Status: Improving
Most Recent Data:
71.5
percent
(2023)
Target:
75.0
percent
Desired Direction:
Increase desired
Baseline:
70.6 percent of the working-age population aged 16 to 64 years were employed in 2018
Work influences many aspects of life that affect people’s health — including income, social status, health care access, housing, and economic security. Level of educational attainment is closely linked to employment because it affects the type of job people can get, their working conditions, earned income, and the benefits they receive. Work is an important social determinant of health that impacts health inequities, which lead to health disparities. Strategies that support educational attainment — such as student support services, financial aid programs for higher education, employment skill building, and job training programs — can help increase employment and positively affect the socioeconomic factors related to work. Additionally, resources and benefits in the workplace, including access to health insurance, paid sick leave, and remote work, can support positive health outcomes.
In 2021, 70.7 percent of working-age people aged 16 to 64 years were employed.
Disparities in employment rates by educational attainment (for adults aged 25–64 years): Highest/lowest rate ‡
Disparities in employment rates by educational attainment (for adults aged 25–64 years): All groups ‡
In 2021, adults aged 25–64 years with a 4-year college degree or more had the highest group rate of employment (84.1 percent).
- The highest group rate was 11.7 percent higher than the employment rate among adults with some college education or an associate degree (75.2 percent).
- The highest group rate was 21.7 percent higher than the employment rate among adults with a high school education (69.1 percent).
- The highest group rate was 49.5 percent higher than the employment rate among adults with less than a high school education (56.2 percent).
