United States: farm and nonfarm labor force 1900-1970| ��ƽ��

Annual average number of people employed in the agricultural and nonagricultural labor forces in the United States from 1900 to 1970 (in 1,000s)

Characteristic	Agriculture	Nonagriculture
1970	3,462	75,165
1969	3,606	74,296
1968	3,817	72,103
1967	3,844	70,527
1966	3,979	68,915
1965	4,361	66,726
1964	4,523	64,782
1963	4,687	63,076
1962	4,944	61,759
1961	5,200	60,546
1960	5,458	60,318
1959	5,565	59,065
1958	5,586	57,450
1957	5,947	58,123
1956	6,283	57,517
1955	6,449	55,724
1954	6,206	53,903
1953	6,261	54,922
1952	6,501	53,753
1951	6,726	53,239
1950	7,160	51,760
1949	7,656	49,990
1948*	7,629	50,713
1947	8,256	49,557
1946	8,320	46,930
1945	8,580	44,240
1944	8,950	45,010
1943	9,080	45,390
1942	9,250	44,500
1941	9,100	41,250
1940	9,540	37,980
1939	9,710	36,028
1938	9,840	34,302
1937	10,000	36,058
1936	10,090	33,899
1935	10,110	31,563
1934	9,990	30,320
1933	10,090	27,962
1932	10,120	27,918
1931	10,240	31,065
1930	10,340	33,843
1929	10,541	35,666
1928	10,497	34,626
1927	10,529	34,327
1926	10,690	34,138
1925	10,662	33,054
1924	10,599	31,446
1923	10,621	31,774
1922	10,561	29,076
1921	10,443	26,618
1920	10,440	28,768
1919	10,495	28,652
1918	10,674	27,866
1917	10,788	27,387
1916	10,802	27,212
1915	10,953	25,270
1914	10,945	25,336
1913	10,974	26,030
1912	11,136	25,037
1911	11,107	23,853
1910	11,260	23,299
1909	11,163	22,734
1908	11,238	20,898
1907	11,493	21,745
1906	11,479	21,159
1905	11,187	19,731
1904	11,076	18,674
1903	10,869	18,625
1902	10,758	18,054
1901	10,916	17,032
1900	11,050	15,906

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Release date

December 2007

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Region

United States

Survey time period

1900 to 1970

Supplementary notes

*Break in series. Figures from 1900-1947 are given as "farm" and "nonfarm" employment, aged 14 years and over. Figures from 1948-1970 are given as "agricultural" and "nonagricultural" employment, aged 16 years and over.

Citation formats

From 1920 until 1970, the workforce of the United States grew from approximately 27 million people to 79 million people. Despite this growth, the share of the workforce employed in agriculture fell, dropping from around 11 to 3.5 million people. In 1920, there were approximately three nonagricultural workers in the U.S. for every two agricultural workers; by 1970, this ratio had shifted to roughly 22 to one. Employment in nonagricultural sectors grew in most years, yet there were regular declines that coincided with recessions or war; the largest dip came during the Great Depression in the early-1930s. Agricultural employment peaked at 11.5 million in 1907, but went into decline thereafter, with the sharpest fall coming after the Second World War.