Black women have maintained the highest labor force participation rate amid post-1970 rise in women’s labor force participation overall: Labor force participation rate for women by race and ethnicity, 1973–2021
| Year | White | Black | Hispanic | Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 44.1% | 49.3% | 41.0% | |
| 1974 | 45.2 | 49.0 | 42.4 | |
| 1975 | 45.9 | 48.8 | 43.2 | |
| 1976 | 46.9 | 49.8 | 44.3 | |
| 1977 | 48.0 | 50.8 | 44.3 | |
| 1978 | 49.4 | 53.1 | 46.6 | |
| 1979 | 50.5 | 53.1 | 47.4 | |
| 1980 | 51.2 | 53.1 | 47.4 | |
| 1981 | 51.9 | 53.5 | 48.3 | |
| 1982 | 52.4 | 53.7 | 48.1 | |
| 1983 | 52.7 | 54.2 | 47.7 | |
| 1984 | 53.3 | 55.2 | 49.6 | |
| 1985 | 54.1 | 56.5 | 49.3 | |
| 1986 | 55.0 | 56.9 | 50.1 | |
| 1987 | 55.7 | 58.0 | 52.0 | |
| 1988 | 56.4 | 58.0 | 53.2 | |
| 1989 | 57.2 | 58.7 | 53.5 | |
| 1990 | 57.4 | 58.3 | 53.1 | |
| 1991 | 57.4 | 57.5 | 52.4 | |
| 1992 | 57.7 | 58.5 | 52.8 | |
| 1993 | 58.0 | 57.9 | 52.1 | |
| 1994 | 58.9 | 58.7 | 52.9 | |
| 1995 | 59.0 | 59.5 | 52.6 | |
| 1996 | 59.1 | 60.4 | 53.4 | |
| 1997 | 59.5 | 61.7 | 55.1 | |
| 1998 | 59.4 | 62.8 | 55.6 | |
| 1999 | 59.6 | 63.5 | 55.9 | |
| 2000 | 59.5 | 63.1 | 57.5 | 59.2 |
| 2001 | 59.4 | 62.8 | 57.6 | 59.0 |
| 2002 | 59.3 | 61.8 | 57.6 | 59.1 |
| 2003 | 59.2 | 61.9 | 55.9 | 58.3 |
| 2004 | 58.9 | 61.5 | 56.1 | 57.6 |
| 2005 | 58.9 | 61.6 | 55.3 | 58.2 |
| 2006 | 59.0 | 61.7 | 56.1 | 58.3 |
| 2007 | 59.0 | 61.1 | 56.5 | 58.6 |
| 2008 | 59.2 | 61.3 | 56.2 | 59.4 |
| 2009 | 59.1 | 60.3 | 56.5 | 58.2 |
| 2010 | 58.5 | 59.9 | 56.5 | 57.0 |
| 2011 | 58.0 | 59.1 | 55.9 | 56.8 |
| 2012 | 57.4 | 59.8 | 56.6 | 56.5 |
| 2013 | 56.9 | 59.2 | 55.7 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 56.7 | 59.2 | 56.0 | 55.8 |
| 2015 | 56.2 | 59.7 | 55.7 | 55.2 |
| 2016 | 56.3 | 59.4 | 55.8 | 55.5 |
| 2017 | 56.4 | 60.3 | 56.4 | 56.4 |
| 2018 | 56.4 | 60.2 | 57.0 | 56.4 |
| 2019 | 56.8 | 60.5 | 57.7 | 57.1 |
| 2020 | 55.7 | 58.8 | 56.4 | 55.5 |
| 2021 | 55.4 | 58.8 | 55.8 | 56.8 |
Notes: Race and ethnicity categories are not mutually exclusive; white, Black, and Asian data do not exclude Hispanic workers of each race. Shaded areas denote recessions.
Notes: Race and ethnicity categories are not mutually exclusive; white, Black, and Asian data do not exclude Hispanic workers of each race. Shaded areas denote recessions. The labor force participation rate shows the number of people in the labor force—people who are employed or unemployed but looking for work—as a share of the number of civilian, noninstitutionalized people ages 16 and older.
Sources: Economic Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, Labor Force Participation Rate for Women by Race and Ethnicity data series LNU01300005, LNU01300008, LNU01300011, and LNU01332342.
Sources: Economic Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey (Household Survey), Labor Force Participation Rate for Women by Race and Ethnicity series LNU01300005, LNU01300008, LNU01300011, and LNU01332342. Accessible via Series Report Data Retrieval Tool and https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/ln/. Accessed February 2022.