For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, May 27, 2010 USDL-10-0721
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES -- 2009
The share of families with an unemployed member rose from 7.8 percent in 2008
to 12.0 percent in 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The
proportion of families with an unemployed member in 2009 was at its highest le-
vel since the data series began in 1994. Of the nation's 78.4 million families,
80.4 percent had at least one employed member in 2009, down by 1.8 percentage
points from 2008.
These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are collected
as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of ap-
proximately 60,000 households. Families include married-couple families, as well
as families maintained by a man or woman with no spouse present. For further
information about the CPS, see the Technical Note.
Families and Unemployment
There were 9.4 million families with at least one unemployed member in 2009, up
from 6.1 million in 2008. The proportion of families with an unemployed member
was 6.3 percent in 2007; it rose to 7.8 percent in 2008 and to 12.0 percent in
2009. (See table 1.)
Black and Hispanic families were more likely to have an unemployed member (17.4
and 16.9 percent, respectively) than were white (11.1 percent) and Asian (11.4
percent) families in 2009. Most families with an unemployed member also have at
least one family member who is employed. Among families with an unemployed mem-
ber in 2009, 68.6 percent also had an employed member, compared with 70.8 per-
cent in 2008. (See table 1.)
Among married-couple families with an unemployed member in 2009, 79.9 percent
had an employed member, down from 82.5 percent in 2008. For families maintained
by women (no spouse present) with an unemployed member, the proportion that also
contained an employed member was lower in 2009 (46.1 percent) than in 2008 (49.1
percent). For families maintained by men (no spouse present), the proportion
fell to 52.6 percent in 2009 from 57.3 percent in 2008. (See table 3.)
Families and Employment
The share of families with an employed member was lower in 2009 (80.4 percent)
than in 2008 (82.2 percent). The likelihood of having an employed family member
declined over the year for families of all major race and ethnicity groups.
(See table 1.)
In 2009, families maintained by women with no spouse present were less likely
to have an employed member (72.8 percent) than were married-couple families
(82.4 percent) or families maintained by men with no spouse present (79.8 per-
cent). The share of families with an employed member declined over the year
for all family types. (See table 2.)
Both the husband and wife were employed in 48.5 percent of married-couple fami-
lies in 2009, compared with 51.4 percent in 2008. Married-couple families in
which only the wife worked accounted for 8.4 percent of all married-couple fami-
lies in 2009, compared with 6.9 percent in 2008. The husband was the only em-
ployed member in 19.6 percent of married-couple families in 2009, essentially
unchanged from a year earlier. (See table 2.)
Families with Children
Forty-four percent of all families included children (sons, daughters, step-
children, and adopted children) under age 18. Among the 34.8 million families
with children, 87.8 percent had an employed parent in 2009, down from 90.0 per-
cent in 2008. The mother was employed in 67.8 percent of families maintained
by women with no spouse present in 2009, and the father was employed in 76.6
percent of those maintained by men with no spouse present. Among married-couple
families with children, 95.7 percent had an employed parent in 2009, down from
97.0 percent in 2008. Both the mother and father were employed in 58.9 percent
of married-couple families with children in 2009, also lower than a year earlier.
(See table 4.)
Mothers
The labor force participation rate--the percent of the population working or look-
ing for work--for all mothers with children under 18 was 71.4 percent in 2009, un-
changed from 2008. In 2009, the participation rate for married mothers with spouse
present (69.6 percent) was lower than the rate for mothers in other marital statuses
(75.8 percent). Married mothers were equally as likely to be employed as mothers in
other marital statuses, but their unemployment rate was substantially lower--5.8 per-
cent in 2009, compared with 13.6 percent for mothers in other marital statuses. Unem-
ployment rates increased in 2009 for mothers of all marital statuses. (See table 5.)
Mothers with younger children are less likely to be in the labor force than mothers
with older children. In 2009, the labor force participation rate of mothers with
children under 6 years old (64.2 percent) was lower than the rate of those whose
youngest child was 6 to 17 years old (77.3 percent). The participation rate of
mothers with infants under a year old was 56.6 percent. The participation rate of
married mothers of infants (56.1 percent) was slightly lower than for those with
other marital statuses (57.8 percent). However, the unemployment rate for married
mothers of infants, at 7.0 percent, was significantly lower than the rate for mothers
with other marital statuses (22.3 percent). (See tables 5 and 6.)
Technical Note
The estimates in this release are based on annual average data from the
Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey of about 60,000
households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S.
Census Bureau. The information relates to the labor force status of persons
16 years old and over in the civilian noninstitutional population during an
"average" week of the year.
