The labor force participation rate is the number of people who are available to work as a percentage of the total population. The rate increased between 1960 and 2000 as women entered the labor force. In January 2000, it reached a peak of 67.3 percent. The 2001 recession lowered it to 65.9 percent by April 2004. “The Rise and Fall of Labor Force Participation Rates in the United States.” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, First Quarter 2014, Vol. 96, Issue 1, pp. 1-12. 2 Headquartered in St. Louis, the Federal Reserve’s Eighth District includes all of Arkansas and parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee The US Labor Force Participation Rate is the percentage of the US working-age population (age 16 and over) that is in the work force.. This includes both those who are employed, and unemployed but looking for work. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics — here.