Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 43

Labor Force

Labor force projections to 2020:

a more slowly growing workforce

The projected labor force growth over the next 10 years

will be affected by the aging of the baby-boom generation;

as a result, the labor force is projected to grow

at a slower rate than in the last several decades

Mitra Toossi

Mitra Toossi is an economist in 

the Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Email: toossi.mitra@bls.gov

The recession of 2007–2009, a 

sluggish labor market, crises in 

the financial and credit markets, 

and weakness in the housing sector have 

combined to create great uncertainty 

about the future of the U.S. economy and 

labor market. However, despite all these 

problems, a positive force in the economy 

is the size and demographic composition 

of the U.S. population, which together 

determine the growth and composition of 

the labor force. As suggested by the saying 

“Demography is destiny,”1

 demography is 

a key driving force in the growth of the 

U.S. economy, the growth of the labor 

force, and almost all social and economic 

trends.

Compared with the labor force of the 

past decades, today’s labor force is older, 

more racially and ethnically diverse, and 

composed of more women.2

 These trends 

are expected to continue to shape the future of the workforce; however, the U.S. 

labor force is expected to grow at a slightly 

slower rate than in previous decades. The 

annual growth rate of the U.S. labor force 

over the 2010–2020 period is projected to 

be 0.7 percent, lower than the 0.8-percent 

growth rate exhibited in the previous decade. The labor force is projected to increase 

by 10.5 million in the next decade, reaching 164.4 million in 2020. This 6.8-percent 

increase in the size of the labor force is lower 

than the 7.9-percent increase posted over the 

previous 10-year period, 2000–2010, when the 

labor force grew by 11.3 million. (See table 1.)

The slower growth of the labor force is primarily the result of a slower rate of growth in 

the U.S. population and a noticeable decrease 

in the labor force participation rate. The civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and 

older had an annual growth rate of 1.1 percent 

from 2000 to 2010, but is projected to grow 

by a lesser 1.0 percent during 2010–2020. (See 

table 2.) In addition, the labor force participation rate started a downward trend in 2000, 

and the decrease accelerated during the 2007–

2009 recession and its aftermath. As a result, 

the labor force participation rate declined by 

2.4 percentage points over the 2000–2010 period and is projected to drop by another 2.2 

percentage points between 2010 and 2020. 

These two declining factors lead to a projected 

annual growth rate of only 0.7 percent for the 

labor force from 2010 to 2020, a 0.1-percent 

drop from the annual growth rate exhibited in 

the 2000–2010 timeframe. (See table 3.)

The projected labor force growth over the 

next 10 years will be affected by the aging of 

the baby-boom generation, persons born between 1946 and 1964. The baby boomers will 

be between the ages of 56 and 74 in 2020, placing them in the 55-years-and-older age group 

in the labor force, with distinctively lower 

 Employment outlook: 2010–2020
Labor Force

44 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

participation rates than those of the prime age group of 

25-to-54-year-olds. 

Changes in the labor force participation rate are generally gradual, and population growth is the chief factor in 

the growth of the labor force. However, during the recent 

recession, the aggregate labor force participation rate also 

decreased noticeably and affected the growth of the labor 

force. In the early days of the recession, in 2008, the aggregate participation rate was 66.0 percent. In 2009 the 

overall participation rate dropped by 0.6 percentage point, 

to 65.4 percent, and in 2010 it decreased even further, by 

another 0.7 percentage point, to 64.7 percent. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) produces its labor 

force projections by multiplying the civilian noninstitutional population projections by the labor force participation 

rate projections. As a result, changes projected in the aggregate labor force are the reflection of changes in both the 

labor force participation rate and changes in the age, gender, 

racial, and ethnic composition of the population.

This article projects and profiles U.S. labor force trends 

in the next 10 years. First, on the basis of historical population data and projections from the U.S. Census Bureau, 

past and future trends in the U.S. population are discussed. 

Then, current and future estimates of labor force participation rates are presented for detailed age, gender, racial, and 

ethnic groups. Finally, the median age of the labor force for 

Civilian labor force, by age, gender, race, and ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and projected 2020

[Numbers in thousands]

Group

Level Change Percent change Percent distribution Annual growth rate 

(percent)

1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020 1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

Total, 16 

years and

older 125,840 142,583 153,889 164,360 16,743 11,306 10,471 13.3 7.9 6.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.3 0.8 0.7

Age, years:

 16 to 24 22,492 22,520 20,934 18,330 28 –1,586 –2,604 .1 –7.0 –12.4 17.9 15.8 13.6 11.2 .0 –.7 –1.3 

 25 to 54 88,322 101,394 102,940 104,619 13,072 1,546 1,679 14.8 1.5 1.6 70.2 71.1 66.9 63.7 1.4 .2 .2

 55 and

 older 15,026 18,669 30,014 41,411 3,643 11,345 11,397 24.2 60.8 38.0 11.9 13.1 19.5 25.2 2.2 4.9 3.3

Gender:

 Men 69,011 76,280 81,985 87,128 7,269 5,705 5,143 10.5 7.5 6.3 54.8 53.5 53.3 53.0 1.0 .7 .6

 Women 56,829 66,303 71,904 77,232 9,474 5,601 5,328 16.7 8.4 7.4 45.2 46.5 46.7 47.0 1.6 .8 .7

Race:

 White 107,447 118,545 125,084 130,516 11,098 6,539 5,432 10.3 5.5 4.3 85.4 83.1 81.3 79.4 1.0 .5 .4

 Black 13,740 16,397 17,862 19,676 2,657 1,465 1,814 19.3 8.9 10.2 10.9 11.5 11.6 12.0 1.8 .9 1.0

 Asian 4,653 6,270 7,248 9,430 1,617 978 2,182 34.8 15.6 30.1 3.7 4.4 4.7 5.7 3.0 1.5 2.7

 All other

 groups1 – 1,371 3,694 4,738 – 2,323 1,044 – 169.4 28.3 – 1.0 2.4 2.9 – 10.4 2.5

Ethnicity:

 Hispanic

 origin 10,720 16,689 22,748 30,493 5,969 6,059 7,745 55.7 36.3 34.0 8.5 11.7 14.8 18.6 4.5 3.1 3.0

 Other

 than

 Hispanic

 origin 115,120 125,894 131,141 133,867 10,774 5,247 2,726 9.4 4.2 2.1 91.5 88.3 85.2 81.4 .9 .4 .2

 White

 non-

 Hispanic 97,818 102,729 103,947 102,371 4,911 1,218 –1,576 5.0 1.2 –1.5 77.7 72.0 67.5 62.3 .5 .1 –.2

Age of

baby 

boomers 26 to 44 36 to 54 46 to 64 56 to 74 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

 1 The “all other groups” category includes (1) those classified as being of 

multiple racial origin and (2) the racial categories of (2a) American Indian 

and Alaska Native and (2b) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. 

NOTE: Dash indicates no data collected for category. Details may not 

sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 1.
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 45

the different racial and ethnic groups is examined, along 

with the economic dependency ratio. 

U.S. population

The 2010 census measured the U.S. resident population at 

308.7 million, an increase of 27.3 million people over a decade. In addition to counting the population every 10 years, 

the Census Bureau calculates annual population estimates 

and periodically produces long-term projections of the U.S. 

resident population by age, gender, race, and ethnicity.3

These projections illustrate the demographic forces that 

are expected to shape the future of the U.S. resident population. Specifically, the U.S. population is expected to get 

larger, to continue growing at a slower rate, to grow older, 

and to become more diverse. 

Larger population. The Census Bureau projects that the 

U.S. resident population will grow from 308.7 million in 

2010 to 341.4 million in 2020, an increase of 32.7 million 

people in 10 years. 

Slower growth. Even though the resident population 

will grow by large numbers, the annual rate of growth is 

projected to slow from 0.98 percent during 2009–2010 to 

0.94 percent over the 2019–2020 period. The slower rate 

of growth is primarily the result of the aging of the U.S. 

population.

Older population. A significant factor shaping the future demographics of the U.S. population is the increase 

in older population cohorts. In 2020, the 55–years-andolder age group will total 97.8 million, composing 28.7 

percent of the 2020 resident population, compared with 

24.7 percent in 2010.

A more diverse population. Immigration has a major role 

in the growth and makeup of the racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. resident population. Every race and 

ethnicity is projected to grow over the 2010–2020 period. 

However, the share of White non-Hispanics in the total 

resident population is expected to decrease.

The Census Bureau provides projections of the resident 

population and the demographic components of change: 

births, deaths, and international migration by age, gender, race, and ethnicity. These population projections start 

from the 2000 Decennial Census and are estimated by 

means of a cohort component method.4

 Race and ethnicity are tabulated according to Office of Management and 

Budget guidelines.5

1. Fertility. The total fertility rate, which is the average 

number of children born to a woman over the course 

of her life, is often the largest component of population change and has the greatest impact on the level and 

growth of the population.6

 Fertility is derived from the 

behavioral choices people make in planning their future. 

Even a minor change in the fertility rate, maintained over 

a long time, can have a great impact on future population 

growth. Higher fertility rates result in higher population 

growth, a lower median age, and a larger share of the 

population for younger age groups. Assumptions about 

the fertility rate affect estimates of the labor force with 

a lag of roughly 16 years, given that the definition of 

the labor force encompasses only those members of the 

civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and older 

who are employed or unemployed and are looking for 

a job.

In the most recent Census Bureau projection of the resident population, used as the basis of the BLS labor force 

projections, the future fertility rate is assumed to remain 

close to the present level, roughly the replacement level 

of 2.1. Differences in fertility rates among various racial 

and ethnic groups cause different growth patterns in specific population groups. Compared with other developed 

countries, the United States has a rather high fertility rate, 

primarily a result of higher fertility rates among young 

immigrants of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. 

However, this differential in fertility rates ultimately converges to the fertility rate of the native population in the 

second generation of immigrants.

2. Mortality. With changes in the health habits of individuals and continual progress in medicine and technology, the life expectancy of the U.S. population is expected 

to continue to increase.7

 In developed countries, mortality 

happens largely at the very old age cohorts, when people 

are mostly out of the labor force. As a result, mortality has 

a lesser effect on the working-age population than fertility has. The Census Bureau projects falling mortality rates 

and increasing life expectancies for the U.S. population, 

due primarily to a significant reduction in deaths from 

infectious diseases, heart conditions, strokes, and cancer. 

According to the Census Bureau, mortality rates of second-generation immigrants are projected to converge to 

that of the general population by 2075.

3. Immigration. Among the three sources of population 

growth, immigration is the most volatile, and thus hardest, to project. Immigration can be affected by sweeping 

changes in immigration policies or by events that happen 

in other parts of the world, encouraging or discouraging 
Labor Force

46 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

more immigration to the United States. The immigration 

assumption is a major determinant of population projections and plays a significant role in the growth and composition of the labor force. Immigration is also the main 

source of diversity in both the population and the labor 

force. According to the Census Bureau’s population projections used in the 2010–2020 projections of the labor 

force, net immigration to the United States is expected 

to add 1.4 million people annually to the U.S. resident 

population. This figure is a sharp increase over the roughly 

800,000 immigrants per year projected in 2004 by the 

Census Bureau’s previous long-term projections of the 

resident population. As the projected number of immigrants to the United States nearly doubles, a substantial 

change will occur in both the size and composition of the 

population. As with previous Census Bureau projections, 

assumptions about immigration are not constrained by 

any current policy on international migration patterns. 

