The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information,
make sure you're on a federal government site.
The site is secure. The
https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any
information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
Labor force participation rates of college students differ by enrollment status and type of college
May 24, 2023
In October 2022, 11.6 million people ages 16 to 24 were enrolled in college. Of these, 89.2 percent were enrolled full time and 10.8 percent were enrolled part time. Those enrolled full time were much less likely to participate in the labor force in October 2022 than were part-time students (42.4 percent versus 81.0 percent). The labor force participation rates for full- and part-time students were little changed from October 2021 to October 2022.
Labor force participation rates of full- and part-time college students, October 1994–2022
Year
Full-time students
Part-time students
1994
52.5
89.6
1995
51.5
86.3
1996
53.1
88.4
1997
51.6
88.0
1998
54.2
88.9
1999
53.4
87.4
2000
55.1
88.5
2001
50.9
89.6
2002
51.8
84.5
2003
51.0
83.7
2004
53.7
87.0
2005
52.7
88.2
2006
49.3
85.7
2007
48.6
85.3
2008
49.4
85.5
2009
46.5
84.5
2010
45.8
82.7
2011
46.2
84.4
2012
45.7
80.7
2013
43.4
82.1
2014
44.7
85.7
2015
42.5
79.9
2016
42.3
83.3
2017
43.9
85.4
2018
42.0
83.4
2019
44.5
87.2
2020
41.5
82.0
2021
42.7
83.6
2022
42.4
81.0
Among college students ages 16 to 24, 78.1 percent were enrolled in 4-year colleges in October 2022, and 21.9 percent were enrolled in 2-year colleges. Students enrolled in 4-year colleges were less likely to be in the labor force than were students enrolled in 2-year colleges (44.0 percent versus 55.5 percent). The labor force participation rates in October 2022 for those attending 2- and 4-year colleges were little changed from a year earlier.
United States Department of Labor
