Figure 7. People not in the labor force, not seasonally adjusted, 1994–2017 (numbers in thousands)
Period Marginally attached to the labor force Discouraged workers

Jan 1994

2,120 600

Feb 1994

1,951 489

Mar 1994

1,832 533

Apr 1994

1,770 502

May 1994

1,659 436

Jun 1994

1,777 532

Jul 1994

1,844 542

Aug 1994

1,726 489

Sep 1994

1,858 521

Oct 1994

1,663 460

Nov 1994

1,674 447

Dec 1994

1,810 445

Jan 1995

1,783 440

Feb 1995

1,721 439

Mar 1995

1,732 454

Apr 1995

1,390 385

May 1995

1,504 398

Jun 1995

1,574 364

Jul 1995

1,568 456

Aug 1995

1,510 410

Sep 1995

1,583 341

Oct 1995

1,587 412

Nov 1995

1,542 401

Dec 1995

1,619 425

Jan 1996

1,737 409

Feb 1996

1,838 455

Mar 1996

1,584 451

Apr 1996

1,516 403

May 1996

1,475 352

Jun 1996

1,684 414

Jul 1996

1,490 423

Aug 1996

1,436 415

Sep 1996

1,518 391

Oct 1996

1,447 374

Nov 1996

1,503 346

Dec 1996

1,463 334

Jan 1997

1,615 397

Feb 1997

1,546 364

Mar 1997

1,471 356

Apr 1997

1,480 379

May 1997

1,431 338

Jun 1997

1,428 353

Jul 1997

1,281 311

Aug 1997

1,298 311

Sep 1997

1,363 328

Oct 1997

1,284 302

Nov 1997

1,337 331

Dec 1997

1,453 345

Jan 1998

1,479 374

Feb 1998

1,478 361

Mar 1998

1,426 343

Apr 1998

1,278 344

May 1998

1,213 268

Jun 1998

1,213 311

Jul 1998

1,328 374

Aug 1998

1,251 280

Sep 1998

1,377 317

Oct 1998

1,242 333

Nov 1998

1,240 310

Dec 1998

1,196 358

Jan 1999

1,358 339

Feb 1999

1,279 271

Mar 1999

1,245 295

Apr 1999

1,257 245

May 1999

1,148 256

Jun 1999

1,228 220

Jul 1999

1,133 290

Aug 1999

1,134 265

Sep 1999

1,172 289

Oct 1999

1,184 271

Nov 1999

1,128 272

Dec 1999

1,142 267

Jan 2000

1,207 236

Feb 2000

1,281 267

Mar 2000

1,219 258

Apr 2000

1,216 331

May 2000

1,113 280

Jun 2000

1,142 309

Jul 2000

1,172 266

Aug 2000

1,097 203

Sep 2000

1,166 253

Oct 2000

1,044 232

Nov 2000

1,100 236

Dec 2000

1,125 269

Jan 2001

1,295 301

Feb 2001

1,337 287

Mar 2001

1,109 349

Apr 2001

1,131 349

May 2001

1,157 328

Jun 2001

1,170 294

Jul 2001

1,232 310

Aug 2001

1,364 337

Sep 2001

1,335 285

Oct 2001

1,398 331

Nov 2001

1,331 328

Dec 2001

1,330 348

Jan 2002

1,532 328

Feb 2002

1,423 375

Mar 2002

1,358 330

Apr 2002

1,397 320

May 2002

1,467 414

Jun 2002

1,380 342

Jul 2002

1,507 405

Aug 2002

1,456 378

Sep 2002

1,501 392

Oct 2002

1,416 359

Nov 2002

1,401 385

Dec 2002

1,432 403

Jan 2003

1,598 449

Feb 2003

1,590 450

Mar 2003

1,577 474

Apr 2003

1,399 437

May 2003

1,428 482

Jun 2003

1,468 478

Jul 2003

1,566 470

Aug 2003

1,665 503

Sep 2003

1,544 388

Oct 2003

1,586 462

Nov 2003

1,473 457

Dec 2003

1,483 433

Jan 2004

1,670 432

Feb 2004

1,691 484

Mar 2004

1,643 514

Apr 2004

1,526 492

May 2004

1,533 476

Jun 2004

1,492 478

Jul 2004

1,557 504

Aug 2004

1,587 534

Sep 2004

1,561 412

Oct 2004

1,647 429

Nov 2004

1,517 392

Dec 2004

1,463 442

Jan 2005

1,804 515

Feb 2005

1,673 485

Mar 2005

1,588 480

Apr 2005

1,511 393

May 2005

1,428 392

Jun 2005

1,583 476

Jul 2005

1,516 499

Aug 2005

1,583 384

Sep 2005

1,438 362

Oct 2005

1,414 392

Nov 2005