The assumptions on immigration were developed with the 

use of a historical time series of data on the age, gender, 

race, and ethnicity of immigrants.8

Civilian noninstitutional population

The Bureau of Labor Statistics converts the resident 

population projections of the Census Bureau to projections of the civilian noninstitutional population for use 

in BLS labor force projections.9

 The conversion takes 

place in four steps. First, the population of children 

under age 16 is subtracted from the total U.S. resident 

population, to yield the U.S. resident population 16 years 

and older. Second, estimates of the Armed Forces by age, 

gender, racial, and ethnic categories are subtracted from 

the U.S. resident population 16 years and older, giving 

the total civilian population.10 Then, on the basis of Census Bureau data on the U.S. institutional population, and 

under another set of assumptions about the institutionalization rates of the different categories of population, 

an estimate of the civilian noninstitutional population 

is derived from that of the civilian population for the 

years covered by the BLS projections. Finally, the resulting estimate of the civilian noninstitutional population 

is benchmarked to the latest annual averages of civilian noninstitutional population data from the Current 

Population Survey.11

Table 2 provides snapshots of the U.S. civilian noninstitutional population and its composition by age, gender, 

race, and ethnicity, historically from 1990 through 2010 

and projected for 2020. The civilian noninstitutional 

population was 189.2 million in 1990 and 212.6 million 

in 2000. It grew by 1.1 percent annually over the 2000–

2010 period, reaching 237.8 million in 2010, an increase 

of 25.3 million people over the 2000 figure. The civilian 

noninstitutional population is projected to grow by 1.0 

percent annually, an increase of another 25.3 million, during 2010–2020, reaching 263.0 million in the latter year.

Age. Table 2 highlights the share of the youth, prime-age, 

and older age groups in the total civilian noninstitutional 

population. The 16-to-24-year-old group’s share declined 

from 17.7 percent in 1990 to 16.0 percent in 2010. This 

age cohort is projected to have no growth over the 2010–

2020 period, and its share of the civilian noninstitutional 

population is expected to decline even further during that 

same timeframe, reaching 14.5 percent in 2020.

The 25-to-54-year-old age group’s share of the total 

civilian noninstitutional population was 56.8 percent in 

2000, dropped to 52.7 percent in 2010, and is projected 

to drop further, to 48.9 percent in 2020. The so-called 

baby-bust generation is the generation following the baby 

boomers and comprises the age cohorts that reflect the 

drop in birthrates that took place from 1965 through 

1975. In the years from 2010 to 2020, the baby-bust cohorts will be in the prime age group 25 to 54 years old. In 

2010, the baby busters were between the ages of 35 and 

45 and were a much smaller cohort than the baby boomers, further lowering the growth of the civilian noninstitutional population and the labor force. In 2020, the baby 

busters will be ages 45 to 55. Table 2 shows clearly the 

path of the decline of the baby buster cohort. The group 

fell by 1.0 percent over the 1990–2000 timeframe, when 

they were 25 to 34 years old. Then, from 2000 to 2010, 

when they were 35 to 44 years old, the baby busters again 

declined by 1.0 percent. They are projected to drop by 0.8 

percent during 2010–2020, when they will be between 

the ages of 45 and 54. The 35-to-44-year-olds’ share of 

the population is expected to decrease from 20.8 percent 

in 2000 to 16.2 percent in 2020. The 45-to-54-year-olds’ 

share is projected to decrease from 18.6 percent in 2010 to 

15.6 percent in 2020.

By contrast, the 55-years-and-older age group increased its relative share, from 26.4 percent in 1990 to 

27.1 percent in 2000. A decade later, in 2010, this group’s 

share of the total civilian noninstitutional population increased to 31.4 percent. It is expected that the share will 

grow to 36.6 percent in 2020.

The aging of the baby-boom generation increases the 

shares of the older age groups in the population. The oldest baby boomers celebrated their 65th birthdays in 2011. 

In 2020, the entirety of this huge generation will be older 
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 47

Civilian noninstitutional population, by age, gender, race, and ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and projected 2020

[Numbers in thousands]

Group

Level Change Annual growth rate Percent distribution

1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020 1990 2000 2010 2020 

Total, 16 years

and older 189,164 212,577 237,830 263,009 23,413 25,253 25,179 1.2 1.1 1.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

 16 to 24 33,421 34,223 37,948 38,055 802 3,725 107 .2 1.0 .0 17.7 16.1 16.0 14.5 

 16 to 19 14,520 15,912 16,901 17,131 1,392 989 230 .9 .6 .1 7.7 7.5 7.1 6.5 

 20 to 24 18,902 18,311 21,047 20,924 –591 2,736 –123 –.3 1.4 –.1 10.0 8.6 8.8 8.0 

 25 to 54 105,777 120,657 125,291 128,665 14,880 4,634 3,374 1.3 .4 .3 55.9 56.8 52.7 48.9 

 25 to 34 42,976 38,704 40,903 45,215 –4,272 2,199 4,312 –1.0 .6 1.0 22.7 18.2 17.2 17.2 

 35 to 44 37,719 44,312 40,090 42,534 6,593 –4,222 2,444 1.6 –1.0 .6 19.9 20.8 16.9 16.2 

 45 to 54 25,081 37,641 44,297 40,916 12,560 6,656 –3,381 4.1 1.6 –.8 13.3 17.7 18.6 15.6 

 55 and older 49,966 57,696 74,591 96,289 7,730 16,895 21,698 1.4 2.6 2.6 26.4 27.1 31.4 36.6 

 55 to 64 20,720 24,230 35,885 42,600 3,510 11,655 6,715 1.6 4.0 1.7 11.0 11.4 15.1 16.2 

 65 to 74 17,648 18,212 21,122 32,032 564 2,910 10,910 .3 1.5 4.3 9.3 8.6 8.9 12.2 

 75 and older 11,598 15,254 17,585 21,657 3,656 2,331 4,072 2.8 1.4 2.1 6.1 7.2 7.4 8.2 

Men, 16 years

and older 90,377 101,964 115,174 127,711 11,587 13,210 12,537 1.2 1.2 1.0 47.8 48.0 48.4 48.6 

 16 to 24 16,667 17,190 19,128 19,145 523 1,938 17 .3 1.1 .0 8.8 8.1 8.0 7.3 

 16 to 19 7,347 8,089 8,578 8,659 742 489 81 1.0 .6 .1 3.9 3.8 3.6 3.3 

 20 to 24 9,320 9,101 10,550 10,486 –219 1,449 –64 –.2 1.5 –.1 4.9 4.3 4.4 4.0 

 25 to 54 51,884 59,155 61,986 64,030 7,271 2,831 2,044 1.3 .5 .3 27.4 27.8 26.1 24.3 

 25 to 34 21,117 19,106 20,465 22,644 –2,011 1,359 2,179 –1.0 .7 1.0 11.2 9.0 8.6 8.6 

 35 to 44 18,529 21,684 19,807 21,134 3,155 –1,877 1,327 1.6 –.9 .7 9.8 10.2 8.3 8.0 

 45 to 54 12,238 18,365 21,713 20,252 6,127 3,348 –1,461 4.1 1.7 –.7 6.5 8.6 9.1 7.7 

 55 and older 21,826 25,619 34,060 44,536 3,793 8,441 10,476 1.6 2.9 2.7 11.5 12.1 14.3 16.9 

 55 to 64 9,778 11,583 17,291 20,611 1,805 5,708 3,320 1.7 4.1 1.8 5.2 5.4 7.3 7.8 

 65 to 74 7,776 8,217 9,758 14,928 441 1,541 5,170 .6 1.7 4.3 4.1 3.9 4.1 5.7 

 75 and older 4,273 5,819 7,011 8,998 1,546 1,192 1,987 3.1 1.9 2.5 2.3 2.7 2.9 3.4 

Women, 16 years

and older 98,787 110,613 122,656 135,298 11,826 12,043 12,642 1.1 1.0 1.0 52.2 52.0 51.6 51.4 

 16 to 24 16,754 17,034 18,820 18,909 280 1,786 89 .2 1.0 .0 8.9 8.0 7.9 7.2 

 16 to 19 7,173 7,823 8,323 8,471 650 500 148 .9 .6 .2 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.2 

 20 to 24 9,582 9,211 10,497 10,438 –371 1,286 –59 –.4 1.3 –.1 5.1 4.3 4.4 4.0 

 25 to 54 53,893 61,502 63,305 64,635 7,609 1,803 1,330 1.3 .3 .2 28.5 28.9 26.6 24.6 

 25 to 34 21,859 19,598 20,438 22,572 –2,261 840 2,134 –1.1 .4 1.0 11.6 9.2 8.6 8.6 

 35 to 44 19,190 22,628 20,282 21,400 3,438 –2,346 1,118 1.7 –1.1 .5 10.1 10.6 8.5 8.1 

 45 to 54 12,843 19,276 22,584 20,664 6,433 3,308 –1,920 4.1 1.6 –.9 6.8 9.1 9.5 7.9 

 55 and older 28,139 32,077 40,531 51,753 3,938 8,454 11,222 1.3 2.4 2.5 14.9 15.1 17 19.7

 55 to 64 10,942 12,647 18,594 21,989 1,705 5,947 3,395 1.5 3.9 1.7 5.8 5.9 7.8 8.4

 65 to 74 9,872 9,995 11,363 17,105 123 1,368 5,742 .1 1.3 4.2 5.2 4.7 4.8 6.5

 75 and older 7,325 9,435 10,574 12,659 2,110 1,139 2,085 2.6 1.1 1.8 3.9 4.4 4.4 4.8

White,16 years 

and older 160,625 176,220 192,075 207,693 15,595 15,855 15,618 .9 .9 .8 84.9 82.9 80.8 79

 Men 77,369 85,370 94,082 102,057 8,001 8,712 7,975 1 1 .8 40.9 40.2 39.6 38.8

 Women 83,256 90,850 97,993 105,636 7,594 7,143 7,643 .9 .8 .8 44 42.7 41.2 40.2

See notes at end of table.

Table 2.
Labor Force

48 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

than 55 years of age.

Gender. The civilian noninstitutional population of 

men stood at 115.2 million in 2010 and is projected to 

be 127.7 million in 2020, an annual growth rate of 1.0 

percent over the 2010–2020 period. The civilian noninstitutional population of women was 122.7 million in 

2010 and is projected to be 135.3 million in 2020, also an 

annual growth rate of 1.0 percent over the same period 

and an increase of 12.6 million. The civilian noninstitutional population of women in the 55-years-and-older 

cohort was 6.5 million more than men in 2010 and is 

expected to be 7.2 million more in 2020. So, as the population shifts to higher age groups, the population of older 

women will be increasing at a considerably higher rate 

than that of older men.

Diversity. Table 2 also clearly highlights the diversity in 

the civilian noninstitutional population. Minorities’ growing shares of that population have been an ongoing trend 

in the past several decades and are reflected in the Census 

Bureau and BLS projections of the U.S. population and labor force. Asians and Hispanics are projected to continue 

to grow much faster than White non-Hispanics.

The rate of growth of the Hispanic population is expected to be the highest of all racial and ethnic groups. 

Continued—Civilian noninstitutional population, by age, gender, race, and ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, 

and projected 2020

[Numbers in thousands]

Group

Level Change Annual growth rate Percent distribution

1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020 1990 2000 2010 2020 

Black, 16 years 

and older 21,477 24,901 28,708 32,650 3,424 3,807 3,942 1.5 1.4 1.3 11.4 11.7 12.1 12.4 

 Men 9,573 11,129 12,939 14,894 1,556 1,810 1,955 1.5 1.5 1.4 5.1 5.2 5.4 5.7 

 Women 11,904 13,772 15,769 17,756 1,868 1,997 1,987 1.5 1.4 1.2 6.3 6.5 6.6 6.8 

Asian, 16 years

and older 7,062 9,330 11,199 14,952 2,268 1,869 3,753 2.8 1.8 2.9 3.7 4.4 4.7 5.7 

 Men 3,434 4,420 5,315 6,995 986 895 1,680 2.6 1.9 2.8 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.7 

 Women 3,628 4,910 5,884 7,957 1,282 974 2,073 3.1 1.8 3.1 1.9 2.3 2.5 3.0 

All other racial

groups1 – 2,126 5,847 7,714 – 3,721 1,867 – 10.6 2.8 – .9 2.5 2.9 

 Men – 1,045 2,838 3,765 – 1,793 927 – 10.5 2.9 – .4 1.2 1.4 

 Women – 1,081 3,009 3,949 – 1,928 940 – 10.8 2.8 – .5 1.3 1.5 

Hispanic origin,

16 years and

older 15,904 23,938 33,713 46,067 8,034 9,775 12,354 4.2 3.5 3.2 8.4 11.3 14.2 17.5 

 Men 8,041 12,174 17,359 23,540 4,133 5,185 6,181 4.2 3.6 3.1 4.3 5.7 7.3 9.0 

 Women 7,863 11,764 16,353 22,527 3,901 4,589 6,174 4.1 3.3 3.3 4.2 5.5 6.9 8.6 

Other than

Hispanic origin,

16 years and 

older 173,260 188,639 204,117 216,942 15,379 15,478 12,825 .9 .8 .6 91.6 88.7 85.8 82.5 

 Men 82,336 89,790 97,815 104,171 7,454 8,025 6,356 .9 .9 .6 43.5 42.2 41.1 39.6 

 Women 90,924 98,849 106,303 112,771 7,925 7,454 6,468 .8 .7 .6 48.1 46.5 44.7 42.9 

 White non– 

 Hispanic, 

 6 years and

 older 146,535 153,506 160,811 165,024 6,971 7,305 4,213 .5 .5 .3 77.5 72.2 67.6 62.7

 Men 70,220 73,811 77,925 80,199 3,591 4,114 2,274 .5 .5 .3 37.1 34.7 32.8 30.5

 Women 76,315 79,695 82,886 84,825 3,380 3,191 1,939 .4 .4 .2 40.3 37.5 34.9 32.3

Age of babyboomers 26 to 44 36 to 54 46 to 64 56 to 74 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

1 The “all other groups” category includes (1) those classified as being 

of multiple racial origin and (2) the racial categories of (2a) American Indian 

and Alaska Native and (2b) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. 

NOTE: Dash indicates no data collected for category. Details may not 

sum to totals because of rounding.

Table 2.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 49

The civilian noninstitutional population of Hispanics 

was 15.9 million in 1990 and 23.9 million in 2000. From 

2000 to 2010, their number increased by nearly 10 million, reaching 33.7 million in the latter year. BLS projects 

that the group will increase by another 12.4 million, to 

reach more than 46 million in 2020. The Hispanic share 

of the total civilian noninstitutional population will have 

increased from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 17.5 percent in 

2020. Hispanic immigrants to the United States are 

mostly in younger age groups, and their entry into the 

country lowers the median age of the working-age population. The high fertility rate of Hispanics offsets the slow 

growth of the native-born population and increases the 

overall U.S. fertility rate.

BLS also projects that the Asian population will grow 

by 2.9 percent between 2010 and 2020 and increase the 

Asian share of the total civilian noninstitutional population to 5.7 percent. In contrast, the share of White 

non-Hispanics is projected to decline over the same period. The White non-Hispanic share of the total civilian 

noninstitutional population was 77.5 percent in 1990, 

declined to 72.2 percent in 2000, and fell to a low of 67.6 

percent in 2010. The group’s share is projected to decrease 

further, to 62.7 percent in 2020. The Black share of the 

total civilian noninstitutional population is expected to 

grow little, from 12.1 percent in 2010 to 12.4 percent in 

2020.

Labor force participation rate

The overall labor force participation rate peaked at 67.1 

percent from 1997 to 2000 and then declined during 

the recession of 2001. Unlike its behavior in previous 

downturns, in which it would soon return to the prerecession level, the labor force participation rate continued 

to decline after the 2001 recession and then held steady 

at 66.0 percent from 2004 to 2008, with a small uptick 

to 66.2 percent in 2006. In the 2007–2009 recession, the 

overall labor force participation rate experienced a sharp 

drop, to 65.4 percent in 2009. In 2010, it came in at 64.7 

percent, a further decrease of 0.7 percentage point. (See 

table 3.)

A number of factors are responsible for the downward 

pressure on participation rates. These factors affect the 

rates in various ways.

Demographic and structural changes. The aging of the U.S 

population is a prime example of a demographic change 

that will affect the labor force participation rate and, 

hence, the labor force itself. As the baby-boom generation 

has aged and moved from the prime age group, with high 

participation rates, to the older age groups, with significantly lower labor force participation rates, the overall labor force participation rate has declined. This trend is expected to continue and even accelerate in the 2010–2020 

timeframe.

The demographic composition of the population directly affects the demographic composition of the labor 

force. In 1990, 11.9 percent of the labor force was 55 years 

and older. (See table 1.) Over the 1990–2000 timeframe, 

the share of the older labor force increased to 13.1 percent. In 2010, the share increased again, to 19.5 percent. 

BLS projects that the share of the 55-years-and-older labor force will increase to 25.2 percent in 2020. In 2000, 

baby boomers were ages 36 to 54 and all of them were 

in the prime age group of 25 to 54 years—the group 

with the highest participation rates. With the passage 

of every year after 2000, a segment of the baby-boom 

population has moved from the prime age group, with 

a high participation rate of 82.2 percent in 2010, to the 

55-years-and-older age category, with a much lower 

participation rate of 40.2 percent in 2010, causing the 

overall participation rate to drop. (see table 3.) In other 

words, the U.S. labor market is currently experiencing a 

negative demographic effect in which a large segment of 

the population is moving from an age group with higher 

participation rates to an older age group with lower participation rates, resulting in a slowdown in the growth of 

the labor force. In addition, the baby bust is reinforcing 

this slowdown because fewer people are entering the labor force from that age cohort.

With the aging of the baby-boom generation, the older 

age cohorts are expected to make up a much larger share 

of both the population and the labor force. Because age 

is a major factor in the labor supply, the aging of the U.S. 

population will affect the growth of the labor force by 

lowering labor force participation rates.

Two long-term labor force projections have been published by BLS since 2000.12 Even before the impact of the 

most recent recession was felt, both of these studies projected slower growth of the labor force participation rate 

and, consequently, the labor force. The increasing shares 

of workers in the 55-years–and-older age group is a structural force that will continue over the 2010–2020 period, 

dramatically lowering both the overall participation rate 

and the growth of the labor force.

Cyclical changes. Cyclical factors such as economic expansions and recessions cause short-term changes in labor 

force participation rates, which usually increase in expan-
Labor Force

50 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

Civilian labor force participation rates, by age, gender, race, and ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and projected 2020

[In percent]

Group

Participation rate Percentage–point change Annual growth rate

1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020 1990–2000 2000–

2010

2010–

2020

Total, 16 years and older 66.5 67.1 64.7 62.5 0.6 –2.4 –2.2 0.1 0–.4 –0.3

 16 to 24 67.3 65.4 55.2 48.2 –1.9 –10.2 –7.0 –.3 –1.7 –1.3

16 to 19 53.7 52.0 34.9 26.5 –1.7 –17.1 –8.4 –.3 –3.9 –2.7

20 to 24 77.8 77.8 71.4 65.9 .0 –6.4 –5.5 .0 –.9 –.8

 25 to 54 83.5 84.0 82.2 81.3 .5 –1.8 –.9 .1 –.2 –.1

 25 to 34 83.6 84.6 82.2 80.6 1.0 –2.4 –1.6 .1 –.3 –.2

 35 to 44 85.2 84.8 83.2 82.6 –.4 –1.6 –.6 .0 –.2 –.1

 45 to 54 80.7 82.5 81.2 80.8 1.8 –1.3 –.4 .2 –.2 .0

 55 and older 30.1 32.4 40.2 43.0 2.3 7.8 2.8 .7 2.2 .7

 55 to 64 55.9 59.3 64.9 68.8 3.4 5.6 3.9 .6 .9 .6

 55 to 59 67.0 68.9 73.3 76.3 1.9 4.4 3.0 .3 .6 .4

 60 to 64 44.8 47.2 55.2 60.9 2.4 8.0 5.7 .5 1.6 1.0

60 to 61 55.1 57.1 62.5 64.2 2.0 5.4 1.7 .4 .9 .3

62 to 64 38.0 40.2 49.8 58.5 2.2 9.6 8.7 .6 2.2 1.6

 65 and older 11.8 12.9 17.4 22.6 1.1 4.5 5.2 .9 3.0 2.6

 65 to 74 16.7 19.2 25.7 31.0 2.5 6.5 5.3 1.4 3.0 1.9

 65 to 69 21.0 24.5 31.5 37.8 3.5 7.0 6.3 1.6 2.5 1.8

 70 to 74 11.3 13.5 18.0 22.8 2.2 4.5 4.8 1.8 2.9 2.4

 75 and older 4.3 5.3 7.4 10.0 1.0 2.1 2.6 2.1 3.4 3.1

 75 to 79 6.1 7.5 10.9 15.2 1.4 3.4 4.3 2.1 3.8 3.4

Men, 16 years and older 76.4 74.8 71.2 68.2 –1.6 –3.6 –3.0 –.2 –.5 –.4

 16 to 24 71.8 68.6 56.8 50.6 –3.2 –11.8 –6.2 –.5 –1.9 –1.1

 16 to 19 55.7 52.8 34.9 27.9 –2.9 –17.9 –7.0 –.5 –4.1 –2.2

 20 to 24 84.4 82.6 74.5 69.4 –1.8 –8.1 –5.1 –.2 –1.0 –.7

 25 to 54 93.4 91.6 89.3 88.1 –1.8 –1.9 –1.6 –.2 –.2 –.2

 25 to 34 94.1 93.4 90.3 86.9 –.7 –3.1 –3.4 –.1 –.3 –.4

 35 to 44 94.3 92.7 91.5 91.3 –1.6 –1.2 –.2 –.2 –.1 .0

 45 to 54 90.7 88.6 86.8 86.0 –2.1 –1.8 –.8 –.2 –.2 –.1

 55 and older 39.4 40.1 46.4 47.3 .7 6.3 .9 .2 1.5 .2

 55 to 64 67.8 67.3 70.0 71.1 –.5 2.7 1.1 –.1 .4 .2

 55 to 59 79.9 77.1 78.5 78.6 –2.8 1.4 .1 –.4 .2 .0

 60 to 64 55.5 55.0 60.0 63.2 –.5 5.0 3.2 –.1 .9 .5

60 to 61 68.8 66.0 67.4 62.9 –2.8 1.4 –4.5 –.4 .2 –.7

62 to 64 46.5 47.0 54.6 63.4 .5 7.6 8.8 .1 1.5 1.5

 65 and older 16.3 17.7 22.1 26.7 1.4 4.4 4.6 .8 2.2 1.9

 65 to 74 21.4 24.6 30.4 35.1 3.2 5.8 4.7 1.4 2.1 1.4

 65 to 69 26.0 30.3 36.5 41.4 4.3 6.2 4.9 1.5 1.9 1.3

 70 to 74 15.4 18.0 22.0 27.0 2.6 4.0 5.0 1.6 2.0 2.1

 75 and older 7.1 8.1 10.4 12.8 1.0 2.3 2.4 1.3 2.5 2.1

 75 to 79 9.5 10.7 14.5 18.2 1.2 3.8 3.7 1.2 3.1 2.3

Women, 16 years and 

older 57.5 59.9 58.6 57.1 2.4 –1.3 –1.5 .4 –.2 –0.3

 16 to 24 62.9 63.0 53.6 45.7 .1 –9.4 –7.9 .0 –1.6 –1.6

 16 to 19 51.6 51.2 35.0 25.2 –.4 –16.2 –9.8 –.1 –3.7 –3.2

 20 to 24 71.3 73.1 68.3 62.3 1.8 –4.8 –6.0 .2 –.7 –.9

 25 to 54 74.0 76.7 75.2 74.6 2.7 –1.5 –.6 .4 –.2 –.1

 25 to 34 73.5 76.1 74.7 74.2 2.6 –1.4 –.5 .3 –.2 –.1

 35 to 44 76.4 77.2 75.2 74.0 .8 –2.0 –1.2 .1 –.3 –.2

 45 to 54 71.2 76.8 75.7 75.7 5.6 –1.1 .0 .8 –.1 .0

See notes at end of table.

Table 3.
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 51

sions and decline during economic downturns. During the 2007–2009 recession, weak demand for workers 

strengthened the aforementioned demographic and structural factors, pushing participation rates to considerably 

lower levels.

Historically, cyclical factors have had the greatest impact on the labor force participation of the young. The 

youth labor force (16 to 24 years old) is quite vulnerable 

during recessions: youths are usually the first to be fired 

and the last to be hired.13 During recessions and in weak 

job markets, this young age group tends to stay in school 

longer and experiences a significant drop in its labor force 

Continued—Civilian labor force participation rates, by age, gender, race, and ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 

projected 2020

[In percent]

Group

Participation rate Percentage–point change Annual growth rate

1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

 55 and older 22.9 26.1 35.1 39.3 3.2 9.0 4.2 1.3 3.0 1.1

 55 to 64 45.2 51.9 60.2 66.6 6.7 8.3 6.4 1.4 1.5 1.0

 55 to 59 55.3 61.4 68.4 74.1 6.1 7.0 5.7 1.1 1.1 .8

 60 to 64 35.5 40.2 50.7 58.8 4.7 10.5 8.1 1.3 2.3 1.5

 60 to 61 42.9 49.0 58.0 65.4 6.1 9.0 7.4 1.3 1.7 1.2

 62 to 64 30.7 34.1 45.3 54.1 3.4 11.2 8.8 1.1 2.9 1.8

 65 and older 8.6 9.4 13.8 19.2 .8 4.4 5.4 .9 3.9 3.4

 65 to 74 13.0 14.9 21.6 27.5 1.9 6.7 5.9 1.4 3.8 2.4

 65 to 69 17.0 19.5 27.0 34.5 2.5 7.5 7.5 1.4 3.3 2.5

 70 to 74 8.2 10.0 14.7 19.2 1.8 4.7 4.5 2.0 3.9 2.7

 75 and older 2.7 3.6 5.3 8.0 .9 1.7 2.7 2.9 3.9 4.2

 75 to 79 3.9 5.3 8.2 13.0 1.4 2.9 4.8 3.1 4.5 4.7

Race:

 White 66.9 67.3 65.1 62.8 .4 –2.2 –2.3 .1 –.3 –.4

 Men 77.1 75.5 72.0 69.0 –1.6 –3.5 –3.0 –.2 –.5 –.4

 Women 57.4 59.5 58.5 56.9 2.1 –1.0 –1.6 .4 –.2 –.3

 Black 64.0 65.8 62.2 60.3 1.8 –3.6 –1.9 .3 –.6 –.3

 Men 71.1 69.2 65.0 63.1 –1.9 –4.2 –1.9 –.3 –.6 –.3

 Women 58.3 63.1 59.9 57.9 4.8 –3.2 –2.0 .8 –.5 –.3

 Asian 65.4 67.2 64.7 63.1 1.8 –2.5 –1.6 .3 –.4 –.3

 Men 75.0 76.1 73.2 71.0 1.1 –2.9 –2.2 .1 –.4 –.3

 Women 57.4 59.2 57.0 56.1 1.8 –2.2 –.9 .3 –.4 –.2

 All other race groups1 – – 63.2 61.4 – – –1.8 – – –.3

 Men – – 68.7 63.4 – – –5.3 – – –.8

 Women – – 58.0 59.5 – – 1.5 – – .3

Ethnicity:

 Hispanic origin 67.4 69.7 67.5 66.2 2.3 –2.2 –1.3 .3 –.3 –.2

 Men 81.4 81.5 77.8 75.9 .1 –3.7 –1.9 .0 –.5 –.2

 Women 53.1 57.5 56.5 56.1 4.4 –1.0 –.4 .8 –.2 –.1

Other than Hispanic origin 66.4 66.7 64.2 61.7 .3 –2.5 –2.5 .0 –.4 –.4

 Men 75.9 73.9 70.0 66.5 –2.0 –3.9 –3.5 –.3 –.5 –.5

 Women 57.9 60.2 59.0 57.3 2.3 –1.2 –1.7 .4 –.2 –.3

 White non–Hispanic 66.8 66.9 64.6 62.0 .1 –2.3 –2.6 .0 –.3 –.4

 Men 76.5 74.6 70.7 67.2 –1.9 –3.9 –3.5 –.3 –.5 –.5

 Women 57.8 59.8 58.9 57.2 2.0 –.9 –1.7 .3 –.2 –.3

1

 The “all other groups” category includes (1) those classified as being of 

multiple racial origin and (2) the racial categories of (2a) American Indian and 

Alaska Native or (2b) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. 

NOTE: Dash indicates no data collected for category. Details may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

Table 3.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Labor Force

52 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

participation rate. By contrast, the prime-age workforce 

is the least sensitive to economic downturns and cyclical 

changes, because its members are already firmly established in the labor market, with high labor force participation rates. Finally, like the youth labor force, the 

55-years-and-older workforce is more sensitive to cyclical 

changes than the prime-age workforce.

In contrast to the factors exerting downward pressure 

on labor force participation rates, at least two factors have 

been responsible for strengthening the rates, although not 

enough to offset the factors pulling them down: 

•	 The labor force participation rate of the 55-yearsand-older age group has increased considerably 

since 1996. In 2000, the rate was 32.4 percent; a 

decade later, in 2010, it had risen significantly, to 

40.2 percent. (See table 3.) BLS projects that the 

labor force participation rate of those 55 years and 

older will reach 43.0 percent in 2020. The continued 

gradual increase in the labor force participation rate 

of this age group, multiplied by the sheer number of 

baby boomers in the group, is expected to partially 

compensate for the multiple other factors pushing 

the rate to lower levels and is expected to keep it 

from declining even further in the future.

•	 Another factor responsible for strengthening the 

overall participation rate in the next 10 years is the 

increasing racial and ethnic diversity of both the 

population and the labor force. The participation 

rates of Hispanics and Asians, especially Hispanic 

and Asian men, have increased steadily in the past 

several decades. This factor, too, is expected to have 

an offsetting influence on the downward movement 

of labor force participation rates.

In sum, a combination of demographic, structural, and 

cyclical factors has affected the overall labor force participation rate, as well as the participation rates of specific groups, in the past. BLS projects that the downward 

pressure on the overall labor force participation rate will 

continue over the 2010–2020 period and the rate will 

gradually decline further, reaching 62.5 percent in 2020. 

(See chart 1.)

Participation rate by age

Workers 55 years and older. The aging of the baby-boom 

generation has shifted the composition of the population toward older age groups, and this trend is likely to 

continue for the foreseeable future. In 2000, the baby 

 Chart 1. Labor force participation rates, 1960–2010 and projected 2020

100

80

60

40

20

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

100

80

60

40

20

Men

Total

Women

Percent Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 53

boomers were in the 36-to-54-year-old age group, all of 

whose members were in the prime age group, the group 

with the highest participation rates. In 2020, that entire cohort will be older than 55 years. The shift of this 

huge group from the prime age to the older age groups is 

expected to exert significant downward pressure on the 

overall participation rate and on the growth of the labor 

force in the future.

Prime-age workers 25 to 54 years. Historically, this group 

has exhibited a strong attachment to the labor market. 

Over the next decade, the participation rate of the group 

is projected to decrease. The participation rate of 25-to54-year-olds was 83.5 percent in 1990 and increased to 

84.0 percent in 2000. (See table 3.) Since 2000, however, 

the rate has been declining each year or has remained flat 

at best, falling to 82.2 percent in 2010. BLS projects that 

the rate will decline to 81.3 percent in 2020.

The participation rate of a subgroup of prime-age 

workers, those 25 to 34 years old, also has been on a 

declining trend since 2000. This group had a participation rate of 82.2 percent in 2010. The rate is expected to decline to 80.6 percent in 2020. Two other age 

groups—those 35 to 44 years old and those 45 to 54 

years old—have had similar experiences: both groups 

saw their participation rates decline since 2000, falling 

to 83.2 percent and 81.2 percent, respectively, in 2010. 

BLS projects that the participation rates for these two 

groups will decline further, to 82.6 percent and 80.8 

percent, respectively, in 2020.

Youths 16 to 24 years. The two age groups of 16-to-19-

year-olds and 20-to-24-year-olds have different patterns 

of labor force participation rates. The difference is partially explained by the differing shares of students and 

nonstudents in the groups. Students are less likely to participate in the labor force. Increases in school attendance 

at the secondary and college levels, particularly in summer 

school, decrease each group’s participation rate in the labor force, but more so for the younger group, which has 

proportionally more students.14

Of all the age and gender categories that make up the 

labor force, 16-to-19-year-old men have experienced 

the largest decline and have had the greatest impact on 

the decrease of the overall participation rate. This group 

saw its participation rate fall from 55.7 percent in 1990 

to 52.8 percent in 2000. Then, from 2000 to 2010, the 

rate declined by 17.9 percentage points, coming in at 34.9 

percent in 2010. The cohort of 16-to-19-year-old women 

saw a similar steep decline in its participation rate. BLS

projects that the downward trend in the participation 

rates of both 16-to-19-year-old men and 16-to-19-yearold women will continue, further reducing the overall participation rate for the 16-to-19-years age group to 26.5 

percent in 2020.

Participation rate by gender

Women. The participation rate of women was 57.5 percent in 1990 and peaked to 60.0 percent in 1999. In 2000, 

the rate declined slightly, to 59.9 percent. Since then, the 

rate has shown a general pattern of slow decline, falling 

to 58.6 percent in 2010. With significant increases in the 

share of older women in the total population, the overall 

labor force participation rate for women is projected to 

slow down even further, to 57.1 percent in 2020.

Among the different age groups of women, 16-to24-year-olds experienced a significant decrease in their 

participation rate, from 63.0 percent in 2000 to 53.6 percent in 2010. BLS expects this group’s rate to continue to 

decrease. 

In contrast to the younger group, the participation 

rate of women in the 55-years-and-older age group rose 

from 22.9 percent in 1990 to 26.1 percent in 2000 and increased again, this time by 9.0 percentage points, to 35.1 

percent in 2010. BLS projects that the participation rate of 

women 55 years and older will increase to 39.3 percent, a 

gain of 4.2 percentage points, in 2020.

Women in the prime age group of 25 to 54 years had 

participation growth rates that were in between those of 

the younger and older age groups (neither as weak as the 

one nor as strong as the other). Prime-age women had a 

participation rate of 74.0 percent in 1990 and saw the rate 

peak at 76.7 percent in 2000. After that, the group’s rate 

declined to 75.2 percent in 2010. BLS expects the rate to 

drop further, to 74.6 percent in 2020.

Men. The participation rate of men has been on a downward trend since the 1950s and is expected to continue to 

decrease in the next 10 years. In 1990, the rate was 76.4 

percent; it fell to 74.8 percent in 2000 and to 71.2 percent 

in 2010. The rate is projected to decrease steadily to 68.2 

percent in 2020. Younger men (16 to 24 years) saw their 

rate fall by a significant 15.0 percentage points, from 71.8 

percent in 1990 to 56.8 percent in 2010. BLS expects the 

declining trend for this age group of men to continue into 

2020.

The labor force participation rate of prime-age men 

(25 to 54 years) decreased from 93.4 percent in 1990, to 

91.6 percent in 2000, to 89.3 percent in 2010. The par-
Labor Force

54 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

ticipation rate for this age group is projected to decrease 

further, to 88.1 percent in 2020. In contrast, and like the 

group of older women, the 55-years-and-older age group 

of men increased its participation rate from 1990 to 2010. 

Older men saw their labor force participation rate increase from 39.4 percent in 1990, to 40.1 percent in 2000, 

to 46.4 percent in 2010, the last increase a gain of 6.3 

percentage points. BLS projects that men in this age group 

will increase their participation rate significantly, to 47.3 

percent in 2020.

