<P> The labor force is the actual number of people available for work and is the sum of the employed and the unemployed . The U.S. labor force was approximately 161 million persons in January 2018 . By Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) definitions, the labor force is defined as: "Included are persons 16 years of age and older residing in the 50 States and the District of Columbia who are not inmates of institutions (for example, penal and mental facilities, homes for the aged), and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces ." The U.S. labor force has risen each year since 1960, with the exception of the period following the Great Recession, when it remained below 2008 levels from 2009 - 2011 . </P> <P> The labor force participation rate, LFPR (or economic activity rate, EAR), is the ratio between the labor force and the overall size of their cohort (national population of the same age range). Much like other countries in the West during the later half of the 20th century, the labor force participation rate increased significantly, largely due to the increasing number of women entering the workplace . </P>

Who makes up the labor force in the us