Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United States
United States: Employment by main economic activity - Regions was 158.01 million Persons in 2022. ▲ Rising
Employment by main economic activity - Regions in United States, 1997–2022
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.
Analysis
United States 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 peaked at 158.01 million Persons in 2022 and was at its lowest, 131.92 million Persons, in 1998.
United States 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, year by year
| 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% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 158.01 million Persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.76 million Persons, 33.2× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More economy & growth data for United States
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -24.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0057 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 509.07 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.7205 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0041 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 371.72 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 0.9623 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by main economic activity - regions in United States?
- Employment by main economic activity - regions in United States 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?
- 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?
- The lowest recorded value was 131.92 million Persons in 1998.
- How does United States rank for employment by main economic activity - regions?
- United States ranks 1st out of 43 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employment by main economic activity - regions rising or falling in United States?
- 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 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.
Download this data
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About this data
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.