Women of Working Age

There were 127.1 million working age women (16 years of age and older, civilian non-institutional population) in the U.S. in 2013 – 72.7 million were in the labor force.1

Of the 127 million women of working age, 99.5 million were White, 16.6 million were Black or African American, 7.1 million were Asian, and 18.7 million were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.2,3

Between 2012 and 2022 the number of women in the civilian labor force is expected to increase by 5.4 percent, compared to a 5.6 percent increase in the number of men.4

Although the number of women and men is expected to increase, overall labor force participation rates are expected to decline. Women are projected to represent 46.8 percent of labor force in 2022.5

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Current Population Survey