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Labor force participation rate for women highest in the District of Columbia in 2022
March 07, 2023
For Women’s History Month, let’s look at women’s labor force participation rates for 2022. The District of Columbia had the highest women’s labor force participation rate, at 66.5 percent, followed by Nebraska (65.5 percent), Minnesota (63.9 percent), North Dakota (63.8 percent), and South Dakota (63.6 percent).
Labor force participation rate for women, by state, 2022
State
Labor force participation rate
Women in the labor force
Alabama
51.3%
1,077,000
Alaska
60.8
163,000
Arizona
55.7
1,662,000
Arkansas
53.1
652,000
California
55.3
8,701,000
Colorado
63.2
1,476,000
Connecticut
60.6
918,000
Delaware
57.0
245,000
District of Columbia
66.5
188,000
Florida
54.5
5,050,000
Georgia
55.8
2,490,000
Hawaii
55.6
318,000
Idaho
57.4
437,000
Illinois
60.1
3,076,000
Indiana
57.6
1,576,000
Iowa
63.2
799,000
Kansas
61.3
706,000
Kentucky
52.6
961,000
Louisiana
54.0
1,010,000
Maine
54.9
324,000
Maryland
59.3
1,514,000
Massachusetts
60.9
1,800,000
Michigan
54.8
2,262,000
Minnesota
63.9
1,447,000
Mississippi
51.1
615,000
Missouri
57.4
1,442,000
Montana
60.8
273,000
Nebraska
65.5
501,000
Nevada
55.7
708,000
New Hampshire
60.7
357,000
New Jersey
57.5
2,193,000
New Mexico
50.5
433,000
New York
55.4
4,533,000
North Carolina
56.1
2,478,000
North Dakota
63.8
185,000
Ohio
56.0
2,696,000
Oklahoma
55.9
888,000
Oregon
58.5
1,030,000
Pennsylvania
57.1
3,058,000
Rhode Island
60.6
282,000
South Carolina
52.1
1,146,000
South Dakota
63.6
219,000
Tennessee
54.2
1,569,000
Texas
56.8
6,614,000
Utah
59.9
760,000
Vermont
61.3
169,000
Virginia
60.6
2,136,000
Washington
58.6
1,822,000
West Virginia
49.5
362,000
Wisconsin
59.3
1,416,000
Wyoming
58.0
131,000
In 2022, West Virginia had the lowest labor force participation rate for women, at 49.5 percent. An additional three states were under 52.0 percent: New Mexico (50.5 percent), Mississippi (51.1 percent), and Alabama (51.3 percent).
For the nation as a whole, the labor force participation rate for women was 56.8 percent in 2022. The age groups of 25 to 34 years, 35 to 44 years, and 45 to 54 years all had participation rates above 75.0 percent, with 25 to 34 years having the highest (77.6 percent).
Labor force participation rate for women, by age, 2022
Age
Labor force participation rate
Total
56.8%
16 to 19 years
37.2
20 to 24 years
68.7
25 to 34 years
77.6
35 to 44 years
76.3
45 to 54 years
75.2
55 to 64 years
59.6
65 years and older
15.5
Women ages 16 to 19 had a labor force participation rate of 37.2 percent in 2022, while women 65 years and older had a participation rate of 15.5 percent.
These data are from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Population Survey programs. To learn more, see the Local Area Unemployment Statistics data overview page and the Current Population Survey data on women. The labor force participation rate is the labor force (the sum of the employed and the unemployed) as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population.
United States Department of Labor
