Skip Navigation


Table 26. Labor force participation and unemployment rates of persons 16 years old and over, by sex and age group: Selected years, 1980 through 2010
 
Year Males         Females      
Age 16 and older Ages 16–19 Ages 20–24 Ages 25–34   Age 16 and older Ages 16–19 Ages 20–24 Ages 25–34
  Civilian labor force,1 in thousands
1980 61,450 5,000 8,610 16,970   45,490 4,380 7,320 12,260
1985 64,410 4,130 8,280 18,810   51,050 3,770 7,430 14,740
1990 69,010 4,090 7,870 19,870   56,830 3,700 6,830 16,060
1995 71,360 4,040 7,340 18,670   60,940 3,730 6,350 15,530
2000 76,280 4,270 7,520 17,840   66,300 4,000 6,730 14,910
2005 80,030 3,590 8,050 17,840   69,290 3,570 7,070 14,500
2006 81,260 3,690 8,120 17,940   70,170 3,590 7,000 14,630
2007 82,140 3,540 8,100 18,310   70,990 3,470 7,110 14,820
2008 82,520 3,470 8,070 18,300   71,770 3,390 7,110 15,030
2009 82,120 3,230 7,840 18,210   72,020 3,160 7,130 15,090
2010 81,990 2,990 7,860 18,350   71,900 2,910 7,160 15,260
  Percent in labor force2
1980 77.4 60.5 85.9 95.2   51.5 52.9 68.9 65.5
1985 76.3 56.8 85.0 94.7   54.5 52.1 71.8 70.9
1990 76.4 55.7 84.4 94.1   57.5 51.6 71.3 73.5
1995 75.0 54.8 83.1 93.0   58.9 52.2 70.3 74.9
2000 74.8 52.8 82.6 93.4   59.9 51.2 73.1 76.1
2005 73.3 43.2 79.1 91.7   59.3 44.2 70.1 73.9
2006 73.5 43.7 79.6 91.7   59.4 43.7 69.5 74.4
2007 73.2 41.1 78.7 92.2   59.3 41.5 70.1 74.5
2008 73.0 40.1 78.7 91.5   59.5 40.2 70.0 75.2
2009 72.0 37.3 76.2 90.3   59.2 37.7 69.6 75.0
2010 71.2 34.9 74.5 89.7   58.6 35.0 68.3 74.7
  Percent unemployed3
1980 6.9 18.3 12.5 6.7   7.4 17.2 10.4 7.2
1985 7.0 19.5 11.4 6.6   7.4 17.6 10.7 7.4
1990 5.7 16.3 9.1 5.5   5.5 14.7 8.5 5.6
1995 5.6 18.4 9.2 5.1   5.6 16.1 9.0 5.7
2000 3.9 14.0 7.3 3.4   4.1 12.1 7.1 4.1
2005 5.1 18.6 9.6 4.7   5.1 14.5 7.9 5.6
2006 4.6 16.9 8.7 4.5   4.6 13.8 7.6 4.9
2007 4.7 17.6 8.9 4.7   4.5 13.8 7.3 4.6
2008 6.1 21.2 11.4 6.1   5.4 16.2 8.8 5.5
2009 10.3 27.8 17.0 10.9   8.1 20.7 12.3 8.6
2010 10.5 28.8 17.8 10.9   8.6 22.8 13.0 9.1
1 The civilian labor force includes all employed persons, plus those seeking employment; it excludes persons in the military.
2 The labor force participation rate is the percentage of persons either employed or seeking employment.
3 The unemployment rate is the percentage of those in the labor force who are not working and are seeking employment.
NOTE: Some data are revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS), unpublished data, selected years, 1980–2010.