Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United States of America

United States of America: Employment by main economic activity - Regions was 158.01 million Persons in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
158.01 million Persons
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
1st
of 43 countries
All-time high
158.01 million Persons
in 2022
All-time low
131.92 million Persons
in 1998
Years of data
26
1997–2022

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United States of America, 1997–2022

050.0M100.0M150.0M1997200920221997: 154.5M Persons1998: 131.9M Persons1999: 134.8M Persons2000: 137.6M Persons2001: 137.3M Persons2002: 136.3M Persons2003: 136.0M Persons2004: 137.4M Persons2005: 139.3M Persons2006: 141.7M Persons2007: 143.2M Persons2008: 142.6M Persons2009: 136.2M Persons2010: 135.4M Persons2011: 136.9M Persons2012: 139.6M Persons2013: 141.9M Persons2014: 144.7M Persons2015: 147.6M Persons2016: 150.0M Persons2017: 151.9M Persons2018: 154.4M Persons2019: 156.5M Persons2020: 147.2M Persons2021: 151.8M Persons2022: 158.0M Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

United States of America recorded 158.01 million Persons for employment by main economic activity - regions in 2022. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment by main economic activity - regions in United States of America peaked at 158.01 million Persons in 2022 and was at its lowest, 131.92 million Persons, in 1998.

United States of America ranks 1st of 43 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United States of America, 1997 to 2022.
Year Persons Change
1997 154.54 million Persons
1998 131.92 million Persons -14.6%
1999 134.77 million Persons +2.2%
2000 137.61 million Persons +2.1%
2001 137.33 million Persons -0.2%
2002 136.30 million Persons -0.8%
2003 135.97 million Persons -0.2%
2004 137.40 million Persons +1.1%
2005 139.34 million Persons +1.4%
2006 141.66 million Persons +1.7%
2007 143.17 million Persons +1.1%
2008 142.58 million Persons -0.4%
2009 136.24 million Persons -4.4%
2010 135.39 million Persons -0.6%
2011 136.92 million Persons +1.1%
2012 139.62 million Persons +2.0%
2013 141.93 million Persons +1.7%
2014 144.72 million Persons +2.0%
2015 147.64 million Persons +2.0%
2016 149.96 million Persons +1.6%
2017 151.95 million Persons +1.3%
2018 154.36 million Persons +1.6%
2019 156.54 million Persons +1.4%
2020 147.23 million Persons -5.9%
2021 151.77 million Persons +3.1%
2022 158.01 million Persons +4.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 140.41 million Persons 131.92 million Persons 154.54 million Persons 3
2000s 138.76 million Persons 135.97 million Persons 143.17 million Persons 10
2010s 145.90 million Persons 135.39 million Persons 156.54 million Persons 10
2020s 152.34 million Persons 147.23 million Persons 158.01 million Persons 3

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 2 Mexico 58.94 million Persons compare
  2. 3 Türkiye 32.62 million Persons compare
  3. 3 Germany 45.99 million Persons compare
  4. 4 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 33.43 million Persons compare

See the full ranking of 49 places →

More economy & growth data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment by main economic activity - regions in United States of America?
Employment by main economic activity - regions in United States of America was 158.01 million Persons in 2022, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 158.01 million Persons in 2022.
What is the lowest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 131.92 million Persons in 1998.
How does United States of America rank for employment by main economic activity - regions?
United States of America ranks 1st out of 43 countries with data for 2022.
Is employment by main economic activity - regions rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Employment by main economic activity - Regions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/employment-by-main-economic-activity-regions/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment by main economic activity - Regions
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
49 places, 1,247 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides indicators on employment by 10 broad activities and labour utilisation, in large regions (TL2) and small regions (TL3). Data source and definition Employment data is collected from Eurostat for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites. Employment is measured at place of work. Labour utilisation is measured by the number of employment at place of work per capita, for total activity. See the Regional data sources. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). See the OECD Territorial grid. Use of economic data on small regions TL3 regions are grouped into typologies based on shared characteristics. For economic analysis, TL3 regions belonging to the same Functional Urban Area (FUA) with more than 250,000 inhabitants are aggregated into a single metropolitan region to reduce distortions from commuting. See the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table. Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.