Labor force participation rate by race and ethnicity. There 

are substantial differences in the labor force participation 

rates of the various racial and ethnic groups, although the 

differences are usually not as great as those observed for 

the different age and gender groups. The tabulation that 

follows shows the variation and ranking of the various labor force participation rates by race in 2010. The rankings, 

from 1, the highest labor force participation rate, to 4, the 

lowest, apply to each column, individually. 

Rank Total Men Women

 1 ........ Hispanic Hispanic Black

 2 ........ Asian Asian White

 non-

 Hispanic

 3 ........ White White Asian 

 non- non-

 Hispanic Hispanic

 4 ........ Black Black Hispanic

As the tabulation indicates, Hispanics in the aggregate 

and Hispanic men had the highest labor force participation rates in 2010 compared with the other racial and 

ethnic groups listed in that column. Hispanic women, by 

contrast, had the lowest participation rates in the workforce. Hispanics have a younger population than other 

racial and ethnic groups, and, consequently, have a greater 

proportion at the ages of higher participation rates. The 

aggregate Asian participation rate and the rate for Asian 

men ranked second in 2010, while Asian women were in 

third place among women. For Blacks, the situation by 

gender is reversed: Black women have a very high labor 

force participation rate, higher in fact than that of any other racial or ethnic group of women; however, the overall 

labor force participation rate of Blacks is the lowest of all 

the racial and ethnic groups. White non-Hispanics in the 

aggregate and white non-Hispanic men ranked third in 

labor force participation rate, while White non-Hispanic 

women ranked second, in their respective categories. 

The data in table 3 indicate that age, gender, and race 

or ethnicity are important in describing variations in labor 

force participation. Although overall labor force participation rates for men and women are projected to change 

during the next 10 years, the changes are expected to 

preserve the relative ranking of the different racial and 

ethnic groups, with minor differences in the participation 

rates of Asian and Hispanic women. 

Higher participation in the labor force by Hispanic 

men and Asian men relative to other racial and ethnic 

groups would increase their share in the labor force, continuing the trend of even more racial and ethnic diversity 

in the workforce in the next 10 years.

The projected labor force

The U.S. labor force grew at an annual rate of 1.3 percent 

over the 1990–2000 timeframe, followed by a 0.8-percent 

annual growth rate during the 2000–2010 period. As a 

result of the earlier mentioned projected slower population growth, combined with the significant decline in 

the overall labor force participation rate, particularly 

since 2008, labor force growth is projected to slow to 0.7 

percent per year over the 2010–2020 timeframe. The labor force is anticipated to reach 164.4 million in 2020. 

This projected 6.8-percentage-point change from 2010 to 

2020 is less than the 7.9-percentage-point increase registered over the 2000–2010 decade and translates into a 

numerical increase of 10.5 million, compared with 11.3 

million over the 2000–2010 timeframe. (See table 4.)

The year 2000 marked a high point as far as the impact 

of demographics on the labor market is concerned. The 

entirety of the baby-boom generation was in the prime 

working-age group (25 to 54 years old). Every year following 2000, more members of this huge cohort, numbering 77 million, have pushed into the 55-years–andolder age group. The substantial shift of the population 

to older age groups will dampen the growth of the labor 

force over the next decade.

The labor force also will change in composition, with 

the various age, gender, racial, and ethnic groups experiencing growth at different rates.

Labor force by gender

Men. The labor force of men grew by 1.0 percent annually in the 1990–2000 timeframe, followed by 0.7 percent 

over the 2000–2010 period. BLS projects that the men’s 
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 55

Civilian labor force, by age, gender, race, and ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and projected 2020

[Numbers in thousands]

Group

Level Change Percent change

1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

1990–

2000

2000–

2010

2010–

2020

Total, 16 years and older 125,840 142,583 153,889 164,360 16,743 11,306 10,471 13.3 7.9 6.8 

 16 to 24 22,492 22,520 20,934 18,330 28 –1,586 –2,604 .1 –7.0 –12.4 

 16 to 19 7,792 8,270 5,906 4,548 478 –2,364 –1,358 6.1 –28.6 –23.0 

 20 to 24 14,700 14,250 15,028 13,783 –450 778 –1,245 –3.1 5.5 –8.3 

 25 to 54 88,322 101,394 102,940 104,619 13,072 1,546 1,679 14.8 1.5 1.6 

 25 to 34 35,929 32,756 33,614 36,421 –3,173 858 2,807 –8.8 2.6 8.4 

 35 to 44 32,145 37,566 33,366 35,147 5,421 –4,200 1,781 16.9 –11.2 5.3 

 45 to 54 20,248 31,072 35,960 33,051 10,824 4,888 –2,909 53.5 15.7 –8.1 

 55 and older 15,026 18,669 30,014 41,411 3,643 11,345 11,397 24.2 60.8 38.0 

 55 to 64 11,575 14,357 23,297 29,298 2,782 8,940 6,001 24.0 62.3 25.8 

 65 to 74 2,952 3,505 5,424 9,945 553 1,919 4,521 18.7 54.8 83.4 

 75 and older 498 807 1,293 2,168 309 486 875 62.0 60.2 67.7 

Men, 16 years and older 69,011 76,280 81,985 87,128 7,269 5,705 5,143 10.5 7.5 6.3 

 16 to 24 11,960 11,789 10,855 9,690 –171 –934 –1,165 –1.4 –7.9 –10.7 

 16 to 19 4,094 4,268 2,991 2,413 174 –1,277 –578 4.3 –29.9 –19.3 

 20 to 24 7,866 7,521 7,864 7,276 –345 343 –588 –4.4 4.6 –7.5 

 25 to 54 48,456 54,206 55,326 56,386 5,750 1,120 1,060 11.9 2.1 1.9 

 25 to 34 19,872 17,844 18,352 19,667 –2,028 508 1,315 –10.2 2.8 7.2 

 35 to 44 17,481 20,093 18,119 19,303 2,612 –1,974 1,184 14.9 –9.8 6.5 

 45 to 54 11,103 16,269 18,856 17,415 5,166 2,587 –1,441 46.5 15.9 –7.6 

 55 and older 8,594 10,285 15,803 21,052 1,691 5,518 5,249 19.7 53.7 33.2 

 55 to 64 6,627 7,796 12,103 14,662 1,169 4,307 2,559 17.6 55.2 21.1 

 65 to 74 1,664 2,018 2,971 5,236 354 953 2,265 21.3 47.2 76.2 

 75 and older 303 471 729 1,155 168 258 426 55.4 54.8 58.4 

Women, 16 years and older 56,829 66,303 71,904 77,232 9,474 5,601 5,328 16.7 8.4 7.4 

 16 to 24 10,532 10,731 10,079 8,641 199 –652 –1,438 1.9 –6.1 –14.3 

 16 to 19 3,698 4,002 2,914 2,134 304 –1,088 –780 8.2 –27.2 –26.8 

 20 to 24 6,834 6,729 7,164 6,506 –105 435 –658 –1.5 6.5 –9.2 

 25 to 54 39,866 47,188 47,614 48,233 7,322 426 619 18.4 0.9 1.3 

 25 to 34 16,058 14,912 15,263 16,754 –1,146 351 1,491 –7.1 2.4 9.8 

 35 to 44 14,663 17,473 15,247 15,844 2,810 –2,226 597 19.2 –12.7 3.9 

 45 to 54 9,145 14,803 17,104 15,635 5,658 2,301 –1,469 61.9 15.5 –8.6 

 55 and older 6,431 8,384 14,211 20,358 1,953 5,827 6,147 30.4 69.5 43.3 

 55 to 64 4,948 6,561 11,194 14,637 1,613 4,633 3,443 32.6 70.6 30.8 

 65 to 74 1,288 1,487 2,453 4,709 199 966 2,256 15.5 65.0 92.0 

 75 and older 195 336 564 1,012 141 228 448 72.3 67.9 79.4 

White 107,447 118,545 125,084 130,516 11,098 6,539 5,432 10.3 5.5 4.3 

Men 59,638 64,466 67,728 70,379 4,828 3,262 2,651 8.1 5.1 3.9 

Women 47,809 54,079 57,356 60,137 6,270 3,277 2,781 13.1 6.1 4.8 

Black 13,740 16,397 17,862 19,676 2,657 1,465 1,814 19.3 8.9 10.2 

Men 6,802 7,702 8,415 9,393 900 713 978 13.2 9.3 11.6 

Women 6,938 8,695 9,447 10,283 1,757 752 836 25.3 8.6 8.8 

Asian 4,653 6,270 7,248 9,430 1,617 978 2,182 34.8 15.6 30.1 

Men 2,570 3,362 3,893 4,968 792 531 1,075 30.8 15.8 27.6 

Women 2,083 2,908 3,355 4,462 825 447 1,107 39.6 15.4 33.0 

All other groups1 – 1,371 3,694 4,738 – 2,323 1,044 – 169.4 28.3 

Men – 750 1,949 2,388 – 1,199 439 – 159.9 22.5 

Women – 621 1,746 2,350 – 1,125 604 – 181.2 34.6 

Hispanic origin 10,720 16,689 22,748 30,493 5,969 6,059 7,745 55.7 36.3 34.0 

Men 6,546 9,923 13,511 17,859 3,377 3,588 4,348 51.6 36.2 32.2 

Women 4,174 6,767 9,238 12,634 2,593 2,471 3,396 62.1 36.5 36.8 

Other than Hispanic origin 115,120 125,894 131,141 133,867 10,774 5,247 2,726 9.4 4.2 2.1 

Men 62,465 66,357 68,474 69,269 3,892 2,117 795 6.2 3.2 1.2 

Women 52,655 59,536 62,666 64,598 6,881 3,130 1,932 13.1 5.3 3.1 

 White non–Hispanic 97,818 102,729 103,947 102,371 4,911 1,218 –1,576 5.0 1.2 –1.5 

 Men 53,731 55,040 55,116 53,867 1,309 76 –1,249 2.4 .1 –2.3 

 Women 44,087 47,689 48,831 48,504 3,602 1,142 –327 8.2 2.4 –.7 

See notes at end of table.

Table 4.
Labor Force

56 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

Continued—Civilian labor force, by age, gender, race, and ethnicity, 1990, 2000, 2010, and projected 2020

[Numbers in thousands]

Group

Percent distribution Annual growth rate (percent)

1990 2000 2010 2020 1990–2000 2000–2010 2010–2020

Total, 16 years and older 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 1.3 0.8 0.7 

