Labour force participation rate: United States, Canada and Mexico compared

Share of the working-age population that is in the labour force (working or looking for work), nationally and for each state, province and estado. Each figure keeps its own source, reference period and definition; read the notes before comparing.

National values

Labour force participation rate, national values. Periods: United States 2025; Canada 2025; Mexico 2020. Caution: age floors (U.S. 16+, Canada 15+, Mexico 12+), sources and reference years (U.S. 2025 survey, Canada 2025 survey, Mexico 2020 census) differ, so the order across countries is indicative only.

National values
Country	Labour force participation rate	Period	Basis
United States	63.5%	2025	ACS: in labor force, ages 16+
Canada	65.3%	2025	LFS annual: participation rate, ages 15+
Mexico	62.0%	2020	Census 2020: economically active, ages 12+ (derived share)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, Table DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics. Reference period: 2025.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0327-01: Labour force characteristics by gender and detailed age group, annual. Reference period: 2025.

Source: INEGI, Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020, Principales resultados por localidad (ITER), national and state totals. Reference period: 2020.

States, provinces and estados

United States Canada Mexico (hatched)

Labour force participation rate (%), latest available, sorted high to low. 30 areas ranked by Labour force participation rate (%). Highest: US · DC (71.1); lowest: CA · Newfoundland & Lab. (NL) (57.8). Showing the 10 highest areas in each country. Caution: age floors (U.S. 16+, Canada 15+, Mexico 12+), sources and reference years (U.S. 2025 survey, Canada 2025 survey, Mexico 2020 census) differ, so the order across countries is indicative only. Full data in the table below.Source: U.S., Canadian and Mexican official sources.

Show all 93 areas

Labour force participation rate (%), latest available, sorted high to low. 93 areas ranked by Labour force participation rate (%). Highest: US · DC (71.1); lowest: US · West Virginia (53.8). All 93 areas. Caution: age floors (U.S. 16+, Canada 15+, Mexico 12+), sources and reference years (U.S. 2025 survey, Canada 2025 survey, Mexico 2020 census) differ, so the order across countries is indicative only. Full data in the table below.Source: U.S., Canadian and Mexican official sources.


District of Columbia	United States	71.1
Utah	United States	69.3
Alberta	Canada	68.9
Quintana Roo	Mexico	68.5
Nebraska	United States	68.4
North Dakota	United States	68.4
Colorado	United States	68.1
Minnesota	United States	67.4
Saskatchewan	Canada	67.4
New Jersey	United States	67
Baja California Sur	Mexico	67
Maryland	United States	66.9
South Dakota	United States	66.8
Manitoba	Canada	66.6
Alaska	United States	66.2
Massachusetts	United States	66.2
Prince Edward Island	Canada	66
Kansas	United States	65.9
Iowa	United States	65.8
Connecticut	United States	65.7
New Hampshire	United States	65.7
Texas	United States	65.6
Baja California	Mexico	65.5
Virginia	United States	65.4
Colima	Mexico	65.3
Ontario	Canada	65
British Columbia	Canada	65
Querétaro	Mexico	65
Quebec	Canada	64.9
Illinois	United States	64.8
Nevada	United States	64.6
Washington	United States	64.5
Wisconsin	United States	64.5
Ciudad de México	Mexico	64.4
Rhode Island	United States	64.3
Vermont	United States	64.2
Jalisco	Mexico	64.1
Georgia	United States	64
Indiana	United States	63.9
Morelos	Mexico	63.6
California	United States	63.4
Hawaii	United States	63.3
Aguascalientes	Mexico	63.3
Campeche	Mexico	63.3
Missouri	United States	63.1
Ohio	United States	63.1
New York	United States	63
North Carolina	United States	63
Tennessee	United States	62.9
Nayarit	Mexico	62.8
Idaho	United States	62.7
Pennsylvania	United States	62.6
Wyoming	United States	62.6
Montana	United States	62.3
Chihuahua	Mexico	62.3
Tabasco	Mexico	62.3
México	Mexico	62.2
Michoacán de Ocampo	Mexico	62.1
Puebla	Mexico	62
Oregon	United States	61.9
Guanajuato	Mexico	61.8
Yucatán	Mexico	61.7
Delaware	United States	61.4
Michigan	United States	61.4
Nuevo León	Mexico	61.4
Maine	United States	61.3
Nova Scotia	Canada	61.3
Tamaulipas	Mexico	61.3
Chiapas	Mexico	61.2
Oklahoma	United States	61.1
Hidalgo	Mexico	61.1
South Carolina	United States	61
Sonora	Mexico	61
Tlaxcala	Mexico	61
Guerrero	Mexico	60.6
San Luis Potosí	Mexico	60.6
Sinaloa	Mexico	60.6
Florida	United States	60.5
New Brunswick	Canada	60.5
Arizona	United States	60.4
Coahuila de Zaragoza	Mexico	60
Arkansas	United States	59.9
Kentucky	United States	59.7
Louisiana	United States	59.7
Alabama	United States	59.4
Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave	Mexico	59.2
New Mexico	United States	58.5
Mississippi	United States	58.3
Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada	57.8
Durango	Mexico	57.8
Oaxaca	Mexico	56.8
Zacatecas	Mexico	56
West Virginia	United States	53.8

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, Table DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics. Reference period: 2025.

Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0327-01: Labour force characteristics by gender and detailed age group, annual. Reference period: 2025.

Source: INEGI, Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020, Principales resultados por localidad (ITER), national and state totals. Reference period: 2020.

How the countries differ

Age floors differ: the U.S. figure covers people 16 and older, Canada's people 15 and older, and Mexico's census figure people 12 and older. Including younger teenagers, who are mostly in school, pulls a rate down.
Sources differ: the U.S. rate is from the American Community Survey (and includes the Armed Forces in the labour force); Canada's is the Labour Force Survey annual average (civilian, non-institutional population; territories are not included in this table); Mexico's is derived by Quadranac from 2020 Census counts (economically active ÷ population 12 and over) for the census reference week.
Reference years differ widely (United States 2025, Canada 2025, Mexico 2020); Mexico's 2020 census fell during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Compare areas within each country with confidence; across countries, treat differences as indicative only.

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Cite this comparison

Labour force participation rate: United States, Canada and Mexico compared. Compiled by Quadranac from INEGI; Statistics Canada; U.S. Census Bureau. Data last updated 2026-10-30. https://quadranac.com/comparison/labour-force-participation/

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