National ranking · Top 100 · data updated August 2026

The 100 Cities with the Lowest Labor Force Participation

This list ranks the top 100 US cities by labor force participation, drawn straight from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023). Use the leading value, cutoff, state mix, and full table together to see which places lead this single measure and what it takes to make the list.

Compiled by PlainCities

100
Cities ranked: #1
Fort Dix: 6.7%
Labor Force Participation

Data updated August 2026

The headline finding

Fort Dix, NJ tops this list at 6.7% labor force participation, making the top 100 requires at least 31.7%.

Fort Dix, NJ
#1 · 6.7%: 31.7%
#100 cutoff: 100
cities in this ranking

Every figure here is read live from the same U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023) data rendered in the table below.

These 100 cities span 27 states. Florida has the most entries on this list: 21 (21% of the total). Florida state page.

How we calculate the state breakdown

The state count and leader above are a live tally of this list's own 100 rows, grouped by state. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

Florida (FL)

21
California (CA)

15
Arizona (AZ)

9
Puerto Rico (PR)

7
Texas (TX)

6
New York (NY)

5
New Jersey (NJ)

3
Virginia (VA)

3
Washington (WA)

3
Georgia (GA)

3

What this shows Florida leads with 21 of the 100 spots on this list.

#	City	Labor Force Participation	Population
1	Fort DixNew Jersey	6.7%	8,034
2	Camp Pendleton MainsideCalifornia	8.0%	9,801
3	LeakesvilleMississippi	9.3%	5,564
4	Air Force AcademyColorado	10.5%	6,701
5	On Top of the WorldFlorida	11.4%	13,772
6	The VillagesFlorida	11.4%	82,108
7	Sun City WestArizona	12.5%	27,003
8	Fort RileyKansas	12.6%	8,595
9	Fort Campbell NorthKentucky	12.7%	11,483
10	Fort LeeVirginia	12.7%	8,318
11	Green ValleyArizona	14.6%	21,581
12	Desert PalmsCalifornia	14.6%	6,522
13	Bangor BaseWashington	14.6%	5,931
14	North Fort LewisWashington	14.8%	5,990
15	Fort BlissTexas	15.2%	12,009
16	Fort HoodTexas	15.5%	25,786
17	Fort CarsonColorado	15.7%	18,447
18	SayreOklahoma	15.8%	5,216
19	Binghamton UniversityNew York	16.0%	6,921
20	Schofield BarracksHawaii	16.6%	16,755
21	Cusseta-Chattahoochee CountyGeorgia	16.8%	9,181
22	SaddlebrookeArizona	16.9%	12,616
23	CresaptownMaryland	16.9%	5,238
24	SunArizona	17.4%	38,018
25	Lemoore StationCalifornia	17.5%	5,847
26	Kaneohe BaseHawaii	17.6%	10,973
27	Fort LewisWashington	17.6%	13,983
28	TellicoTennessee	18.1%	6,901
29	Lackland AFBTexas	18.1%	6,650
30	Leisure WorldMaryland	18.2%	8,693
31	WestvilleIndiana	18.6%	5,291
32	Fairfield GladeTennessee	19.2%	9,149
33	Pelican BayFlorida	19.7%	6,575
34	Quantico BaseVirginia	19.9%	5,491
35	Sun LakesArizona	20.0%	14,079
36	Fort RuckerAlabama	20.6%	5,221
37	St. LouisMichigan	20.7%	6,926
38	GatesvilleTexas	20.7%	16,058
39	CrestwoodNew Jersey	21.0%	7,951
40	University at BuffaloNew York	21.2%	6,776
41	Laguna WoodsCalifornia	21.4%	17,342
42	Longboat KeyFlorida	21.4%	7,512
43	FlorenceArizona	21.5%	25,961
44	CalipatriaCalifornia	21.6%	6,549
45	West PointNew York	21.7%	6,549
46	RuskTexas	21.9%	5,332
47	Citrus HillsFlorida	22.6%	9,044
48	Fort Leonard WoodMissouri	23.4%	15,317
49	St. JamesNorth Carolina	23.4%	6,901
50	Fort Polk SouthLouisiana	23.8%	8,056
51	Fort StewartGeorgia	24.5%	9,976
52	Fort DrumNew York	24.6%	16,124
53	Camp Pendleton SouthCalifornia	24.8%	15,011
54	Fort BelvoirVirginia	24.8%	8,107
55	Fort KnoxKentucky	25.1%	8,715
56	Aguadilla zona urbanaPuerto Rico	25.2%	11,060
57	JessupMaryland	25.4%	9,147
58	Fort IrwinCalifornia	25.7%	8,791
59	Guánica zona urbanaPuerto Rico	25.9%	5,333
60	University of California-DavisCalifornia	26.1%	8,158
61	Holiday City-BerkeleyNew Jersey	26.1%	12,896
62	GraftonOhio	26.3%	5,665
63	Sun City CenterFlorida	26.4%	31,801
64	Rainbow SpringsFlorida	26.5%	5,226
65	Utuado zona urbanaPuerto Rico	26.5%	7,640
66	RotondaFlorida	26.6%	10,312
67	Clemson UniversitySouth Carolina	26.7%	6,434
68	West LivingstonTexas	26.7%	7,888
69	EloyArizona	27.2%	16,671
70	CorcoranCalifornia	27.2%	22,626
71	Juana Díaz zona urbanaPuerto Rico	27.2%	8,031
72	San Germán zona urbanaPuerto Rico	27.3%	10,877
73	Manatí zona urbanaPuerto Rico	27.5%	10,750
74	California Polytechnic State UniversityCalifornia	27.8%	7,529
75	EnglewoodFlorida	28.2%	19,385
76	The MeadowsFlorida	28.3%	5,463
77	Crescent CityCalifornia	29.2%	6,180
78	West Vero CorridorFlorida	29.2%	10,802
79	HillsboroIllinois	29.6%	5,693
80	ParadiseCalifornia	29.7%	6,793
81	Marco IslandFlorida	29.7%	15,998
82	Sugarmill WoodsFlorida	29.8%	10,871
83	VeniceFlorida	29.8%	26,467
84	MiccoFlorida	29.9%	9,053
85	South PasadenaFlorida	30.0%	5,324
86	Pine Ridge CDP (Citrus County)Florida	30.1%	10,676
87	Siesta KeyFlorida	30.4%	5,690
88	BlytheCalifornia	30.8%	17,824
89	JacksonvilleNorth Carolina	30.9%	73,507
90	Gold CanyonArizona	31.0%	12,488
91	SusanvilleCalifornia	31.0%	14,992
92	Arroyo zona urbanaPuerto Rico	31.0%	7,234
93	Stony Brook UniversityNew York	31.3%	9,138
94	TehachapiCalifornia	31.4%	12,366
95	HernandoFlorida	31.4%	8,795
96	Punta GordaFlorida	31.4%	19,886
97	McRae-HelenaGeorgia	31.4%	5,959
98	WilliamsonArizona	31.5%	6,112
99	OakdaleLouisiana	31.5%	6,614
100	Palm BeachFlorida	31.7%	9,234

