2024 Work Experience of the Population — 2026-01-22

There were 14.7 million people who experienced unemployment at some point during 2024, up by 978,000 from 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over who worked at some time during the year edged down to 63.9 percent in 2024. These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ASEC collects information on employment and unemployment experienced during the prior calendar year. Additional information about the CPS and the ASEC, including concepts and definitions, is provided in the Technical Note. --A total of 174.6 million people worked at some point during 2024, up by 2.6 million from the prior year.