Female Labor ForceParticipation Rates, by State| State | 1977 | 1997 | | Alabama | 43.8 | 58.1 | | Alaska | 57.1 | 67.9 | | Arizona | 47.4 | 55.3 | | Arkansas | 45.4 | 56.9 | | California | 50.6 | 57.6 | | Colorado | 52.4 | 66.8 | | Connecticut | 53.1 | 63.2 | | Delaware | 51.8 | 62.8 | | Florida | 43.7 | 55.4 | | Georgia | 50.6 | 61.6 | | Hawaii | 58.7 | 63.4 | | Idaho | 50.3 | 63.3 | | Illinois | 49.3 | 60.7 | | Indiana | 49.9 | 61.2 | | Iowa | 50.8 | 67.2 | | Kansas | 52.0 | 63.9 | | Kentucky | 46.5 | 57.7 | | Louisiana | 42.5 | 55.5 | | Maine | 47.3 | 62.3 | | Maryland | 50.5 | 66.0 | | Massachusetts | 51.8 | 62.9 | | Michigan | 48.1 | 59.6 | | Minnesota | 53.2 | 67.9 | | Mississippi | 47.1 | 55.9 | | Missouri | 50.8 | 65.0 | | Montana | 47.1 | 61.9 | | Nebraska | 53.7 | 66.3 | | Nevada | 58.1 | 61.9 | | New Hampshire | 54.7 | 64.9 | | New Jersey | 48.4 | 59.7 | | New Mexico | 49.2 | 56.5 | | New York | 44.3 | 55.5 | | North Carolina | 55.1 | 61.9 | | North Dakota | 46.8 | 67.0 | | Ohio | 46.8 | 60.2 | | Oklahoma | 45.7 | 56.2 | | Oregon | 51.2 | 60.9 | | Pennsylvania | 43.7 | 56.9 | | Rhode Island | 50.5 | 60.6 | | South Carolina | 52.2 | 59.6 | | South Dakota | 50.8 | 65.4 | | Tennessee | 47.9 | 59.1 | | Texas | 49.8 | 60.1 | | Utah | 47.2 | 62.5 | | Vermont | 51.7 | 66.6 | | Virginia | 52.2 | 60.7 | | Washington | 49.0 | 62.1 | | West Virginia | 33.5 | 47.8 | | Wisconsin | 52.0 | 69.7 | | Wyoming | 51.0 | 62.0 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau ofLabor Statistics
Current Population Survey, June 1998 |