E.g., 04/18/2024
E.g., 04/18/2024

State Workforce Data - FL

 
Florida
United States
Workforce
2022
2022
Civilian Labor Force

Note: 1) Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). 2) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 3) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 4) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Note: The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

Foreign Born
Population (16 and older) 4,573,655
% in the civilian labor force 64.1%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 2,931,713
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force 3.5%
Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) 2,829,650
% change: 2000-2022 111.4%
% change: 1990-2000 53.8%

Note: The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.

U.S. Born
Population (16 and older) 13,885,398
% in the civilian labor force 57.6%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 7,997,989
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force 4.2%
Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) 7,659,566
% change: 2000-2011 35.4%
% change: 1990-2000 14.5%
Civilian Labor Force

Note: 1) Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). 2) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 3) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 4) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Note: The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

Foreign Born
Population (16 and older) 44,046,106
% in the civilian labor force 66.7%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 29,378,753
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force 3.9%
Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) 28,220,471
% change: 2000-2019 75.6%
% change: 1990-2000 51.3%

Note: The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.

U.S. Born
Population (16 and older) 225,509,212
% in the civilian labor force 62.3%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 140,492,239
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force 4.4%
Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) 134,369,750
% change: 2000-2011 18.2%
% change: 1990-2000 8.4%
Foreign-Born Labor Force by U.S. Citizenship Status

Note: 1) Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). 2) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 3) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 4) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Naturalized Citizens  
Population (16 and older) 2,734,047
% in the civilian labor force
61.6%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 1,684,173
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force 2.8%
Civilian employed workers (age 16 and older) 1,636,104
Noncitizens  
Population (age 16 and older) 1,839,608
% in the civilian labor force
67.8%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 1,247,254
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force
4.3%
Civilian employed workers (age 16 and older) 1,193,546
U.S. Born
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign-Born Labor Force by U.S. Citizenship Status

Note: 1) Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). 2) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 3) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 4) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Naturalized Citizens  
Population (16 and older) 24,003,189
% in the civilian labor force
64.6%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 15,506,060
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force 3.4%
Civilian employed workers (age 16 and older) 14,965,437
Noncitizens  
Population (age 16 and older) 20,042,917
% in the civilian labor force
69.2%
Civilian labor force (age 16 and older) 13,869,699
% unemployed of the total civilian labor force
4.4%
Civilian employed workers (age 16 and older) 13,255,034
U.S. Born
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign-Born Workers by Period of Entry and Origin Foreign Born
Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Period of Entry

Note: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other Workforce data due to different ACS data sources.

2,825,400
% recent arrivals (i.e., arrived within the last 10 years)
31.5%
Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Region of Birth

Note: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other Workforce data due to different ACS data sources.

2,825,400
Born in Africa 2.0%
Born in Asia 10.7%
Born in Europe 7.3%
Born in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean) 78.3%
Born in Northern America (Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon) 1.5%
Born in Oceania 0.2%
U.S. Born
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Foreign-Born Workers by Period of Entry and Origin Foreign Born
Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Period of Entry

Note: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other Workforce data due to different ACS data sources.

28,197,600
% recent arrivals (i.e., arrived within the last 10 years)
25.3%
Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Region of Birth

Note: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other Workforce data due to different ACS data sources.

28,197,600
Born in Africa 6.5%
Born in Asia 30.7%
Born in Europe 9.3%
Born in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean) 51.4%
Born in Northern America (Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon) 1.5%
Born in Oceania 0.6%
U.S. Born
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Occupations

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 2,829,650
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 33.5%
Service occupations 21.4%
Sales and office occupations 18.6%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 13.1%
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 13.3%
% Foreign Born by Occupation  
All civilian employed workers 27.0%
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 22.7%
Service occupations 32.3%
Sales and office occupations 22.2%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 39.2%
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 33.6%
U.S. Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 7,659,566
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 42.2%
Service occupations 16.6%
Sales and office occupations 24.1%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 7.5%
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 9.7%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Occupations

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 28,220,471
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 37.4%
Service occupations 20.5%
Sales and office occupations 14.6%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 12.2%
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 15.3%
% Foreign Born by Occupation  
All civilian workers 17.4%
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 15.3%
Service occupations 22.1%
Sales and office occupations 12.8%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 25.0%
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 20.3%
U.S. Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 134,369,750
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Management, business, science, and arts occupations 43.6%
Service occupations 15.2%
Sales and office occupations 20.9%
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 7.7%
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 12.6%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Industries

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 2,829,650
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.4%
Construction 11.6%
Manufacturing 5.5%
Wholesale trade 2.6%
Retail trade 10.9%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 8.1%
Information 1.3%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 7.0%
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste-management services 14.0%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 19.2%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 10.1%
Other services (except public administration) 6.2%
Public administration 2.1%
% Foreign Born by Industry  
All civilian employed workers 27.0%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 42.5%
Construction 38.3%
Manufacturing 28.5%
Wholesale trade 31.4%
Retail trade 23.8%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 34.4%
Information 22.0%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 22.7%
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste-management services 26.7%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 25.0%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 25.2%
Other services (except public administration) 33.2%
Public administration 13.7%
U.S. Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 7,659,566
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.7%
Construction 6.9%
Manufacturing 5.1%
Wholesale trade 2.1%
Retail trade 12.9%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.7%
Information 1.7%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8.8%
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste-management services 14.2%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21.3%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 11.1%
Other services (except public administration) 4.6%
Public administration 4.9%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Industries

