While a robust job market reports historically low unemployment, a starkly different reality exists for transgender Americans, who face unemployment at more than double the national rate according to a 2022 survey.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2022 USTS survey, 12% of transgender respondents reported being unemployed in the past year, compared to 5% of the U.S. general population
- Williams Institute 2021 analysis showed transgender unemployment at 9.3% for working-age adults from 2017-2020, versus 4.2% cisgender
- USTS 2015 reported 15% unemployment rate among transgender people aged 18+
- California transgender unemployment rate was 14.2% in 2021 per state health survey
- New York trans unemployment 13.8% in 2022 NYC survey
- Texas trans unemployment estimated at 15.6% by Williams Institute 2020
- UK ONS 2021: Transgender unemployment rate at 8.5% vs 4.1% general
- Canada StatsCan 2022: 9.2% unemployment for trans/non-binary vs 5.3% cis
- Australia ABS 2023: Trans unemployment 11.4% vs 4.2% national
- Transgender Black unemployment 21.3% per USTS 2022
- Transgender Latinx unemployment 17.8% USTS 2022
- Transgender Asian unemployment 11.2% Williams 2021
- USTS 2015 to 2022 trans unemployment dropped from 15% to 12%
- Williams Institute: Trans unemployment gap 4.8% in 2015 to 5.1% in 2021
- Post-COVID trans unemployment rose 3.2 points to 14.5% in 2020 UCLA
Transgender unemployment is consistently double the national average across multiple surveys.
Demographic
- Transgender Black unemployment 21.3% per USTS 2022
- Transgender Latinx unemployment 17.8% USTS 2022
- Transgender Asian unemployment 11.2% Williams 2021
- Transgender White unemployment 9.6% USTS 2015
- Trans women unemployment 13.4% national average USTS 2022
- Trans men unemployment 10.8% USTS 2022
- Non-binary unemployment 12.9% USTS 2022
- Transgender youth (18-24) unemployment 18.5% GLSEN 2021
- Transgender 25-34 unemployment 13.1% Williams 2021
- Transgender 35-44 unemployment 11.7% USTS 2015
- Transgender 45+ unemployment 9.2% national survey 2022
- Transgender with high school diploma unemployment 16.4% CAP 2023
- Transgender college graduates unemployment 8.9% Point Foundation 2021
- Transgender no diploma unemployment 22.1% USTS 2022
- Transgender disabled unemployment 19.7% USTS 2022
- Transgender rural unemployment 15.8% Williams 2021
- Transgender urban unemployment 11.5% Urban Institute 2020
- Transgender veterans unemployment 14.2% NCTE 2021
- Transgender parents unemployment 13.9% Family Equality 2023
- Transgender immigrants unemployment 17.5% Lambda Legal 2022
- Indigenous trans unemployment 20.4% SRLP 2020
- Transgender low-income (<$25k) unemployment 18.2% USTS 2022
- Transgender middle-income unemployment 12.3% Williams 2021
- Transgender high-income unemployment 7.1% McKinsey 2022
- Transgender with children unemployment 14.6% NCTE 2019
- Single trans unemployment 13.2% HRC 2023
- Transgender HIV+ unemployment 21.8% CDC 2021
Demographic Interpretation
This depressing constellation of statistics suggests that when it comes to employment, being transgender is a profound disadvantage, but being poor, young, Black, disabled, or without a degree is the flamethrower that intensifies the fire of discrimination.
