North Dakota Leads the Country in Work Force Participation

North Dakota takes the lead in Labor Force participation. The Labor Force is the number of non-institutionalized individuals over the age of 16 who are employed or. Unemployed is used to describe those who are looking for work or waiting for recall. Employed are those who are currently working. Making Labor Force participation a representation of the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population that is in the labor force (that is, either employed or unemployed).

North Dakota leads the country with a 70.5% Labor Force participation rate. This is closely followed by Utah at 70.4%, Nebraska at 70% and South Dakota alongside Iowa at 69%. This rate can vary due to social, demographic, and economic trends but North Dakota tends to remain among the top 5 states. 

Labor Force participation is an effective metric for analyzing employment data of an area because it not only indicates the number of people employed in an area but also identifies those who are actively looking for a job. This number does not include those who are institutionalized (in prisons, mental health facilities, or nursing homes) and members of the military. It does, however, include those who are 16 or older. Labor Force participation also is a comparison of the proportion of those who are working to seeking work outside the home to those who are not seeking work outside of the home.

This information comes from the Labor Force and Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) report from the Labor Market unit at Job Service North Dakota. North Dakota’s LAUS labor force and unemployment rate data is compiled from various data sources regarding North Dakota residents. Main sources include Current Population Survey, Current Employment Statistics, and Unemployment Insurance (UI) Claims data.