Foreign-Born Share of the U.S. Labor Force

## What this measures

The foreign-born labor force (fred_lnu01073395) divided by the foreign-born plus native-born labor force (fred_lnu01073413).

## Why it matters

It is the cleanest single read on immigration's weight in the U.S. workforce.

## How to read it

It rose from about 16% in 2007 to about 19% in 2024–25. A turn down would show immigration policy changing labor supply.

## What it does not say

It comes from the Current Population Survey and is not seasonally adjusted; compare with the same month a year earlier. The survey's population controls are reset each January, which can create jumps, notably the large immigration adjustment in January 2025.

## Source

Bureau of Labor Statistics, series LNU01073395 and LNU01073413 ("Civilian Labor Force Level - Foreign Born / Native Born"). Palanor pulls it from the FRED API (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) nightly. Bureau of Labor Statistics data are in the public domain. Palanor computes the share.