Figure E
Over the last five decades, the labor force participation rate for women with a college degree grew to an all-time high, but it fell sharply for noncollege men until the mid-2010s
: Women's prime-age labor force participation rate by education level, 1976–2024
| Year | College | Noncollege |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 70.4% | 54.6% |
| 1977 | 71.1% | 56.4% |
| 1978 | 72.5% | 58.5% |
| 1979 | 73.9% | 60.3% |
| 1980 | 75.3% | 61.8% |
| 1981 | 76.7% | 63.1% |
| 1982 | 77.8% | 64.0% |
| 1983 | 78.8% | 64.7% |
| 1984 | 80.1% | 65.6% |
| 1985 | 81.0% | 66.9% |
| 1986 | 81.7% | 68.1% |
| 1987 | 82.5% | 69.1% |
| 1988 | 82.9% | 69.9% |
| 1989 | 83.2% | 71.0% |
| 1990 | 83.8% | 71.1% |
| 1991 | 83.8% | 71.2% |
| 1992 | 84.3% | 71.7% |
| 1993 | 84.3% | 71.6% |
| 1994 | 84.9% | 72.3% |
| 1995 | 84.6% | 72.8% |
| 1996 | 84.5% | 73.3% |
| 1997 | 84.6% | 73.9% |
| 1998 | 83.9% | 73.8% |
| 1999 | 83.7% | 74.1% |
| 2000 | 82.9% | 74.3% |
| 2001 | 82.1% | 74.1% |
| 2002 | 82.0% | 73.3% |
| 2003 | 81.8% | 73.0% |
| 2004 | 81.8% | 72.4% |
| 2005 | 82.2% | 72.1% |
| 2006 | 82.5% | 72.2% |
| 2007 | 82.2% | 72.1% |
| 2008 | 83.0% | 72.3% |
| 2009 | 83.2% | 71.9% |
| 2010 | 82.6% | 71.5% |
| 2011 | 82.3% | 70.7% |
| 2012 | 82.6% | 70.1% |
| 2013 | 82.4% | 69.1% |
| 2014 | 82.4% | 69.0% |
| 2015 | 82.3% | 68.5% |
| 2016 | 82.7% | 69.1% |
| 2017 | 82.9% | 69.7% |
| 2018 | 83.2% | 69.8% |
| 2019 | 84.0% | 70.1% |
| 2020 | 83.2% | 68.6% |
| 2021 | 83.8% | 68.5% |
| 2022 | 84.7% | 69.6% |
| 2023 | 85.3% | 70.7% |
| 2024 | 85.9% | 71.0% |
: Men's prime-age labor force participation rate by education level, 1976–2024
| Year | College | Noncollege |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 96.9% | 93.3% |
| 1977 | 97.0% | 93.4% |
| 1978 | 97.1% | 93.4% |
| 1979 | 97.0% | 93.6% |
| 1980 | 97.0% | 93.3% |
| 1981 | 96.9% | 93.2% |
| 1982 | 96.9% | 93.0% |
| 1983 | 96.4% | 92.9% |
| 1984 | 96.7% | 92.9% |
| 1985 | 96.9% | 92.9% |
| 1986 | 96.8% | 92.7% |
| 1987 | 96.8% | 92.6% |
| 1988 | 96.9% | 92.3% |
| 1989 | 97.0% | 92.4% |
| 1990 | 96.8% | 92.1% |
| 1991 | 96.6% | 91.7% |
| 1992 | 96.7% | 91.6% |
| 1993 | 96.6% | 91.1% |
| 1994 | 96.4% | 90.0% |
| 1995 | 96.1% | 89.8% |
| 1996 | 95.9% | 90.2% |
| 1997 | 96.0% | 90.3% |
| 1998 | 95.9% | 90.2% |
| 1999 | 95.7% | 90.1% |
| 2000 | 95.8% | 89.9% |
| 2001 | 95.7% | 89.4% |
| 2002 | 95.6% | 89.1% |
| 2003 | 95.0% | 88.7% |
| 2004 | 94.9% | 88.6% |
| 2005 | 94.9% | 88.7% |
| 2006 | 95.0% | 88.7% |
| 2007 | 95.4% | 88.9% |
| 2008 | 95.2% | 88.5% |
| 2009 | 95.1% | 87.5% |
| 2010 | 94.5% | 87.0% |
| 2011 | 94.5% | 86.1% |
| 2012 | 94.5% | 86.0% |
| 2013 | 94.2% | 85.7% |
| 2014 | 94.1% | 85.4% |
| 2015 | 93.9% | 85.4% |
| 2016 | 94.0% | 85.7% |
| 2017 | 93.9% | 85.8% |
| 2018 | 94.2% | 86.1% |
| 2019 | 94.1% | 86.3% |
| 2020 | 93.4% | 84.5% |
| 2021 | 93.8% | 84.5% |
| 2022 | 93.9% | 85.3% |
| 2023 | 94.2% | 85.9% |
| 2024 | 94.2% | 86.3% |
Notes: Data include the civilian noninstitutional population. “Prime age” refers to ages 25 to 54. College refers to completion of a four-year degree. The y-axes differ across charts to best illustrate the levels and trends for each group.
Source: EPI analysis of the Current Population Survey (CPS) basic monthly microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 2025.6.11, https://microdata.epi.org.
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