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 28,220,471
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.0%
Construction 9.9%
Manufacturing 10.6%
Wholesale trade 2.3%
Retail trade 9.1%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.8%
Information 1.7%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.7%
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste-management services 14.4%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.0%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 9.1%
Other services (except public administration) 5.6%
Public administration 2.7%
% Foreign Born by Industry  
All civilian workers 17.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 21.9%
Construction 24.8%
Manufacturing 18.7%
Wholesale trade 18.7%
Retail trade 14.3%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 19.8%
Information 15.1%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 14.6%
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste-management services 19.9%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 15.1%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 18.2%
Other services (except public administration) 20.7%
Public administration 10.2%
U.S. Born
Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older 134,369,750
% Civilian Workers Employed in  
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.5%
Construction 6.3%
Manufacturing 9.7%
Wholesale trade 2.1%
Retail trade 11.5%
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.8%
Information 2.0%
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 7.0%
Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste-management services 12.2%
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 23.7%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food services 8.6%
Other services (except public administration) 4.5%
Public administration 5.0%
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Class of Worker

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) (%) 2,829,650
Private wage and salary workers 83.1%
Government workers 7.0%
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 9.6%
Unpaid family workers 0.3%
U.S. Born
Class of Worker (civilian workers age 16 and older) (%) 7,659,566
Private wage and salary workers 81.4%
Government workers 13.0%
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 5.3%
Unpaid family workers 0.2%
Class of Worker

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born
Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) (%) 28,220,471
Private wage and salary workers 81.8%
Government workers 9.7%
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 8.2%
Unpaid family workers 0.3%
U.S. Born
Class of Worker (civilian workers age 16 and older) (%) 134,369,750
Private wage and salary workers 79.0%
Government workers 15.3%
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 5.6%
Unpaid family workers 0.2%
 
Population (age 25 and older)
Population (age 25 and older)
Labor Force Participation by Language Spoken at Home Number
Total Population (native and foreign born) Age 25 and older 16,104,410
In labor force 9,624,906
Not in labor force 6,479,504
Speak only English 11,203,180
In labor force 6,331,175
Not in labor force 4,872,005
Speak Spanish 3,572,075
In labor force 2,431,177
Not in labor force 1,140,898
Speak other Indo-European languages 925,048
In labor force 592,230
Not in labor force 332,818
Speak Asian and Pacific Island languages 278,896
In labor force 187,102
Not in labor force 91,794
Speak other languages 125,211
In labor force 83,222
Not in labor force 41,989
%
Total Population (native and foreign born) age 25 and older 100%
  In labor force 59.8%
Not in labor force 40.2%
Speak only English 100%
  In labor force 56.5%
Not in labor force 43.5%
Speak Spanish 100%
  In labor force 68.1%
Not in labor force 31.9%
Speak other Indo-European languages 100%
  In labor force 64.0%
Not in labor force 36.0%
Speak Asian and Pacific Island languages 100%
  In labor force 67.1%
Not in labor force 32.9%
Speak other languages 100%
  In labor force 66.5%
Not in labor force 33.5%
Labor Force Participation by Language Spoken at Home Number
Total Population (native and foreign born) Age 25 and older 229,707,137
In labor force 147,056,778
Not in labor force 82,650,359
Speak only English 179,357,016
In labor force 112,406,814
Not in labor force 66,950,202
Speak Spanish 29,104,891
In labor force 20,311,188
Not in labor force 8,793,703
Speak other Indo-European languages 9,382,294
In labor force 6,269,883
Not in labor force 3,112,411
Speak Asian and Pacific Island languages 9,015,209
In labor force 6,052,216
Not in labor force 2,962,993
Speak other languages 2,847,727
In labor force 2,016,677
Not in labor force 831,050
%
Total Population (native and foreign born) age 25 and older 100%
  In labor force 64.0%
Not in labor force 36.0%
Speak only English 100%
  In labor force 62.7%
Not in labor force 37.3%
Speak Spanish 100%
  In labor force 69.8%
Not in labor force 30.2%
Speak other Indo-European languages 100%
  In labor force 66.8%
Not in labor force 33.2%
Speak Asian and Pacific Island languages 100%
  In labor force 67.1%
Not in labor force 32.9%
Speak other languages 100%
  In labor force 70.8%
Not in labor force 29.2%
Workers' Education and English Proficiency

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Foreign Born
Civilian Employed Workers (age 25 and older) 2,659,600
Low-educated workers (i.e., those without a high school diploma) 400,800
% low educated of all workers
15.1%
High-educated workers (i.e., those with at least a bachelor's degree) 956,100
% high educated of all workers
35.9%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Workers (age 25 and older) 1,193,600
% LEP among all workers
44.9%
U.S. Born
Civilian Workers (age 25 and older) 6,592,300
Low-educated workers (i.e., those with high school diploma) 297,200
% low educated of all workers
4.5%
High-educated workers (i.e., those with at least a bachelor's degree) 2,629,200
% high educated of all workers
39.9%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Workers (age 25 and older) 163,100
% LEP among all workers
2.5%
Workers' Education and English Proficiency

