Vermont labor force participation rate by sex, 2003-2023

The labor force participation rate for men has been gradually falling for the last 20 years, although it has regained some ground since declining during the pandemic. Meanwhile, the rate for women held relatively steady between 2003 and 2013, before beginning to decline. Women’s participation has similarly recovered since the pandemic, but still not to pre-Great Recession levels. For both men and women, Vermont has typically maintained higher participation rates than the U.S. as a whole. And while Vermont has one of the smallest gender wage gaps in the country, women still earn less than men.