Figure B
Black women consistently have higher labor force participation: U.S. women's prime-age labor force participation rate by race and ethnicity, 1976–2025
| Year | White | Black | Hispanic | AAPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 56.4% | 63.1% | 48.6% | |
| 1977 | 58.3% | 64.7% | 49.8% | |
| 1978 | 60.3% | 67.0% | 52.7% | |
| 1979 | 62.4% | 67.4% | 52.9% | |
| 1980 | 64.2% | 68.3% | 54.1% | |
| 1981 | 65.8% | 68.5% | 55.6% | |
| 1982 | 67.0% | 69.4% | 56.1% | |
| 1983 | 67.8% | 70.8% | 56.1% | |
| 1984 | 69.0% | 71.4% | 57.2% | |
| 1985 | 70.5% | 72.0% | 57.7% | |
| 1986 | 71.8% | 72.7% | 59.3% | |
| 1987 | 72.9% | 73.9% | 60.8% | |
| 1988 | 73.9% | 74.1% | 60.6% | |
| 1989 | 74.9% | 74.4% | 62.7% | 69.9% |
| 1990 | 75.6% | 74.0% | 62.3% | 68.7% |
| 1991 | 76.0% | 73.6% | 61.9% | 67.7% |
| 1992 | 76.4% | 74.5% | 62.5% | 70.9% |
| 1993 | 76.7% | 73.5% | 62.0% | 69.6% |
| 1994 | 77.5% | 73.7% | 62.8% | 70.0% |
| 1995 | 77.8% | 74.7% | 63.1% | 70.1% |
| 1996 | 78.2% | 76.2% | 64.0% | 71.5% |
| 1997 | 78.5% | 77.4% | 65.8% | 71.5% |
| 1998 | 78.1% | 78.5% | 65.8% | 71.4% |
| 1999 | 78.3% | 79.6% | 66.3% | 70.4% |
| 2000 | 78.3% | 79.1% | 67.6% | 71.2% |
| 2001 | 77.9% | 78.9% | 67.7% | 71.5% |
| 2002 | 77.6% | 77.9% | 67.2% | 71.0% |
| 2003 | 77.5% | 78.4% | 65.4% | 71.5% |
| 2004 | 77.1% | 77.6% | 66.1% | 70.5% |
| 2005 | 77.3% | 77.5% | 65.4% | 70.4% |
| 2006 | 77.5% | 77.5% | 66.3% | 71.6% |
| 2007 | 77.3% | 77.4% | 67.0% | 72.0% |
| 2008 | 77.8% | 77.8% | 66.8% | 73.0% |
| 2009 | 77.8% | 76.9% | 67.2% | 72.3% |
| 2010 | 77.1% | 76.5% | 67.9% | 71.9% |
| 2011 | 76.7% | 75.8% | 67.1% | 71.1% |
| 2012 | 76.5% | 76.4% | 67.8% | 70.8% |
| 2013 | 76.1% | 75.7% | 66.4% | 70.6% |
| 2014 | 76.2% | 76.1% | 67.0% | 69.1% |
| 2015 | 76.1% | 76.6% | 66.3% | 68.3% |
| 2016 | 76.9% | 76.8% | 66.7% | 69.4% |
| 2017 | 77.3% | 77.9% | 67.7% | 70.9% |
| 2018 | 77.4% | 78.1% | 68.7% | 71.6% |
| 2019 | 78.4% | 78.4% | 69.5% | 72.1% |
| 2020 | 78.0% | 76.8% | 67.7% | 71.2% |
| 2021 | 77.9% | 77.5% | 67.3% | 72.8% |
| 2022 | 78.5% | 79.0% | 69.9% | 74.5% |
| 2023 | 79.5% | 79.5% | 71.4% | 75.5% |
| 2024 | 80.0% | 80.1% | 71.9% | 76.4% |
| 2025 | 79.9% | 78.8% | 72.9% | 76.3% |
Notes: Data include the civilian non-institutional population. “Prime age” refers to ages 25 to 54. AAPI refers to Asian American and Pacific Islander. Race/ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, AAPI non-Hispanic, and Hispanic any race).
Source: Economic Policy Institute, State of Working America Data Library, "Labor force participation - Labor force participation rate," 2026.
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