(Getty Images/Andrew Spear)

(CNSNews.com) - The number of people employed in the United States hit a record 157,288,000 in July, according to the employment report released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That was up 283,000 from the 157,005,000 employed in June.

The unemployment rate held steady in July at 3.7 percent, the same as it was in June.

According to the employment report, the civilian noninstitutional population in the United States was 259,225,000 in July. That included all people 16 and older who did not live in an institution (such as a prison, nursing home or long-term care hospital). Of that civilian noninstutional population, 163,351,000 were in the labor force, meaning that they either had a job or were actively seeking one during the last month. That equaled a labor force participation rate of 63.0 percent--an increase from 62.9 percent in June.

Of the 163,351,000 who were in the labor force, 6,063,000 were unemployed, equaling an unemployment rate of 3.7 percent.

The other 157,288,000 did have jobs, yielding last month’s record number of people employed.

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