Hoosiers by the NumbersLabor Force Projections
The State of Indiana’s official labor force projections, released in July 2024 by the Indiana Business Research Center, project the labor force by age and sex statewide from 2025-2060 and at the county level to 2050.
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About the Data
The primary data inputs for these labor force projections are the IBRC’s population projections, which were released in July 2024, and age- and sex-specific labor force participation rates (LFPR) for the state and each county from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Surveys (ACS) 5-year estimates. The labor force estimates are calculated by taking five-year age and sex population cohorts in a given year and multiplying them by the appropriate LFPR. The exceptions to the five-year cohorts are the youngest age group (age 16 to 19) and the oldest age group (75 and older). County results were controlled to the state totals.
The labor force-eligible population for these estimates is all Indiana residents ages 16 and older. This definition is somewhat different than the one used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which restricts the population to all civilian noninstitutional residents ages 16 and older.
Changes in future age- and sex-specific LFPRs were informed by historical shifts in Indiana LFPRs from Census ACS data and national-level LFPR projections from the BLS. The IBRC’s labor force projections for the state cover 2025 to 2060. Projections for substate areas cover 2025 to 2050.