Labor Force Participation Rate

The labor force participation rate measures the share of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 16 and older that is either working or actively looking for work, distinguishing genuine labor-market weakness from people who have simply exited the labor force altogether, such as retirees, students or discouraged workers who are not captured by the unemployment rate. Compiled monthly in the United States by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the same Current Population Survey that produces the unemployment rate, the measure is closely watched for demographic trends, including the decades-long rise in female labor force participation across the twentieth century and the aging-driven decline in the overall US rate since the early 2000s.