Women Now Outnumber Men In The U.S. College-Educated Labor Force

Women have overtaken men and now account for more than half (50.7%) of the college-educated labor force in the United States, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data. The change occurred in the fourth quarter of 2019 and remains the case today, even though the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a sharp recession and an overall decline in the size of the nation’s labor force.

Women now represent a majority of the college-educated labor force in the U.S.

Number of people ages 25 and older in the U.S. labor force with at least a bachelor’s degree, in millions

Labor force of women without a college degree has shrunk since 2019

Number of people ages 25 and older in the U.S. labor force, in millions

College-educated women are participating in the U.S. labor force at the same rate as before the pandemic

Percentage of women and men either employed or actively looking for work, second quarter of 2019 and second quarter of 2022

Note: Percentage point change is calculated prior to rounding. “Some college” includes those with an associate degree and those who attended college and did not obtain a degree.

Graphics: The Pew Charitable Trusts.