(CNSNews.com) – The U.S. economy added 220,000 jobs in June, the best showing since February and well above analysts' expectations of 174,000.
The Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics also said the number of employed Americans -- which set records in February, March and April -- set another record in June, at 153,168,000 employed.
And the number of Americans not in the labor force -- after four straight monthly gains – dropped a bit to 94,813,000.
People age 16 and older who are not institutionalized or in the military are counted as “not in the labor force” if they are neither working nor looking for work. This number includes retirees, students, homemakers, the disabled, and others who have stopped looking for work for whatever reason.
The labor force participation rate rose a tenth of a point to 62.8 percent in June, which is within two-tenths of a point where it's been since January. As BLS has noted, the participation rate shows no clear trend.