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No, the labor force metrics only include people of working age.

They include the civilian noninstitutional population, which includes retirees who are not institutionalized in a nursing home: https://www.bls.gov/cps/definitions.htm#population

Then why does my link specifically have a "25-54 Yrs" qualification, and has a totally different shape compared to the first link? The difference between the two is stark, 21.8 percentage points. Do you really think there's that many people willing to work between 18-25 and 54+?

> Do you really think there's that many people willing to work between 18-25 and 54+?

And willing to work long hours at the minimum-wage rates required for US-based manufacturing ....

P.S. 18-25 and 54+ ... its actually 16–25 and 54+ I don't think you'll find many 16–18 year olds biting your arm off for a job in manufacturing either...

US average manufacturing average wage is $36/hr, which is far more than minimum wage.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES3000000003

> US average manufacturing average wage is $36/hr,

Chinese-scale manufacturing cities in the US at $36/hr ? Yeah, that ... ain't happening.

The average does not represent the entry level wage, which is closer to minimum wage in some states. Why would you risk losing an appendage in a factory machine if you can fold t-shirts for the same pay?

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