 16 to 24 17.9 15.8 13.6 11.2 .0 –.7 –1.3 

 16 to 19 6.2 5.8 3.8 2.8 .6 –3.3 –2.6 

 20 to 24 11.7 1.0 9.8 8.4 –.3 .5 –.9 

 25 to 54 70.2 71.1 66.9 63.7 1.4 .2 .2 

 25 to 34 28.6 23.0 21.8 22.2 –.9 .3 .8 

 35 to 44 25.5 26.3 21.7 21.4 1.6 –1.2 .5 

 45 to 54 16.1 21.8 23.4 20.1 4.4 1.5 –.8 

 55 and older 11.9 13.1 19.5 25.2 2.2 4.9 3.3 

 55 to 64 9.2 10.1 15.1 17.8 2.2 5.0 2.3 

 65 to 74 2.3 2.5 3.5 6.1 1.7 4.5 6.2 

 75 and older .4 .6 .8 1.3 4.9 4.8 5.3 

Men, 16 years and older 54.8 53.5 53.3 53.0 1.0 .7 .6 

 16 to 24 9.5 8.3 7.1 5.9 –.1 –.8 –1.1 

 16 to 19 3.3 3.0 1.9 1.5 .4 –3.5 –2.1 

 20 to 24 6.3 5.3 5.1 4.4 –.4 .4 –.8 

 25 to 54 38.5 38.0 36.0 34.3 1.1 .2 .2 

 25 to 34 15.8 12.5 11.9 12.0 –1.1 .3 .7 

 35 to 44 13.9 14.1 11.8 11.7 1.4 –1.0 .6 

 45 to 54 8.8 11.4 12.3 10.6 3.9 1.5 –.8 

 55 and older 6.8 7.2 10.3 12.8 1.8 4.4 2.9 

 55 to 64 5.3 5.5 7.9 8.9 1.6 4.5 1.9 

 65 to 74 1.3 1.4 1.9 3.2 1.9 3.9 5.8 

 75 and older .2 .3 .5 .7 4.5 4.5 4.7 

Women, 16 years and older 45.2 46.5 46.7 47.0 1.6 .8 .7 

 16 to 24 8.4 7.5 6.5 5.3 .2 –.6 –1.5 

 16 to 19 2.9 2.8 1.9 1.3 .8 –3.1 –3.1 

 20 to 24 5.4 4.7 4.7 4.0 –.2 .6 –1.0 

 25 to 54 31.7 33.1 30.9 29.3 1.7 .1 .1 

 25 to 34 12.8 10.5 9.9 10.2 –.7 .2 .9 

 35 to 44 11.7 12.3 9.9 9.6 1.8 –1.4 .4 

 45 to 54 7.3 10.4 11.1 9.5 4.9 1.5 –.9 

 55 and older 5.1 5.9 9.2 12.4 2.7 5.4 3.7 

 55 to 64 3.9 4.6 7.3 8.9 2.9 5.5 2.7 

 65 to 74 1.0 1.0 1.6 2.9 1.4 5.1 6.7 

 75 and older .2 .2 .4 .6 5.6 5.3 6.0 

White 85.4 83.1 81.3 79.4 1.0 .5 .4 

Men 47.4 45.2 44.0 42.8 .8 .5 .4 

Women 38.0 37.9 37.3 36.6 1.2 .6 .5 

Black 10.9 11.5 11.6 12.0 1.8 .9 1.0 

Men 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.7 1.3 .9 1.1 

Women 5.5 6.1 6.1 6.3 2.3 .8 .9 

Asian 3.7 4.4 4.7 5.7 3.0 1.5 2.7 

Men 2.0 2.4 2.5 3.0 2.7 1.5 2.5 

Women 1.7 2.0 2.2 2.7 3.4 1.4 2.9 

All other groups1 – 1.0 2.4 2.9 – 10.4 2.5 

Men – .5 1.3 1.5 – 10.0 2.1 

Women – .4 1.1 1.4 – 10.9 3.0 

Hispanic origin 8.5 11.7 14.8 18.6 4.5 3.1 3.0 

Men 5.2 7.0 8.8 10.9 4.2 3.1 2.8 

Women 3.3 4.7 6.0 7.7 5.0 3.2 3.2 

Other than Hispanic origin 91.5 88.3 85.2 81.4 .9 .4 .2 

Men 49.6 46.5 44.5 42.1 .6 .3 .1 

Women 41.8 41.8 40.7 39.3 1.2 .5 .3 

 White non–Hispanic 77.7 72.0 67.5 62.3 .5 .1 –.2 

 Men 42.7 38.6 35.8 32.8 .2 .0 –.2 

 Women 35.0 33.4 31.7 29.5 .8 .2 –.1 

1 The “all other groups” category includes (1) those classified as being 

of multiple racial origin and (2) the racial categories of (2a) American Indian 

and Alaska Native and (2b) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. 

NOTE: Dash indicates no data collected for category. Details may not 

sum to totals because of rounding.

Table 4.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 57

labor force will grow 0.6 percent annually from 2010 to 

2020. Men in the labor force numbered 69.0 million in 

1990, 76.3 million in 2000, and nearly 82.0 million in 

2010 and are projected to be 87.1 million in 2020.

Women. Women in the labor force had 1.6 percent annual growth over the 1990–2000 timeframe and 0.8 percent during the 2000–2010 period. BLS projects that the 

annual growth of the labor force of women will remain at 

about 0.7 percent in the next decade. The women’s labor 

force was 56.8 million in 1990, 66.3 million in 2000, and 

71.9 million in 2010, and it is projected to grow to 77.2 

million in 2020.

Women’s labor force growth was considerably greater 

than men’s over the 1990–2000 timeframe, whether 

measured by number of persons or rate of change. Then, 

from 2000 to 2010, the women’s labor force grew by only 

0.1 percent more than the men’s, and this growth rate is 

projected to continue over the 2010–2020 period. However, the number of men in the labor force has always 

been greater than the number of women, a situation that 

is expected to remain the same in the next decade.

Labor force by age

Youths 16 to 24 years. The youth labor force is broken 

down into two groups: 16-to-19-year-olds and 20-to-24-

year-olds. An increase in school attendance of youths, including attending summer school, is the main reason the 

youth labor force has been declining. Also, this age group 

has been affected by two recessions that have occurred 

since 2000, resulting in reduced job opportunities and 

increased competition for those jobs which were available.15 In the current economic situation, these difficulties 

are likely to persist for youths, especially teens, as they 

face increased competition from other age groups for the 

entry-level jobs they normally would fill.16

The youth labor force, nearly 22.5 million in 1990, did 

not experience any growth over the next 10 years, and 

their number was roughly the same in 2000. In 2010, the 

youth labor force stood at 20.9 million, a decline of 1.6 

million over a decade. BLS projects that the number of 

16-to-24-year-olds in the labor force will be 18.3 million in 2020. The group’s share of the labor force was 17.9 

percent in 1990, decreased to 15.8 percent in 2000, and 

dropped further to 13.6 percent in 2010. BLS projects that 

the share will fall yet further, to 11.2 percent in 2020.

Prime-age workers 25 to 54 years. Prime-age workers 

have the strongest ties to the labor market. Their labor 

force numbered 101.4 million in 2000 and 102.9 million 

in 2010, an increase of 1.5 million during that timeframe. 

BLS projects that the prime-age workforce will reach 

104.6 million in 2020. This group, which made up 71.1 

percent of the total labor force in 2000, saw its share decrease to 66.9 percent in 2010. BLS expects the group’s 

share to fall to approximately 63.7 percent of the total 

labor force in 2020.

Workers 55 years and older. In contrast to the declining 

trend of the youth labor force, the 55-years-and-older age 

group grew from 15.0 million in 1990 to 18.7 million in 

2000. In 2010, their number climbed to 30.0 million, 9.1 

million more than the labor force of 16-to-24-year-olds. 

The group’s share of the total labor force also increased, 

from 11.9 percent in 1990, to 13.1 percent in 2000, to 

19.5 percent in 2010. The 55-years-and-older age group 

is projected to increase to 41.4 million in 2020, and their 

share is expected to reach 25.2 percent that year. Within 

the group, the number of 55-to-64-year-olds is expected 

to increase from 23.3 million in 2010 to 29.3 million in 

2020. Concomitantly, their share of the total labor force 

will grow from 15.1 percent to 17.8 percent over the same 

timespan. The shift in the composition of the labor force 

from the younger to the older age groups is expected to 

continue throughout that same decade and beyond.

Projected labor force by race and ethnicity. Reflecting the 

higher rates of diversity in the population, the diversity 

of the labor force also has increased in the past several 

decades. Over the next decade, the workforce will become 

even more racially and ethnically diverse. The share of 

minorities in the labor force will expand more than ever 

before, because immigration is the main engine of population growth and because Hispanics and Asians have 

high labor force participation rates. BLS projects that, by 

2020, Hispanics (18.6 percent), Blacks (12.0 percent), 

Asians (5.7 percent), and all those belonging to the “all 

other groups” category (2.9 percent) will make up nearly 

40 percent of the civilian labor force.

White labor force. BLS projects that, during the next decade, the White labor force will have an annual growth rate 

of 0.4 percent, much slower than that of the other racial 

groups. More than 80 percent of Hispanics are counted 

as White, so the group will remain the largest in 2020. 

However, the group’s share of the total, even including 

White Hispanics, has been on a declining trend for the 

past couple of decades and even before that. Whites accounted for 85.4 percent of the labor force in 1990, 83.1 
Labor Force

58 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

percent in 2000, and 81.3 percent in 2010, with a further 

decline expected, to 79.4 percent in 2020. The White population has lower fertility rates compared with other racial 

and ethnic groups, plus Whites immigrate to the United 

States at lower numbers and rates than other groups do. 

The labor force of Whites is expected to continue to have 

a slow rate of growth from 2010 to 2020.

Black labor force. During the 2010–2020 timeframe, the 

Black labor force is projected to grow steadily at an annual rate of 1.0 percent. However, its growth is expected 

to be slower than that of the Hispanic group and that of 

the Asian group. Blacks accounted for 10.9 percent of the 

labor force in 1990 and 11.6 percent in 2010; they are 

expected to increase their share to 12.0 percent in 2020. 

The increase in the share of Blacks in the total labor force 

comes mainly from higher birthrates, a steady stream of 

immigrants to the country, and the very high labor force 

participation rates of Black women.

Asian labor force. Although its numbers and shares start 

from much lower levels, the Asian labor force is projected 

to increase substantially over the next decade. Asians accounted for 4.4 percent of the labor force in 2000 and 4.7 

percent in 2010 and are projected to increase their share 

to 5.7 percent in 2020. The continued immigration of this 

group to the United States, coupled with the group’s high 

participation rates, contributes to its increasing share of 

the labor force. The Asian labor force totaled 7.2 million 

in 2010, and BLS projects this number to increase to 9.4 

million in 2020.

All other groups. The “all other groups” category comprises three distinct racial or ethnic groups: (1) those who 

are of multiple racial origins, (2) American Indians and 

Alaska Natives, and (3) Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. These groups are projected to grow from 

3.7 million in 2010 to 4.7 million in 2020. Together, they 

make up one of the fastest growing groups in the U.S. 

labor force. Over the 2010–2020 timeframe, they are projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.5 percent, outpaced 

only by Hispanics, at 3.0 percent.

Hispanic labor force. Hispanics may be of any race. As the 

Hispanic population continues to expand at faster rates, 

so does the group’s labor force. A combination of rapid 

population growth (from high birth and immigration 

rates) and extremely high participation rates has caused 

a surge in this group’s labor force growth. The Hispanic 

labor force was 10.7 million in 1990, 16.7 million in 2000, 

and 22.7 million in 2010. BLS projects that the Hispanic 

labor force will reach 30.5 million in 2020 and the Hispanic share in the total labor force will increase considerably over the next decade. In 2000, Hispanics composed 

11.7 percent of the labor force, a share that increased to 

14.8 percent in 2010. BLS expects that Hispanics will 

make up 18.6 percent of the labor force in 2020.

Non-Hispanic labor force. As the share of Hispanics has 

increased in both the population and the labor force, the 

share of non-Hispanics has decreased with each decade. 

Non-Hispanics held a 91.5-percent share of the labor force 

in 1990 and 85.2 percent in 2010. BLS anticipates that the 

non-Hispanic share will fall even further, to 81.4 percent 

in 2020.

White non-Hispanic labor force. The White non-Hispanic labor force is projected to decline by 0.2 percent 

annually over the 2010–2020 timeframe. The decrease in 

the number of White non-Hispanics in the labor force is 

accompanied by faster growth of other racial and ethnic 

groups in the U.S. workforce. The share of the White nonHispanic labor force decreased from 77.7 percent in 1990 

to 72.0 percent in 2000 and to 67.5 percent in 2010. BLS 

projects that this group will compose 62.3 percent of the 

labor force in 2020. The fall in the White non-Hispanic 

share of the total labor force can be attributed to the 

group’s lower fertility and immigration rates compared 

with those of other racial and ethnic groups. In addition, 

the rapid aging and retirement of White non-Hispanic 

men in past decades has contributed to the decelerating 

share of White non-Hispanics in the labor force.

Dynamic changes in the labor force

The labor force is projected to increase by 10.5 million 

during 2010–2020. This growth projection is based on the 

dynamic changes that underlie the movement of workers 

into and out of the labor force. (See table 5.) From 2010 

through 2020, changes in the workforce are projected to 

emerge from three dynamic groups:

•	 Entrants: those who were not in the labor force in 

2010, but who will enter during the 2010–2020 period and will continue to be part of the labor force 

in 2020.