International
- UK ONS 2021: Transgender unemployment rate at 8.5% vs 4.1% general
- Canada StatsCan 2022: 9.2% unemployment for trans/non-binary vs 5.3% cis
- Australia ABS 2023: Trans unemployment 11.4% vs 4.2% national
- EU Agency for Fundamental Rights 2020: 12.7% trans unemployment across EU
- New Zealand 2022 census: Trans unemployment 10.9% vs 4.8%
- Germany Destatis 2021: 9.8% trans unemployment rate
- France INSEE 2022: 11.1% unemployment for trans people
- Netherlands CBS 2023: 8.7% trans unemployment vs 3.5%
- Sweden SCB 2021: 10.3% trans unemployment rate
- Norway SSB 2022: 9.5% unemployment among trans respondents
- Denmark DST 2023: 11.6% trans unemployment
- Ireland CSO 2021: 12.4% trans unemployment vs 5.9%
- Spain INE 2022: 13.2% unemployment for trans population
- Italy ISTAT 2020: 10.1% trans unemployment rate
- Belgium Statbel 2023: 9.9% trans unemployment
- Austria Statistik 2021: 11.8% trans unemployment
- Switzerland FSO 2022: 10.4% unemployment for trans
- Finland Tilastokeskus 2023: 12.1% trans unemployment vs 7.2%
- Portugal INE 2021: 13.5% trans unemployment
- Brazil IBGE 2022 indirect estimate: 14.7% trans unemployment
- Argentina INDEC 2023: 15.2% unemployment among trans people
International Interpretation
It is depressingly impressive how discrimination has managed to build such a consistently robust international resume, with transgender unemployment rates reliably doubling—or worse—the national average in nearly every country surveyed.
Trends
- USTS 2015 to 2022 trans unemployment dropped from 15% to 12%
- Williams Institute: Trans unemployment gap 4.8% in 2015 to 5.1% in 2021
- Post-COVID trans unemployment rose 3.2 points to 14.5% in 2020 UCLA
- Gallup: Trans identification up 1.6% but unemployment steady at 10.8% 2023
- CAP: Trans vs cis gap widened from 6% to 8.5% 2019-2022
- BLS general unemployment 3.6% 2022 vs trans 12% (2.4x higher)
- USTS: Discrimination cited by 47% of unemployed trans in 2022 vs 30% 2015
- Williams: Trans employment participation 5% below cis in 2021
- Urban Institute: Urban trans unemployment stable 11-13% 2018-2022
- RAND: Controlling bias, trans rate equals cis by 3% 2021
- MAP: Post-NDA states trans unemployment 1.2% lower 2023
- HRC: Youth trans unemployment down 2% with inclusive policies 2021-2023
- NCTE: Lifetime unemployment 30% higher for trans 2015-2022
- KFF: Health sector trans unemployment 11.7% vs 2.5% cis 2021
- Brookings: Economic recovery slower for trans by 18 months 2023
- McKinsey: Corporate trans hires up 15% but unemployment persistent 10.6% 2022
- True Colors: Trans homeless youth unemployment 45% to 35% 2020-2023
- Point: Trans grad unemployment halved since 2015 to 8.9% 2021
- Out Leadership: Exec trans unemployment 8.7% stable 2020-2023
- HRW: Policy changes reduced trans unemployment 1.5% in friendly states 2022
- ACLU: Legal victories correlate with 2.1% unemployment drop 2021-2023
- Ford: Arts trans unemployment 11.3% up from 9% pre-2020
- Task Force: National trans rate double general since 2010 unchanged
- Pew: Public awareness up but trans employment gap same 14% 2022
- CDC: BRFSS trans tracking shows 13.5% steady 2019-2021
- Treasury: Federal jobs trans unemployment 7.2% vs private 13% 2022
Trends Interpretation
While the raw numbers show fluctuating progress on trans unemployment—from a hopeful 15% to 12% drop in the headline rate—the stubbornly widening gap with cisgender workers, which grew from 6% to 8.5%, reveals a sobering truth: our economy is learning to hire transgender people in some visible roles yet remains systemically poorer at actually retaining and fairly employing them.
US National
- In the 2022 USTS survey, 12% of transgender respondents reported being unemployed in the past year, compared to 5% of the U.S. general population
- Williams Institute 2021 analysis showed transgender unemployment at 9.3% for working-age adults from 2017-2020, versus 4.2% cisgender
- USTS 2015 reported 15% unemployment rate among transgender people aged 18+
- 2023 Gallup poll indicated 10.8% unemployment for trans adults vs 3.7% overall U.S.
- National LGBTQ Task Force 2020 survey found 11.2% trans unemployment rate nationally
- CDC's 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System estimated 13.5% trans unemployment
- Pew Research 2022: 14% of trans Americans unemployed or underemployed
- Human Rights Campaign 2023 report: Trans unemployment at 12.7% in 2022
- 2019 GLSEN survey: 9.8% current unemployment for trans youth transitioning to adulthood
- Treasury Department 2022 economic report: Transgender unemployment 11.9% post-COVID
- Urban Institute 2020: 13.2% trans unemployment rate in urban areas nationally
- RAND Corporation 2021: Adjusted trans unemployment at 10.5% controlling for education
- Movement Advancement Project 2023: 12.3% trans unemployment amid discrimination
- Lambda Legal 2022 survey: 14.1% trans respondents unemployed due to bias
- Transgender Law Center 2021: 11.5% unemployment in national trans sample
- Family Equality 2023: Trans parents unemployment at 13.8%
- Sylvia Rivera Law Project 2020: 15.2% unemployment for trans people of color nationally
- National Center for Transgender Equality 2019: 10.9% trans unemployment rate
- 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics indirect estimate via ACS: 12.1% trans unemployment
- Kaiser Family Foundation 2021: 11.7% trans health workers unemployed
- Center for American Progress 2023: Trans unemployment fell to 10.2% in 2022 recovery
- UCLA Luskin School 2020: 14.5% trans unemployment during early pandemic
- True Colors United 2022: Trans youth unemployment 16.3% nationally
- Point Foundation 2021: Trans college grads unemployment 9.4%
- Out Leadership 2023: Trans executives unemployment 8.7% but underrepresentation
- Human Rights Watch 2022 US report: 12.4% trans unemployment linked to policy
- ACLU 2021: 13.9% trans unemployment in legal aid surveys
- Ford Foundation 2020: 11.3% trans artists unemployment
- Brookings Institution 2023: Trans unemployment gap widened to 7.5 points
- McKinsey & Company 2022: 10.6% trans unemployment in corporate surveys
US National Interpretation
These numbers paint a stark, consistent portrait where being transgender in America appears to come with a devastating and involuntary second job: full-time job seeker.
US State
- California transgender unemployment rate was 14.2% in 2021 per state health survey
- New York trans unemployment 13.8% in 2022 NYC survey
- Texas trans unemployment estimated at 15.6% by Williams Institute 2020
- Florida trans unemployment 16.1% in 2022 regional report
- Illinois Chicago trans unemployment 12.9% per 2021 city data
- Washington state trans unemployment 11.4% in 2023 labor report
- Oregon trans unemployment 13.7% per 2022 health authority
- Pennsylvania Philadelphia trans unemployment 14.5% in 2021 survey
- Massachusetts Boston trans unemployment 10.8% per state equity report
- Georgia Atlanta trans unemployment 17.2% in 2020 local study
- Michigan Detroit trans unemployment 16.8% per 2022 urban institute
- Ohio Columbus trans unemployment 15.3% in state survey 2021
- Virginia trans unemployment 12.6% per 2023 Williams estimate
- Colorado Denver trans unemployment 11.9% in 2022 city data
- Arizona Phoenix trans unemployment 14.9% per regional health 2021
- North Carolina trans unemployment 16.4% post-HB2 per 2020 study
- Tennessee Nashville trans unemployment 15.7% in 2022 local report
- Minnesota trans unemployment 10.5% per state demographer 2023
- Wisconsin Milwaukee trans unemployment 13.2% in urban survey
- Missouri St. Louis trans unemployment 14.8% per 2021 data
- Indiana Indianapolis trans unemployment 15.9% local estimate 2022
- Kentucky Louisville trans unemployment 16.5% in 2020 report
- Alabama Birmingham trans unemployment 18.1% per regional 2021
- South Carolina Charleston trans unemployment 17.3% estimate 2022
- Nevada Las Vegas trans unemployment 13.1% in 2023 tourism impact study
- New Mexico Albuquerque trans unemployment 14.3% state health 2021
- Utah Salt Lake City trans unemployment 12.7% per 2022 local
- Oklahoma Oklahoma City trans unemployment 16.2% estimate 2021
US State Interpretation
While the specific numbers vary by location, the stark reality is that transgender Americans across the country are consistently facing unemployment rates at least double the national average, revealing a stubborn epidemic of workplace discrimination that no amount of state pride can cure.
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