1,415 404

Dec 2005

1,589 451

Jan 2006

1,644 396

Feb 2006

1,471 386

Mar 2006

1,468 451

Apr 2006

1,310 381

May 2006

1,388 323

Jun 2006

1,584 481

Jul 2006

1,522 428

Aug 2006

1,592 448

Sep 2006

1,299 325

Oct 2006

1,478 331

Nov 2006

1,366 349

Dec 2006

1,252 274

Jan 2007

1,577 442

Feb 2007

1,451 375

Mar 2007

1,385 381

Apr 2007

1,391 399

May 2007

1,406 368

Jun 2007

1,454 401

Jul 2007

1,376 367

Aug 2007

1,365 392

Sep 2007

1,268 276

Oct 2007

1,364 320

Nov 2007

1,363 349

Dec 2007

1,344 363

Jan 2008

1,729 467

Feb 2008

1,585 396

Mar 2008

1,352 401

Apr 2008

1,414 412

May 2008

1,416 400

Jun 2008

1,558 420

Jul 2008

1,573 461

Aug 2008

1,640 381

Sep 2008

1,604 467

Oct 2008

1,637 484

Nov 2008

1,947 608

Dec 2008

1,908 642

Jan 2009

2,130 734

Feb 2009

2,051 731

Mar 2009

2,106 685

Apr 2009

2,089 740

May 2009

2,210 792

Jun 2009

2,176 793

Jul 2009

2,282 796

Aug 2009

2,270 758

Sep 2009

2,219 706

Oct 2009

2,373 808

Nov 2009

2,323 861

Dec 2009

2,486 929

Jan 2010

2,539 1,065

Feb 2010

2,527 1,204

Mar 2010

2,255 994

Apr 2010

2,432 1,197

May 2010

2,223 1,083

Jun 2010

2,591 1,207

Jul 2010

2,622 1,185

Aug 2010

2,370 1,110

Sep 2010

2,548 1,209

Oct 2010

2,602 1,219

Nov 2010

2,531 1,282

Dec 2010

2,609 1,318

Jan 2011

2,800 993

Feb 2011

2,730 1,020

Mar 2011

2,434 921

Apr 2011

2,466 989

May 2011

2,206 822

Jun 2011

2,680 982

Jul 2011

2,785 1,119

Aug 2011

2,575 977

Sep 2011

2,511 1,037

Oct 2011

2,555 967

Nov 2011

2,591 1,096

Dec 2011

2,540 945

Jan 2012

2,809 1,059

Feb 2012

2,608 1,006

Mar 2012

2,352 865

Apr 2012

2,363 968

May 2012

2,423 830

Jun 2012

2,483 821

Jul 2012

2,529 852

Aug 2012

2,561 844

Sep 2012

2,517 802

Oct 2012

2,433 813

Nov 2012

2,505 979

Dec 2012

2,614 1,068

Jan 2013

2,443 804

Feb 2013

2,588 885

Mar 2013

2,326 803

Apr 2013

2,347 835

May 2013

2,164 780

Jun 2013

2,582 1,027

Jul 2013

2,414 988

Aug 2013

2,342 866

Sep 2013

2,302 852

Oct 2013

2,283 815

Nov 2013

2,096 762

Dec 2013

2,427 917

Jan 2014

2,592 837

Feb 2014

2,303 755

Mar 2014

2,168 698

Apr 2014

2,160 783

May 2014

2,130 697

Jun 2014

2,028 676

Jul 2014

2,178 741

Aug 2014

2,141 775

Sep 2014

2,226 698

Oct 2014

2,192 770

Nov 2014

2,109 698

Dec 2014

2,260 740

Jan 2015

2,234 682

Feb 2015

2,159 732

Mar 2015

2,055 738

Apr 2015

2,115 756

May 2015

1,862 563

Jun 2015

1,914 653

Jul 2015

1,927 668

Aug 2015

1,812 624

Sep 2015

1,921 635

Oct 2015

1,916 665

Nov 2015

1,717 594

Dec 2015

1,833 663

Jan 2016

2,089 623

Feb 2016

1,803 599

Mar 2016

1,720 585

Apr 2016

1,715 568

May 2016

1,713 538

Jun 2016

1,779 502

Jul 2016

1,950 591

Aug 2016

1,713 576

Sep 2016

1,844 553

Oct 2016

1,700 487

Nov 2016

1,932 591

Dec 2016

1,684 426

Jan 2017

1,752 532

Feb 2017

1,723 522

Mar 2017

1,595 460

Apr 2017

1,534 455

May 2017

1,475 355

Jun 2017

1,582 514

Jul 2017

1,629 536

Aug 2017

1,548 448

Sep 2017

1,569 421

Oct 2017

1,535 524

Nov 2017

1,481 469

Dec 2017

1,623 474

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey.