The counties where women work the most, and the least
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About 74.6 percent of American women aged 20 to 64 are in the labor force. In Alexandria, Virginia, the figure is 86.3 percent. In Liberty County, Texas, it is 51.5 percent. The 35-point gap between these two counties is actually wider than the gap between the United States and most countries.
| Highest | Rate | Lowest | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria city, VA | 86.3% | Liberty County, TX | 51.5% |
| Cass County, ND | 86.2% | Sumter County, FL | 55.0% |
| Arlington County, VA | 85.3% | Citrus County, FL | 58.5% |
| Chittenden County, VT | 84.9% | Navajo County, AZ | 60.3% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 84.8% | Madera County, CA | 62.4% |
| Scott County, MN | 84.1% | Robeson County, NC | 62.8% |
The upper Midwest dominates
Five of the top ten counties with women in the labor force are in Minnesota: Scott, Sherburne, Olmsted, Wright, and Carver. Add Cass County, North Dakota, which is Fargo, and Minnehaha County, South Dakota, which is Sioux Falls, and seven of ten sit in the upper Midwest.
The region has run high female employment for decades. Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota combine large health care and education sectors, which employ women heavily, with relatively low child care costs compared with the coasts and a long history of two-earner farm and small-business households.
Alexandria and Arlington are there for different reasons. Both are Washington suburbs with heavily credentialed populations, where 41.7 percent of Arlington adults hold a graduate degree, covered in the cities where the most adults hold graduate degrees. Women with advanced degrees work at much higher rates than women without them, and the federal government and its contractors offer the kind of salaried, benefit-carrying jobs that make returning after childbirth financially sensible.
Three different reasons for the low rate counties
Sumter and Citrus counties in Florida are retirement communities, so their low rates are an artifact of people's age. The measure covers women 20 to 64, but in a county where the median age is near 70, the women who remain in that bracket are concentrated at its upper end, where participation naturally falls.
Liberty County, Texas, Madera County, California, and Robeson County, North Carolina are a different case. All three have low household incomes, limited public transit, and economies built on agriculture, construction, and manufacturing, sectors that employ men far more than women. Robeson also has the highest share of households under $25,000 of any large county in the country at 31.1 percent.
Navajo County, Arizona covers part of the Navajo Nation, where the nearest employer can be an hour's drive and 25.8 percent of households lack broadband. Distance and infrastructure constrain who can take a job at all.
Female labor force participation nationally has recovered past its pre-2020 level, even as the male rate has stayed flat, and the widest county gaps now track education and industry mix more than culture.
Sources
Figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B23001, covering women aged 20 to 64 who are employed or actively seeking work. Counties shown have at least 100,000 residents. The national figure is a population-weighted average across states. Household income and broadband figures are from tables B19001 and B28002.
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What share of American women work?
About 74.6 percent of women aged 20 to 64 are in the labor force, meaning employed or actively looking for work, according to American Community Survey data. The county range is wide, from 86.3 percent in Alexandria, Virginia to 51.5 percent in Liberty County, Texas.
Where do the most women work?
Alexandria, Virginia at 86.3 percent, followed by Cass County, North Dakota at 86.2 percent and Arlington County, Virginia at 85.3 percent. Five of the top ten counties are in Minnesota. The upper Midwest combines large health care and education sectors with relatively low child care costs.
Why is female labor force participation low in some counties?
For three different reasons. Retirement counties like Sumter and Citrus in Florida score low because their women aged 20 to 64 skew toward the top of that range. Counties like Liberty, Texas and Robeson, North Carolina have economies built on agriculture, construction, and manufacturing, which employ men more heavily. Navajo County, Arizona is constrained by distance and infrastructure.
