1 in 3 American men are not working in nearly 20-year low — here’s what’s behind the staggering statistic
By Alex Oliveira
Published May 28, 2026, 7:22 p.m. ET
The number of American men in the workforce are at its lowest level in two decades — with about one in three American men having stopped working as of 2026, new labor statistics show.
Just 66% of men were employed or actively seeking a job as of April, a nearly 20-year low from 73% in 2006, according to data the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released earlier this month.
The current number — covering men aged 20 and over — is almost exactly as low as it was after the 2008 recession, when rates first plummeted by seven points in about a year.
Employment rates slowly eked up across the 2010s — before being gutted during the 2020 pandemic, when just 59% of men were employed.
Rates partially recovered within two years but then began a trickling decline that’s persisted into the current lows.
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https://nypost.com/2026/05/28/us-news/1-in-3-american-men-are-not-working-in-nearly-20-year-low/