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Labor force participation rates for foreign- and native-born workers by sex, 2005 to 2023, annual averages
Year
Men
Women
Foreign-born men
Native-born men
Foreign-born women
Native-born women
2005
81.3
71.9
54.1
60.1
2006
81.7
72.0
55.3
60.0
2007
81.9
71.6
54.9
60.1
2008
81.4
71.4
54.8
60.3
2009
80.5
70.4
55.4
59.8
2010
80.1
69.5
55.7
59.1
2011
79.5
68.8
54.6
58.7
2012
78.5
68.6
54.8
58.2
2013
78.8
68.0
54.6
57.7
2014
78.7
67.4
53.9
57.5
2015
78.2
67.3
52.9
57.4
2016
77.8
67.5
53.4
57.5
2017
78.1
67.3
54.5
57.5
2018
77.9
67.3
54.3
57.6
2019
78.0
67.4
54.8
57.9
2020
76.6
65.9
53.2
56.8
2021
76.8
65.8
53.4
56.6
2022
77.4
66.0
55.0
57.2
2023
77.5
66.1
56.1
57.6
Note: Labor force participation rates are percentages.
The labor force participation rate for foreign-born women continued to be lower than the rate for native-born women in 2023 (56.1 percent versus 57.6 percent), however, this gap has narrowed in recent years. In 2023, foreign-born women reached a record high labor force participation rate of 56.1 percent. (These data begin in 2005). The participation rates for foreign- and native-born women both increased in 2023, by 1.1 percentage points and 0.4 percentage point, respectively.
Foreign-born men continued to participate in the labor force at a considerably higher rate (77.5 percent) than their native-born counterparts (66.1 percent). Foreign- and native-born men’s labor force participation rates were little changed in 2023.
These data from the Current Population Survey are estimates of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. See "Foreign-Born Workers: Labor Force Characteristics — 2023" to learn more. The foreign born are U.S. residents born outside the country or one of its outlying areas to parents who were not U.S. citizens. The foreign born include legally admitted immigrants, refugees, temporary residents such as students and temporary workers, and undocumented immigrants. The native born are people born in the United States or one of its outlying areas, such as Puerto Rico or Guam, or who were born abroad of at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen.
United States Department of Labor
