United States - Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate)

Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, total (%) (national estimate) in United States was 50.12 as of 2021. Its highest value over the past 61 years was 61.20 in 1989, while its lowest value was 45.00 in 2010.

Definition: Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed. Employment is defined as persons of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period (i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour) or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. Ages 15-24 are generally considered the youth population.

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in December 2019.

See also:

Year Value
1960 50.10
1961 49.00
1962 49.50
1963 48.50
1964 49.00
1965 50.20
1966 52.20
1967 52.70
1968 52.70
1969 54.00
1970 53.20
1971 52.30
1972 54.30
1973 57.00
1974 57.20
1975 54.20
1976 55.70
1977 57.60
1978 59.80
1979 60.60
1980 58.60
1981 57.60
1982 55.30
1983 55.60
1984 58.30
1985 59.00
1986 59.50
1987 60.10
1988 60.80
1989 61.20
1990 59.80
1991 57.20
1992 56.70
1993 57.20
1994 58.20
1995 58.34
1996 57.75
1997 58.19
1998 58.99
1999 59.00
2000 59.66
2001 57.71
2002 55.69
2003 53.91
2004 53.90
2005 53.91
2006 54.25
2007 53.13
2008 51.23
2009 46.85
2010 45.00
2011 45.45
2012 45.98
2013 46.49
2014 47.64
2015 48.60
2016 49.41
2017 50.34
2018 50.46
2019 51.19
2020 45.86
2021 50.12

Development Relevance: Four targets were added to the UN Millennium Declaration at the 2005 World Summit High-Level Plenary Meeting of the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly. One was full and productive employment and decent work for all, which is seen as the main route for people to escape poverty. Employment to population ratio is a key measure to monitor whether a country is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. And it continues to be a priority in the Sustainable Development Goal of promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Limitations and Exceptions: Data on employment by status are drawn from labor force surveys and household surveys, supplemented by official estimates and censuses for a small group of countries. The labor force survey is the most comprehensive source for internationally comparable employment, but there are still some limitations for comparing data across countries and over time even within a country. Comparability of employment ratios across countries is affected by variations in definitions of employment and population. The biggest difference results from the age range used to define labor force activity. The population base for employment ratios can also vary. Most countries use the resident, non-institutionalized population of working age living in private households, which excludes members of the armed forces and individuals residing in mental, penal, or other types of institutions. But some countries include members of the armed forces in the population base of their employment ratio while excluding them from employment data. The reference period of a census or survey is another important source of differences: in some countries data refer to people's status on the day of the census or survey or during a specific period before the inquiry date, while in others data are recorded without reference to any period. Employment ratios tend to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave. This indicator also has a gender bias because women who do not consider their work employment or who are not perceived as working tend to be undercounted. This bias has different effects across countries and reflects demographic, social, legal, and cultural trends and norms.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: The employment to population ratio indicates how efficiently an economy provides jobs for people who want to work. A high ratio means that a large proportion of the population is employed. But a lower employment to population ratio can be seen as a positive sign, especially for young people, if it is caused by an increase in their education.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Classification

Topic: Labor & Social Protection Indicators

Sub-Topic: Economic activity