Labor force growth has slowed significantly in recent business cycles, especially for the U.S.-Born: Average annual labor force growth between business cycle peaks

Years Total U.S.-Born
1948–1979 1.79%
1979–2007 1.36%
2007–2019 0.55% 0.32%
2019–2024 0.55% 0.26%
Economic Policy Institute

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2025a) data retrieval tools based on data from the Current Population Survey (CPS).

View the underlying data on epi.org.