Labor force participation, term by term
Every term lined up from its inauguration. Context is everything: compare the start of a term with the trend it inherited and with what was happening in the world (recessions, pandemics), all of which are on the full labor force participation chart.
Of the 8 completed terms with data, labor force participation rose fastest under Jimmy Carter, at +0.45 pts/yr against +0.32 pts/yr in the four years before, and fell fastest under Barack Obama, at −0.39 pts/yr against −0.03 pts/yr in the four years before. So far under Donald Trump (2nd term), it has gone from 62.5% in Dec 2024 to 61.8% in Sep 2026.
Numbers
| President | During term | 4 years before |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump (2nd term) | 62.5% → 61.8% −0.40 pts/yr · through Sep 2026 | +0.25 pts/yr |
| Joe Biden | 61.5% → 62.5% +0.25 pts/yr | −0.30 pts/yr |
| Donald Trump (1st term) | 62.7% → 61.5% −0.30 pts/yr | −0.25 pts/yr |
| Barack Obama | 65.8% → 62.7% −0.39 pts/yr | −0.03 pts/yr |
| George W. Bush | 67.0% → 65.8% −0.15 pts/yr | 0.00 pts/yr |
| Bill Clinton | 66.3% → 67.0% +0.09 pts/yr | +0.05 pts/yr |
| George H. W. Bush | 66.1% → 66.3% +0.05 pts/yr | +0.38 pts/yr |
| Ronald Reagan | 63.6% → 66.1% +0.31 pts/yr | +0.45 pts/yr |
| Jimmy Carter | 61.8% → 63.6% +0.45 pts/yr | +0.32 pts/yr |