The South trails much of the nation in the share of its available workforce with a job: Prime-age employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) by region, 1979–2022
South | West | Northeast | Midwest | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | 74.8% | 75.4% | 73.0% | 75.4% |
1980 | 74.7% | 75.3% | 73.1% | 74.1% |
1981 | 75.1% | 75.3% | 73.7% | 74.7% |
1982 | 73.8% | 74.3% | 73.1% | 73.1% |
1983 | 74.0% | 74.3% | 73.3% | 73.5% |
1984 | 76.3% | 76.1% | 75.3% | 75.7% |
1985 | 77.1% | 76.9% | 76.3% | 76.5% |
1986 | 76.9% | 77.4% | 77.6% | 77.7% |
1987 | 78.0% | 78.2% | 78.8% | 78.8% |
1988 | 78.7% | 79.2% | 79.2% | 79.9% |
1989 | 79.4% | 79.8% | 79.7% | 80.9% |
1990 | 79.4% | 79.1% | 79.3% | 80.9% |
1991 | 78.6% | 77.8% | 77.7% | 80.3% |
1992 | 78.3% | 77.0% | 76.9% | 80.7% |
1993 | 78.6% | 76.9% | 77.5% | 81.0% |
1994 | 79.2% | 77.9% | 77.6% | 82.0% |
1995 | 79.6% | 78.2% | 78.2% | 82.9% |
1996 | 79.9% | 78.4% | 79.3% | 83.2% |
1997 | 80.3% | 79.3% | 80.1% | 83.9% |
1998 | 80.6% | 79.5% | 80.5% | 83.9% |
1999 | 81.0% | 79.7% | 80.9% | 84.3% |
2000 | 81.1% | 80.1% | 80.9% | 83.8% |
2001 | 79.9% | 79.4% | 80.2% | 82.9% |
2002 | 78.5% | 78.1% | 79.5% | 81.6% |
2003 | 78.2% | 77.6% | 78.8% | 81.0% |
2004 | 78.3% | 78.1% | 79.2% | 80.8% |
2005 | 78.9% | 78.4% | 79.4% | 81.1% |
2006 | 79.1% | 79.3% | 79.8% | 81.6% |
2007 | 79.3% | 79.5% | 79.9% | 81.4% |
2008 | 78.3% | 78.4% | 79.8% | 80.5% |
2009 | 75.1% | 74.8% | 77.0% | 77.0% |
2010 | 74.5% | 73.6% | 76.4% | 76.7% |
2011 | 74.6% | 73.5% | 76.0% | 77.1% |
2012 | 75.3% | 74.1% | 76.1% | 77.9% |
2013 | 75.1% | 74.8% | 76.4% | 78.0% |
2014 | 75.8% | 75.4% | 76.9% | 79.5% |
2015 | 76.0% | 76.0% | 78.0% | 80.3% |
2016 | 76.8% | 76.9% | 78.5% | 80.8% |
2017 | 77.6% | 77.8% | 79.3% | 80.9% |
2018 | 78.3% | 78.5% | 80.3% | 81.6% |
2019 | 79.0% | 79.3% | 80.7% | 82.0% |
2020 | 75.2% | 74.0% | 75.6% | 78.4% |
2021 | 77.0% | 76.4% | 77.7% | 80.0% |
2022 | 78.9% | 79.2% | 80.6% | 81.9% |
Source: EPI analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.