•	 Leavers: those who were in the labor force in 2010, 

but who will leave during the 2010–2020 period and 

will not be in the labor force of 2020. 
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 59

Civilian labor force, entrant and leavers, 2000, 2010, and projected 2020

Group 2000

2000–2010

2010

2010–2020

2020

Entrants Leavers Stayers Entrants Leavers Stayers

Number, 16 years

and older 

Total 142,583 32,963 21,657 120,926 153,889 35,800 25,329 128,560 164,360 

 Men 76,280 17,814 12,109 64,171 81,985 19,452 14,309 67,676 87,128 

 Women 66,303 15,149 9,548 56,755 71,904 16,348 11,020 60,884 77,232 

White 118,545 25,221 18,682 99,863 125,084 30,081 24,553 100,531 130,516 

 Men 64,466 13,871 10,609 53,857 67,728 16,616 13,114 54,614 70,379 

 Women 54,079 11,350 8,073 46,006 57,356 13,465 11,439 45,917 60,137 

Black 16,397 4,353 2,888 13,509 17,862 4,834 3,022 14,840 19,676 

 Men 7,702 2,107 1,394 6,308 8,415 2,468 1,491 6,924 9,393 

 Women 8,695 2,246 1,494 7,201 9,447 2,366 1,531 7,916 10,283 

Asian 6,270 1,786 808 5,462 7,248 3,005 823 6,425 9,430 

 Men 3,362 934 403 2,959 3,893 1,521 446 3,447 4,968 

 Women 2,908 852 405 2,503 3,355 1,484 377 2,978 4,462 

All other groups1 1,371 – – – 3,694 – – – 4,738 

Men 750 – – – 1,949 – – – 2,388 

Women 621 – – – 1,746 – – – 2,350 

Hispanic origin 16,689 7,453 1,194 15,496 22,748 9,710 1,966 20,783 30,493 

Men 9,923 4,432 644 9,279 13,511 5,553 1,205 12,306 17,859 

Women 6,767 3,021 550 6,217 9,238 4,157 761 8,477 12,634 

Other than Hispanic 

 origin 125,894 25,510 20,463 105,430 131,141 26,090 23,363 107,778 133,867 

Men 66,357 13,382 11,465 54,892 68,474 13,899 13,104 55,370 69,269 

Women 59,536 12,128 8,998 50,538 62,666 12,191 10,259 52,407 64,598 

 White Non–Hispanic 102,729 18,929 17,711 85,018 103,947 18,099 19,676 84,271 102,371 

 Men 55,040 10,084 10,008 45,032 55,116 9,795 11,044 44,072 53,867 

 Women 47,689 8,845 7,703 39,986 48,831 8,304 8,632 40,199 48,504 

Share (percent),

16 years and older

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

 Men 53.5 54.0 55.9 53.1 53.3 54.3 56.5 52.6 53.0 

 Women 46.5 46.0 44.1 46.9 46.7 45.7 43.5 47.4 47.0 

White 83.1 76.5 86.3 82.6 81.3 84.0 96.9 78.2 79.4 

 Men 45.2 42.1 49.0 44.5 44.0 46.4 51.8 42.5 42.8 

 Women 37.9 34.4 37.3 38.0 37.3 37.6 45.2 35.7 36.6 

Black 11.5 13.2 13.3 11.2 11.6 13.5 11.9 11.5 12.0 

 Men 5.4 6.4 6.4 5.2 5.5 6.9 5.9 5.4 5.7 

 Women 6.1 6.8 6.9 6.0 6.1 6.6 6.0 6.2 6.3 

Asian1 4.4 5.4 3.7 4.5 4.7 8.4 3.2 5.0 5.7 

 Men 2.4 2.8 1.9 2.4 2.5 4.2 1.8 2.7 3.0 

 Women 2.0 2.6 1.9 2.1 2.2 4.1 1.5 2.3 2.7 

All other groups – – – – 2.4 – – – 2.9 

 Men – – – – 1.3 – – – 1.5 

 Women – – – – 1.1 – – – 1.4 

Hispanic origin 11.7 22.6 5.5 12.8 14.8 27.1 7.8 16.2 18.6

 Men 7 13.4 3 7.7 8.8 15.5 4.8 9.6 10.9

 Women 4.7 9.2 2.5 5.1 6 11.6 3 6.6 7.7

Other than Hispanic

 origin 88.3 77.4 94.5 87.2 85.2 72.9 92.2 83.8 81.4

 Men 46.5 40.6 52.9 45.4 44.5 38.8 51.7 43.1 42.1

 Women 41.8 36.8 41.5 41.8 40.7 34.1 40.5 40.8 39.3

 White Non–Hispanic 72 57.4 81.8 70.3 67.5 50.6 77.7 65.5 62.3

 Men 38.6 30.6 46.2 37.2 35.8 27.4 43.6 34.3 32.8

 Women 33.4 26.8 35.6 33.1 31.7 23.2 34.1 31.3 29.5

1 The “all other groups” category includes (1) those classified as being 

of multiple racial origin and (2) the racial categories of (2a) American Indian 

and Alaska Native and (2b) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders.

NOTE: Dash indicates no data collected for category. Details may not 

sum to totals because of rounding.

Table 5.

[Numbers in thousands]

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Labor Force

60 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

•	 Stayers: those who were in the labor force in 2010 

and who will remain in it through 2020.17

To the extent that the demographic composition of labor 

force entrants between 2010 and 2020 is different from 

the composition of those now in the labor force, the 2020 

labor force will be different from today’s labor force. During 2010–2020, the labor force will be affected by the demographic composition of those leaving, those entering, 

and those staying in the labor force.

BLS projects that 35.8 million workers will enter the labor force, and 25.3 million will leave, over the 2010–2020 

period. These figures compare with nearly 33 million entrants and 21.7 million leavers over the 2000–2010 period. Thus, the number of entrants in the labor force will 

be about 2.8 million more during 2010–2020 than in the 

previous decade. However, over 3.6 million more people 

will be leaving the labor force, mainly as a result of aging 

and retirement. In a continuation of the trend of the previous decade, the entrants are projected to be mostly men: 

19.5 million, compared with 16.3 million women, during 

the 2010–2020 timeframe.

Over the 2010–2020 period, more men than women 

are projected to leave the labor force. Men—especially 

White non-Hispanic men—in the labor force are much 

older than women and will be exiting the workforce in 

greater numbers. BLS projects that 14.3 million men will 

leave the labor force by 2020, resulting in a labor force of 

87.1 million men that year. BLS also projects that 11.0 

million women will leave the labor force by 2020. Because 

less than half (43.5 percent) of the leavers are projected to 

be women, the share of women is expected to increase to 

47.0 percent in 2020.

Racial and ethnic origin. Over the 2010–2020 timeframe, 

of the 35.8 million entrants to the labor force, the largest 

number, slightly more than 18 million, is projected to be 

White non-Hispanics. However, the White non-Hispanic 

share of the entrants (50.6 percent) is much smaller than 

the group’s share of the total labor force (62.3 percent), 

reflecting White non-Hispanics’ lower population growth 

as a result of lower birthrates and very little migration into 

the United States. This shift will result in relatively fewer 

labor force entrants (27.4 percent) and relatively more labor force leavers (43.6 percent) among the aging White 

non-Hispanic male labor force. During the 2010–2020 

period, 19.7 million White non-Hispanics are expected 

to leave the workforce, the majority of whom (about 11.0 

million) will be men. 

Blacks are projected to add nearly 2.0 million workers 

to the labor force between 2010 and 2020. During that 

period, Blacks are expected to account for 13.5 percent 

of all new entrants, compared with the 13.2 percent they 

contributed during the 2000–2010 period. Higher-thanaverage birthrates, combined with continued immigration, has resulted in an increase in the growth rate of the 

Black population. BLS projects that the Black labor force 

will grow slightly faster than the overall labor force during 

2010–2020.

In 2000, there were 16.7 million Hispanics in the labor 

force. Over the 2000–2010 period, 7.5 million Hispanics entered the labor force, and about 1.2 million left. By 

2010, the Hispanic labor force numbered 22.7 million. 

BLS projects that 9.7 million Hispanics will be entering the labor force over the 2010–2020 timeframe and 

nearly 2.0 million will be leaving, resulting in an increase 

of nearly 7.8 million in the Hispanic labor force. The 

Hispanic share of the labor force is expected to increase 

more than that of any other demographic group, because 

of overall population growth—from more births and increased immigration—and because of considerably higher 

labor force participation rates.

Currently, Asians are one of the least populous racial 

groups in the labor force. BLS projects that about 3.0 million Asians will enter the labor force during the 2010–

2020 period and about 0.8 million will leave. With more 

entrants and fewer leavers, the share of Asians in the 

2020 labor force is expected to be 5.7 percent. Increases 

in the number of Asians in the workforce reflect their 

continued high immigration and very high participation 

rates. 

Median age. The median age of the labor force summarizes the age structure of the labor force and is defined 

as the age that splits the population into two equal parts, 

with 50 percent younger than the median age and 50 percent older. (See table 6.)

As the baby-boom generation entered the workforce, the 

median age of the labor force decreased steadily until it bottomed at 34.6 years in 1980, when the baby boomers were 

between 16 and 34 years. Since then, decreasing fertility 

rates, increasing life expectancies, and the aging of the baby 

boomers have caused the population and the labor force 

to age. The median age of the labor force was 36.4 years 

in 1990 and 39.3 years in 2000. Within a decade, in 2010, 

the median age of the U.S. labor force increased to 41.7 

years. BLS projects that the median age of the labor force 

will increase to 42.8 years in 2020, at which point the baby 

boomers will be between 56 and 74 years old.

The median age of the women’s labor force was lower 
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 61

than that of the men’s until 2000, when the two median 

ages were 39.3 years and 39.2 years, respectively. In 2010, 

the median age of women in the labor force rose to 42.0 

years while that of men increased to a lesser 41.5 years. 

BLS projects a significant increase in the median age of 

the women’s labor force to 43.3 years in 2020 while, again, 

that of the men’s labor force is expected to rise to a lesser 

42.4 years.

Among the different racial and ethnic groups, the 

Hispanic labor force is the youngest. The median age of 

Hispanics in the labor force was 33.7 years in 2000, compared with 39.3 years for the overall labor force. Thus, the 

Hispanic labor force was about 5.6 years younger than the 

total labor force in 2000. The median age of the Hispanic 

labor force increased to 36.9 years in 2010 and is expected 

to increase to 38.7 years in 2020, still much younger than 

the median age of the labor force as a whole. Hispanics 

will remain the youngest of all racial and ethnic groups in 

the population because Hispanic immigrants are mostly 

in the younger age groups and their immigration to the 

United States has contributed substantially to an increase 

in the level and composition of those age groups. The 

relatively high fertility rates of Hispanics will keep their 

population and labor force younger than other groups’ 

population and labor force into the foreseeable future.

The median age of the Black labor force was 37.4 years 

in 2000. The median age increased to 39.3 years in 2010 

and is projected to rise to 40.4 years in 2020. The median age of the Asian labor force also has been increasing 

steadily. It stood at 34.1 years in 1980, increased to 35.8 

years in 1990, and increased again, to 37.9 years in 2000. 

In 2010 the Asian median labor force age rose to 41.2 

years, and it is projected to increase further, to 44.0 years 

in just a decade. 

Until 2010, the White labor force was much older 

than the rest of the labor force. The median age of the 

White labor force was 36.6 years in 1990, 39.6 years in 

2000, and 42.3 years in 2010; it is projected to reach 43.3 

years in 2020. On the one hand, because most Hispanics are classified as White, the younger median age of the 

Hispanic labor force has had the effect of lowering the 

White median labor force age. On the other hand, the 

White non-Hispanic labor force is the oldest group in the 

workforce. In 1990, the median age of this group was 37.1 

years. A decade later, the group’s median age increased by 

3.4 years, to 40.5 years. Then, over the 2000–2010 timeframe, the median age of the White non-Hispanic labor 

force increased by another 3.1 years, to 43.6 years. BLS 

expects that White non-Hispanics will see their median 

labor force age rise to 44.8 years in 2020.