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Foreign Born
Civilian Employed Workers (age 25 and older) 26,481,600
Low-educated workers (i.e., those without a high school diploma) 5,524,300
% low educated of all workers
20.9%
High-educated workers (i.e., those with at least a bachelor's degree) 10,343,400
% high educated of all workers
39.1%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Workers (age 25 and older) 11,499,300
% LEP among all workers
43.4%
U.S. Born
Civilian Workers (age 25 and older) 114,705,900
Low-educated workers (i.e., those with high school diploma) 4,930,900
% low educated of all workers
4.3%
High-educated workers (i.e., those with at least a bachelor's degree) 48,532,500
% high educated of all workers
42.3%
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Workers (age 25 and older) 1,663,900
% LEP among all workers
1.5%
Brain Waste

Note: The terms "brain waste" and "skill underutilization" are used interchangeably and describe a phenomenon when college-educated persons are either unemployed or employed in unskilled jobs, i.e., jobs that require only moderate on-the-job training or less, such as construction laborers, taxi drivers, file clerks, or nannies.

Foreign Born
Skill Underutilization among College-Educated Workers (age 25 and older)*

Note: Estimates are based on Migration Policy Institute analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's data. Data for Montana, West Virginia, and Wyoming are not available for foreign-born college-educated adult workers due to the small sample size. Data for Alaska, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont are from the pooled 2018-2022 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.

 
Total civilian, college-educated labor force, age 25+ 977,600
Number underutilized (i.e., unemployed or employed in low-skilled jobs)
249,300

% of civilian, college-educated labor force, age 25+

25.5%
U.S. Born
Skill Underutilization among College-Educated Workers (age 25 and older)*  
Total civilian, college-educated workers, age 25+ 2,681,400
Number underutilized (i.e., unemployed or employed in low-skilled jobs)
457,500

% of all civilian, college-educated workers, age 25+

17.1%
Brain Waste

Note: The terms "brain waste" and "skill underutilization" are used interchangeably and describe a phenomenon when college-educated persons are either unemployed or employed in unskilled jobs, i.e., jobs that require only moderate on-the-job training or less, such as construction laborers, taxi drivers, file clerks, or nannies.

Foreign Born
Skill Underutilization among College-Educated Workers (age 25 and older)*

Note: Estimates are based on Migration Policy Institute analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's data. Data for Montana, West Virginia, and Wyoming are not available for foreign-born college-educated adult workers due to the small sample size. Data for Alaska, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont are from the pooled 2018-2022 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.

 
Total civilian, college-educated labor force, age 25+ 10,586,900
Number underutilized (i.e., unemployed or employed in low-skilled jobs)
2,119,000

% of civilian, college-educated labor force, age 25+

20.0%
U.S. Born
Skill Underutilization among College-Educated Workers (age 25 and older)*  
Total civilian, college-educated workers, age 25+ 49,449,900
Number underutilized (i.e., unemployed or employed in low-skilled jobs)
7,828,500

% of all civilian, college-educated workers, age 25+

15.8%

Sources: Migration Policy Institute tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census. Unless stated otherwise, 2022 data are from the one-year ACS file. For information about ACS definitions, click here. For ACS methodology, sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here. Estimates from 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census data as well as ACS microdata are from Steven Ruggles, Sarah Flood, Matthew Sobek, Daniel Backman, Annie Chen, Grace Cooper, Stephanie Richards, Renae Rogers, and Megan Schouweiler. IPUMS USA: Version 14.0 [dataset]. Minneapolis, MN: IPUMS, 2023. https://doi.org/10.18128/D010.V14.0​.

Definitions

  • The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.
  • The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.
  • Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 
  • The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English “not at all,” “not well,” or “well” on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English “very well” are considered proficient in English.
  • The terms "brain waste" and "skill underutilization" are used interchangeably and describe a phenomenon when college-educated persons are either unemployed or employed in unskilled jobs, i.e., jobs that require only moderate on-the-job training or less, such as construction laborers, taxi drivers, file clerks, or nannies.

Data-related notes

  • The letter N indicates that an estimate could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.
  • For “Civilian Labor Force,” “Foreign-Born Labor Force by U.S. Citizenship Status,” “Occupations,” “Industries,” and “Class of Worker”: Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are from the Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS). Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.
  • For “Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Period of Entry,” “Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Region of Birth,” and “Workers' Education and English Proficiency (age 25 and older)”: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other workforce data due to different ACS data sources. Data for Alaska, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are based on Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis of the Census Bureau's pooled 2018-2022 ACS data. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are based on MPI analysis of the 2022 ACS.
  • Brain waste estimates are based on Migration Policy Institute analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's ACS data. Data for Montana, West Virginia, and Wyoming are not available for the foreign-born college-educated adult workers due to the small sample size. Data for Alaska, Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont are from the pooled 2018-2022 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2022 ACS.