U.S. Employment by Year: Total Nonfarm Payrolls and Long-Run Job Trends

The U.S. labor market is a cornerstone of economic analysis, and annual employment figures provide a clear view of long-run job creation, recessions, and recoveries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm employees reached 158.46 million in 2025, up from 157.69 million in 2024. A separate Census Bureau series, U.S. employment from the Business Dynamics Statistics, reported 137.46 million in 2023. The two measures differ in scope and methodology, but both show an economy that has added millions of jobs over the past decade and recovered strongly from the 2020 pandemic contraction.

Key Numbers

• Total nonfarm employees, 2025: 158.46 million
• Annual change, 2024–2025: +0.48% (about 770,000 jobs)
• Pre-pandemic level, 2019: 150.90 million
• Pandemic-year level, 2020: 142.19 million
• Census U.S. employment, 2023: 137.46 million
• Census one-year change, 2022–2023: +2.47%
• Long-run average growth rate: 1.96% per year
• First recorded nonfarm level, 1939: 29.9 million

Explanation

U.S. employment is tracked through several official series. The most widely cited is the Current Employment Statistics survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which produces monthly estimates of total nonfarm employees. This series counts workers on nonfarm payrolls, including both goods-producing and service-providing industries, and is seasonally adjusted to remove predictable monthly fluctuations. The annual figure is the average of the 12 monthly values.

A second important series comes from the Census Bureau’s Business Dynamics Statistics. It reports a lower U.S. employment level—137.46 million in 2023—because it uses a different universe of businesses and workers. The nonfarm payroll series, by contrast, reached 155.87 million in 2023. The gap reflects differences in coverage, such as the treatment of self-employed workers, agricultural employment, and certain small businesses.

Over the long run, U.S. employment has grown dramatically. In January 1939, total nonfarm employees stood at just 29.9 million. By 2025, that figure had risen to 158.46 million, an increase of more than 128 million jobs. The path has not been smooth: recessions, financial crises, and the COVID-19 pandemic have produced sharp but temporary declines, followed by recoveries.

Definition

Total nonfarm employees is a measure of paid workers in the U.S. economy, excluding farm workers, private household employees, the self-employed, and workers in certain nonprofit organizations. It includes employees in manufacturing, construction, retail trade, health care, government, and most other industries. The series is reported monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is often used as a proxy for overall job market health.

The Census Bureau’s U.S. employment series from Business Dynamics Statistics measures employment associated with U.S. businesses over time, using administrative and survey data. It is reported annually and focuses on business dynamics, including job creation and destruction.

Historical Data

The table below shows annual total nonfarm employees from 2016 through 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

For longer historical context, the series begins in 1939 at 29.9 million. The most recent decade shows steady gains from 2016 through 2019, a sharp pandemic decline in 2020, and a rapid recovery that pushed employment to new highs by 2022.

Trend Chart

A line chart of annual total nonfarm employees would show a long upward slope from 1939 to 2025, with visible dips during recessions. The most dramatic recent feature is the 2020 pandemic drop, when employment fell from 150.90 million in 2019 to 142.19 million in 2020, followed by a V-shaped recovery. By 2022, employment had surpassed its pre-pandemic level.

Year-over-Year Change

Annual changes in total nonfarm employees highlight the pace of job creation or loss. The table below shows year-over-year changes from 2017 through 2025.

The largest recent decline occurred in 2020, when the economy lost 8.71 million nonfarm jobs. The strongest recovery year was 2022, with a gain of 6.24 million jobs. By 2025, growth had slowed to 0.49 percent, reflecting a maturing labor market.

10-Year Change

Looking at a longer window, the Census Bureau’s U.S. employment series shows a 16.9 percent increase from 2013 to 2023, rising from 117.56 million to 137.46 million. Over a similar period, total nonfarm employees rose from 144.34 million in 2016 to 158.46 million in 2025, a gain of 14.12 million, or about 9.8 percent.

These long-run gains reflect population growth, rising labor force participation among some groups, and the continued shift toward service-providing industries.

Methodology

The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces the total nonfarm employees series from the Current Employment Statistics survey, which samples about 119,000 businesses and government agencies each month. The survey collects data on employment, hours, and earnings from payroll records. Monthly estimates are then seasonally adjusted to remove predictable patterns such as holiday hiring and summer employment. Annual figures are calculated as the average of the 12 monthly seasonally adjusted values.

The Census Bureau’s Business Dynamics Statistics series uses a different approach, drawing on administrative records and longitudinal business data to measure employment, job creation, and job destruction over time. Because the two series have different scopes and methods, their levels are not directly comparable.

Why It Matters

Employment is a primary indicator of economic well-being. When employment rises, more people earn wages, consumer spending tends to increase, and tax revenues grow. Policymakers at the Federal Reserve watch employment data closely when setting interest rates, and the monthly jobs report is one of the most anticipated economic releases.

Annual employment figures also help identify structural changes in the economy. For example, the rapid recovery from the 2020 pandemic showed the resilience of the U.S. labor market, while the slowdown in 2025 suggests the economy may be approaching full employment.

Factors Behind the Trend

• Population growth: A larger working-age population supports more jobs over time.
• Economic cycles: Recessions reduce employment, while expansions add jobs.
• Pandemic effects: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented drop in 2020, followed by fiscal stimulus and reopening that fueled a rapid rebound.
• Industry shifts: Long-term growth in health care, professional services, and technology has offset declines in some manufacturing sectors.
• Labor force participation: Changes in participation rates affect the number of people available for work.

Limitations of the Data

Total nonfarm employees excludes farm workers, the self-employed, and private household workers, so it does not capture all employment in the economy. The Census Bureau’s U.S. employment series has a different scope and should not be compared one-to-one with the nonfarm payroll series.

The two headline employment series measure different parts of the labor market; differences in levels reflect coverage and methodology, not necessarily conflicting trends.

Annual averages also smooth out monthly volatility, which can hide important within-year changes. In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics periodically revises its estimates as more complete data become available, so earlier figures may change.

Source & Data Date

Primary source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, All Employees, Total Nonfarm (PAYEMS), seasonally adjusted, monthly data through July 2026; annual values for 2025 from the BLS/YCharts series. Secondary source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics, U.S. Employment, 2023, updated September 30, 2025. Data accessed September 9, 2026.