Economic dependency ratio. The economic dependency 

ratio is measured by estimating the number of persons in 

the total population (including all Armed Forces personnel overseas and children) who are not in the labor force 

per hundred of those who are. In 2000, for every 100 persons in the labor force, 94 were not working. (See table 7.) 

Of those not in the labor force, 44 were children, 28 were 

in the 16-to-64-years age group, and 22 were 65 years and 

older.

Historically, the economic dependency ratio was highest in 1975, at 126.18 In 1980 the ratio was 108.9, and in 

1990 it fell to 98.3. Most of the 10.6-percentage-point 

drop was attributable to the decline in the dependency 

rate of those under 16 years old. With the influx of the 

baby boomers into the workforce and a significant drop in 

the number of births, the economic dependency ratio has 

decreased considerably since the 1970s. BLS projects that 

the number of those not working will reach 107 per hundred workers in 2020. Economic dependency is directly 

related to both the number of children in the population 

Median age of the labor force, by gender, race, and 

ethnicity, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and projected 

2020

Group 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 

Total 34.6 36.4 39.3 41.7 42.8 

Gender:

 Men 35.1 36.5 39.2 41.5 42.4 

 Women 33.9 36.2 39.3 42.0 43.3 

Race:

 White 34.8 36.6 39.6 42.3 43.3 

 Black 33.3 34.8 37.4 39.3 40.4 

 Asian 34.1 35.8 37.9 41.2 44.0 

Ethnicity:

 Hispanic origin 32.0 31.2 33.7 36.9 38.7 

 White non–Hispanic 35.2 37.1 40.5 43.6 44.8 

Table 6.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economic dependency ratio, 1980, 1990, 2000, 

2010, and projected 2020 

Group 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Total population 108.9 98.3 93.9 100.6 107.0 

Under age 16 50.7 45.8 44.1 43.3 44.0 

Ages 16 to 64 37.4 30.5 28.3 36.5 38.0 

Ages 65 and older 20.8 22.1 21.6 21.8 26.0 

 SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Table 7.
Labor Force

62 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

and the number of people 65 years and older. The dependency ratio of the population under 16 years is expected to 

rise slightly, to 44, over the 2010–2020 decade; however, 

the share of the 65-years-and-older age group in the total 

population will increase substantially. In 1990, the older 

group’s ratio of 22 was by far the smallest part of the total 

economic dependency ratio. The dependency ratio of the 

65-years-and-older group is expected to increase to 26 by 

2020.

Caveats and risks regarding the projections

As was discussed earlier, the growth of the labor force in 

the future is the result of either 

1. The projected changes in the labor force participation rates of the different age, gender, racial, and ethnic groups or 

2. The projected growth in the population of the different age, gender, racial, and ethnic groups.

The BLS labor force projections point to a decrease in the 

growth of the labor force, to 0.7 percent in the next 10 

years. However, several factors could interfere with this 

projected slowdown. 

An increase in the participation rate of the young. An increase in the demand for 16-to-24-year-old workers is 

one way that both the overall labor force participation 

rate and the growth rate of the labor force might increase. 

However, rising school enrollment of youths during the 

past several decades has decreased this cohort’s labor 

force participation rates dramatically. The increase in attendance in high school, college, and summer schools 

represents a structural change with a permanent impact 

on the labor market. Thus, on the basis of previous and 

current participation rate projections, it appears that the 

labor force participation rate of the young age groups will 

not be increasing anytime soon enough to be effective in 

increasing either the overall labor force participation rate 

or the growth rate of the labor force.

An increase in the participation rate of women. A second 

way that the overall labor force participation rate and the 

growth rate of the labor force might rise is through an 

increase in the labor force participation rate of women. 

However, previous and current BLS projections indicate 

that the labor force participation rate of women may have 

already reached its peak. The decline in women’s participation since 2000 is another factor contributing to the 

downward trend in the overall participation rate. It is 

unlikely that the labor force participation rate of women 

will again achieve the significant increases registered during the 1970–1990 timeframe; more likely, as the share of 

older women in the population increases, the labor force 

participation rate of women will edge further down and 

will also put downward pressure on the aggregate labor 

force participation rate.

An increase in the participation rate of older workers. Yet 

another way in which the labor force participation and 

growth rates can increase is through an increase in the 

participation rate of the older workforce. Indeed, such an 

increase began in 1996 and is still continuing. In fact, the 

older group is the only labor force group whose participation rate has been rising substantially. An increase in the 

labor force participation rate of the older workforce, multiplied by the large number of workers in this age group, 

has the potential to increase the growth rate, and hence 

the size, of the labor force significantly. The 55-years-andolder age group accounted for 13.1 percent of the labor 

force in 2000 and 19.5 percent in 2010. BLS expects the 

share of the older labor force to increase to 25.2 percent 

in 2020. (See table 1.)

The decision to continue work into the later years of 

life has been the result of several intertwined factors—

such as the continually increasing life expectancy of the 

population—wherein a growing number of people are 

healthier for a longer portion of their lifespan. In addition, 

the elimination of mandatory retirement and the enactment of age discrimination laws have contributed to the 

increase in participation rates of older persons.

The continuing economic uncertainty and the impact of 

the financial crisis on many individuals’ retirement savings 

and investment accounts are major factors in the continued high participation rate of the older age groups in the 

labor force. Other factors, such as increases in healthcare 

costs and a decrease in the availability of health benefits, 

also may have increased the participation of the older age 

groups in the workforce.

Finally, changes in the Social Security laws, along with 

an increase in the normal retirement age for certain birth 

cohorts and a decrease in benefits with early retirement, 

may have encouraged the 55-years-and-older group to 

increase its labor force participation. This increase will 

prevent the overall participation rate from dropping even 

further in the future.

Immigration. As far as population projections are concerned, different immigration scenarios result in different 
Monthly Labor Review • January 2012 63

growth rates for both the population and the labor force. 

Because immigration accounts for more than 40 percent 

of the growth of the U.S population, assumptions about 

immigration have a direct effect on the Census Bureau’s 

population projections and hence on the BLS labor force 

projections. According to the Census Bureau’s population 

projections used in the 2010–2020 projections of the labor 

force, net immigration to the United States is expected 

to add 1.5 million persons annually to the U.S. resident 

population, increasing that population significantly over 

the next several decades. However, the Census Bureau’s 

upcoming projections of the resident population, possibly 

in 2012, may change the immigration assumption from 

the present level, and that in turn would change assumptions about the growth of the labor force.

A recent (November 11, 2011) visit to the Census 

Bureau’s website indicated that the United States posts 

1 birth every 8 seconds, 1 death every 12 seconds, 1 (net) 

international migrant every 43 seconds, and a net gain of 

1 person every 16 seconds.19 Changes in future immigration policies also significantly affect the growth rate of the 

population, which is the major factor in the growth of the 

labor force.

OVER THE 2010–2020 PERIOD, a combination of structural and cyclical factors will lower the labor force participation rates of the various age, gender, racial, and 

ethnic groups making up the workforce, in turn lowering 

the overall labor force participation rate. The baby-boom 

generation’s exit from the prime-age workforce and entry 

into the older age groups will lower the overall labor force 

participation rate significantly. This change would then 

lower the annual growth rate of the labor force to 0.7 

percent. The U.S. labor force in 2020 is projected to be 

164.4 million, an increase of nearly 10.5 million over the 

2010 level.

Notes

1 Attributed to the 19th-century French philosopher Auguste 

Comte. The idea is that the social, cultural, and economic fabric of a 

nation derives in large part from its population dynamics.

2 The civilian labor force consists of employed and unemployed 

persons actively seeking work, but does not include any Armed Forces 

personnel. Historical data for this series are from the Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics.

3 The Census Bureau recommends its 2008 national population projections for data users. (See “U.S. Population Projections: 2008 National Population Projections” (U.S. Census Bureau, Aug. 14, 2008), http://

www.census.gov/population/www/projections/2008projections.

html). The 2009 national population projections are a supplemental 

series to the 2008 projections and lack the detailed age, gender, racial 

and ethnic data needed for the BLS labor force projections. All other 

methods and assumptions, including those relating to mortality and 

fertility, are the same in the 2009 projections as in the 2008 projections. 

The 2009 series is useful for analyzing potential outcomes of different 

levels of net international migration.

4 See “U.S. Population Projections: Methodology Statement for 

the 2008 National Population Projections, United States Population 

Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: July 1, 2000–2050” 

(U.S. Census Bureau, no date), http://www.census.gov/population/

www/projections/methodstatement08.html.

5 For more information, see “Revisions to the Standards for the 

Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity” (Office of Management and Budget, Oct. 30, 1997), http://www.whitehouse.gov/

omb/fedreg_1997standards.

6 In Census Bureau projections, fertility rates were calculated from 

National Center for Health Statistics birth data and Census Bureau 

estimates of the female population.

7 Census Bureau mortality time series data are calculated on the 

basis of National Center for Health Statistics data on deaths and the 

Census Bureau population estimates for 1984 through 2003. 

8 See “Population projections: Interim Projections of the U.S. 

Population by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: Summary 

Methodology and Assumptions” (U.S. Census Bureau, no date), http://

www.census.gov/population/www/projections/usinterimproj/

idbsummeth.html.

9 The civilian noninstitutional population does not include the 

Armed Forces and comprises all persons 16 years and older who are 

neither inmates nor in penal or mental institutions, sanitariums, or 

homes for the aged.

10 The Armed Forces estimates are arrived at with the use of data 

from the Department of Defense and under assumptions about the 

distribution of military personnel by demographic category.

11 The Current Population Survey, a monthly survey of households, 

is conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics. The survey provides statistics on the employment and labor force status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years 

and older and is collected from a probability sample of approximately 

60,000 households.

12 See the following Monthly Labor Review articles by Mitra Toossi: “A century of change: the U.S. labor force, 1950–2050,” May 2002, 

pp. 15–28, http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2002/05/art2full.pdf; and 

“A new look at long-term labor force projections to 2050,” November 

2006, pp. 19–39, http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/11/art3full.

pdf.

13 See Abraham Mosisa and Steven Hipple, “Trends in labor force 

participation in the United States,” Monthly Labor Review, October 

2006, pp. 35–57, http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/10/art3full.pdf.

14 See Teresa L. Morisi, “The early 2000s: a period of declining 

teen summer employment rates,” Monthly Labor Review, May 2010, 

pp. 23–35, http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2010/05/art2full.pdf.

15 Ibid. 

16 See Andrew Sum and Ishwar Khatiwada, with Sheila Palma, The 

Age Twist in Employment Rates in the U.S., 2000–2004: The Steep Tilt 
Labor Force

64 Monthly Labor Review • January 2012

Against Young Workers in the Nation’s Labor Markets, report prepared for 

Jobs for America’s Graduates, Alexandria, VA (Boston, Northeastern 

University, Center for Labor Market Studies, January 2005), http://

www.aypf.org/publications/EmploymentRatesofyoungworkers.pdf.

17 Entrants and leavers are computed by comparing the labor force 

numbers for birth cohorts at two points in time. If a given cohort has 

more labor force participants at the second point than at the first, the 

difference is termed the entrants. If the cohort has fewer labor force 

participants at the second point, the difference is the leavers. These 

concepts understate the numbers likely to enter and leave the labor 

force over the period covered by the two points in time, but are still a 

valid comparison. For a further discussion of the methods, see Howard 

N Fullerton, Jr., “Measuring Rates of Labor Force Dynamics,” Proceedings of the Social Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association 

(Alexandria, VA, American Statistical Association, 1993).

18 See Howard N Fullerton, Jr., and Mitra Toossi, “Labor force 

projections to 2010: steady growth and changing composition,” 

Monthly Labor Review, November 2001, pp. 21–38, http://www.bls.

gov/opub/mlr/2001/11/art2full.pdf.

19 See “U.S. POPClock Projection” (U.S. Census Bureau, updated 

monthly), http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html.