arizona	75.7%	± 0.4%	Not distinguishable at 90%
35	Michigan	75.7%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
37	Georgia	75.6%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
37	New York	75.6%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
39	Tennessee	75.5%	± 0.3%	Not distinguishable at 90%
40	California	75.4%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
40	Texas	75.4%	± 0.2%	Not distinguishable at 90%
42	South Carolina	75.3%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
43	Oklahoma	73.2%	± 0.4%	Different at 90%
44	Kentucky	72.6%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
45	New Mexico	72.1%	± 0.8%	Not distinguishable at 90%
46	Alabama	71.7%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
46	Louisiana	71.7%	± 0.5%	Not distinguishable at 90%
48	Arkansas	71.6%	± 0.7%	Not distinguishable at 90%
49	Mississippi	71.1%	± 0.7%	Not distinguishable at 90%
50	West Virginia	69.5%	± 0.8%	Different at 90%
Ref.	District of ColumbiaNot ranked among states	79.9%	± 1.1%	Reference jurisdiction
Ref.	Puerto RicoNot ranked among states	63.3%	± 0.8%	Reference jurisdiction

Labor force participation, ages 16–64 · 2024 · Percent

Rank

State / jurisdiction

Value

90% margin of error

Difference from previous rank

Minnesota

82.4%

± 0.3%

Highest estimate

South Dakota

82.4%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Nebraska

82.0%

± 0.6%

Not distinguishable at 90%

North Dakota

81.8%

± 1.0%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Iowa

81.1%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Colorado

80.8%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Hampshire

80.8%

± 0.9%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Wisconsin

80.4%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Wyoming

80.2%

± 1.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Kansas

80.1%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Vermont

80.1%

± 0.9%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Maryland

80.0%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Massachusetts

79.7%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Utah

79.4%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Rhode Island

79.3%

± 1.1%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Connecticut

79.2%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Jersey

79.0%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Hawaii

78.8%

± 0.7%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Delaware

78.4%

± 1.0%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Montana

78.3%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Illinois

78.2%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Maine

78.0%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Washington

77.7%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Oregon

77.6%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Pennsylvania

77.5%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Virginia

77.4%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Ohio

77.3%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Alaska

77.2%

± 1.0%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Missouri

77.2%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Nevada

77.2%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Indiana

76.9%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Idaho

76.5%

± 0.7%

Not distinguishable at 90%

North Carolina

76.1%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Florida

76.0%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Arizona

75.7%

± 0.4%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Michigan

75.7%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Georgia

75.6%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New York

75.6%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Tennessee

75.5%

± 0.3%

Not distinguishable at 90%

California

75.4%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Texas

75.4%

± 0.2%

Not distinguishable at 90%

South Carolina

75.3%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Oklahoma

73.2%

± 0.4%

Different at 90%

Kentucky

72.6%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

New Mexico

72.1%

± 0.8%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Alabama

71.7%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Louisiana

71.7%

± 0.5%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Arkansas

71.6%

± 0.7%

Not distinguishable at 90%

Mississippi

71.1%

± 0.7%

Not distinguishable at 90%

West Virginia

69.5%

± 0.8%

Different at 90%

Ref.

District of ColumbiaNot ranked among states

79.9%

± 1.1%

Reference jurisdiction

Ref.

Puerto RicoNot ranked among states

63.3%

± 0.8%

Reference jurisdiction

What this ranking measures

People age 16 to 64 in the labor force, including members of the Armed Forces.

This ACS age-specific annual measure is not the BLS monthly civilian participation rate for ages 16 and older.

The size of the gap

The difference between the highest and lowest state estimates is 12.9 percentage points. The U.S. benchmark is 76.6%. It is not a simple average of the states.

31 states have point estimates above the U.S. benchmark and 19 below it. These counts do not establish statistical significance.

How much should you read into a rank?

Each estimate has a 90% margin of error published by the Census Bureau. For two different states, we flag a difference only when its absolute size exceeds the square root of the sum of their squared margins of error. The comparison tool applies this check to every selected pair.

Non-significance is not proof of equality. These pairwise tests are not adjusted for multiple comparisons and do not form ranking confidence intervals. Statistical method and limitations.

Ranks use the full precision of the source file, so only truly equal values share a rank (1, 2, 2, 4).

Keep exploring

Read the ranking methodology.

Explore the same states in a side-by-side comparison, or combine this measure with others in the custom ranking tool.

Source and method

Producer: U.S. Census Bureau
Product / file: ACS 1-year · GCT2301
Period: 2024
Unit: Percent
Calculation: Published estimate; no transformation of the value. Rank = 1 + number of eligible jurisdictions with a higher value.
Coverage: The 50 states are ranked. Washington, D.C., can be added with the toggle above the table; Puerto Rico is shown for reference only, where the source covers it.
Cadence: Annual. 2025 ACS 1-year estimates scheduled for October 29, 2026 (Census ACS updates page); adoption follows editorial review.
Independence: Rank the States is independent. The agencies that produce the source data do not endorse these rankings.

Download, cite, or embed

Download the default full table (CSV) or use the download above for the table’s current filter and order. Data dictionary and source metadata

Suggested citation

Rank the States. Labor force participation, ages 16–64, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year, GCT2301; released 2025-09-11. Edition 2026-10-23. https://rankthestates.com/data/editions/2026-10-23/labor-force-participation.csv

Chart embed

<iframe src="https://rankthestates.com/embed/labor-force-participation/" title="Labor force participation, ages 16–64 by state" width="100%" height="640" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Updates and corrections

Last updated Oct. 23, 2026. Earlier editions stay available on the data page, and every change is listed in the update log. If a number or definition looks wrong, report an error with the state, value, and source you checked.

Labor force participation, ages 16–64 by state

State distribution and comparisons

How does this compare with male full-time earnings?

The state-by-state view

What this ranking measures

The size of the gap

How much should you read into a rank?

Keep exploring

Source and method

Download, cite, or embed

Updates and corrections

Related rankings

Male full-time earnings

Female full-time earnings

Employment-to-population ratio, ages 16–64

What can we help you find?