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2023 vintage, released December 2024), the underlying dataset behind this ranking spans 28,702 U.S. incorporated places and census-designated places nationally; this page shows the top 100 by labor force participation. See our methodology for the full data-collection process.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023), Table S2301. Verify directly with the source agency: U.S. Census Bureau, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES.

Questions about the cities with the lowest labor force participation list

What does this cities with the lowest labor force participation ranking measure?

It orders cities by labor force participation using U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023), Table S2301. It is a single-metric comparison, not an overall score for quality of life or a recommendation about where to live.

Are metropolitan areas included?

The rows are individual cities or Census-defined places covered by the named source, not combined metropolitan areas. The page states any extra coverage or population rule that applies to this specific labor force participation ranking.

Can I download and verify the ranking?

Yes. The CSV above contains the same ranked rows shown in the table. The page names the source and vintage, links to the source agency, and explains category-specific caveats before the data.

What to do with the cities with the lowest labor force participation list

Use this ranking to narrow the field, then dig into the specific places you're considering.

Fort Dix, NJ leads this list at 6.7% -- see its full profile before drawing conclusions from the rank alone. Fort Dix profile
Put two specific cities side by side across every tracked metric, not just this one ranking. Compare cities
See every ranked city in New Jersey together, not just how Fort Dix compares nationally. New Jersey state page

This ranking reflects the single labor force participation metric only -- it is not a composite of everything that makes a city a good fit.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Browse all city profiles → | Explore city rankings →

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

The 100 Cities with the Lowest Labor Force Participation

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