The data for 2009 presented in this release are not strictly comparable with
data for 2008 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2009 of
revised population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the revised popula-
tion controls on the family estimates is unknown. However, the effect of the
new controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the December 2008 em-
ployment level by 483,000 and the unemployment level by 42,000. The updated
controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates and other ratios. Addi-
tional information is available on the BLS Web site at
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request: Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay
Service: (800) 877-8339.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error. When a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there
is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population
values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies de-
pending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured
by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance,
or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by
no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because
of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent
level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error
can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of
the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the
sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct
information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
A full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and information
on estimating standard errors is available on the BLS Web site at
wwww.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.
Definitions
Definitions of the principal terms used in this release are presented below.
Family. A family is a group of two or more persons residing together who
are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. The count of families is for
"primary" families only, that is, the householder and all other persons re-
lated to and residing with the householder. Families are classified either
as married-couple families or as families maintained by women or men without
spouses.
Householder. The householder is the family reference person. This is
the person (or one of the persons) in whose name the housing unit is owned
or rented. The relationship of other individuals in the household is defined
in terms of relationship to the householder. The race or ethnicity of the
family is determined by that of the householder.
Married, spouse present; other marital status. These terms denote the
marital status of individuals at the time of interview. Married, spouse
present, refers to husbands and wives living together in the same house-
hold, even though one may be temporarily absent on business, on vacation,
on a visit, in a hospital, or for other reasons. Other marital status
includes persons who are never-married; married, spouse absent; separated;
widowed; or divorced. Separated includes persons with legal separations,
those living apart with intentions of obtaining a divorce, and other people
living apart because either the husband or wife was employed and living at
a considerable distance from home, was serving away from home in the Armed
Forces, had moved to another area, or had a different place of residence
for any other reason except separation as defined above.
Children. Data on children refer to own children and include sons,
daughters, step-children, and adopted children, of the husband, wife, or
person maintaining the family. Not included are nieces, nephews, grand-
children, other related children, and all unrelated children living in
the household.
Employed. Employed persons are (a) all those who, during the survey
reference week, did any work at all as paid employees, worked in their own
business, profession, or on their own farm, or who worked 15 hours or more
as unpaid workers in a family-operated enterprise; and (b) all those who
did not work but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily
absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, child-care problems, labor
disputes, or personal reasons, whether or not they were paid for the time
off and whether or not they were seeking other jobs.
Unemployed. The unemployed are persons who had no employment during the
reference week, were available for work at that time, and had made specific
efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with
the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be recalled to a job from
which they had been laid off need not be looking for work to be classified
as unemployed.
Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force comprises all persons
classified as employed or unemployed.
Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a
percent of the civilian labor force.
Labor force participation rate. The labor force participation rate is
the labor force as a percent of the population.
Table 1. Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2008-09
annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Characteristic 2008 2009
TOTAL
Total families ..................................................... 77,943 78,361
With employed member(s) .......................................... 64,058 63,010
As percent of total families ............................... 82.2 80.4
Some usually work full time (1) ......................... 59,116 57,037
With no employed member .......................................... 13,884 15,351
As percent of total families ............................... 17.8 19.6
With unemployed member(s) ........................................ 6,104 9,381
As percent of total families ............................... 7.8 12.0
Some member(s) employed ........................................ 4,319 6,438
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ........ 70.8 68.6
Some usually work full time (1) .............................. 3,830 5,460
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ..... 62.7 58.2
White
Total families ..................................................... 63,490 63,774
With employed member(s) .......................................... 52,273 51,494
As percent of total families ............................... 82.3 80.7
Some usually work full time (1) ......................... 48,271 46,629
With no employed member .......................................... 11,217 12,280
As percent of total families ............................... 17.7 19.3
With unemployed member(s) ........................................ 4,506 7,089
As percent of total families ............................... 7.1 11.1
Some member(s) employed ........................................ 3,332 5,072
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ........ 74.0 71.5
Some usually work full time (1) .............................. 2,955 4,294
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ..... 65.6 60.6
Black or African American
Total families ..................................................... 9,297 9,318
With employed member(s) .......................................... 7,290 7,022
As percent of total families ............................... 78.4 75.4
Some usually work full time (1) ......................... 6,622 6,265
With no employed member .......................................... 2,006 2,296
As percent of total families ............................... 21.6 24.6
With unemployed member(s) ........................................ 1,188 1,624
As percent of total families ............................... 12.8 17.4
Some member(s) employed ........................................ 686 886
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ........ 57.8 54.5
Some usually work full time (1) .............................. 605 748
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ..... 50.9 46.0
Asian
Total families ..................................................... 3,403 3,471
With employed member(s) .......................................... 3,052 3,057
As percent of total families ............................... 89.7 88.1
Some usually work full time (1) ......................... 2,900 2,857
With no employed member .......................................... 351 414
As percent of total families ............................... 10.3 11.9
With unemployed member(s) ........................................ 215 394
As percent of total families ............................... 6.3 11.4
Some member(s) employed ........................................ 172 306
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ........ 79.9 77.8
Some usually work full time (1) ............................... 158 272
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ..... 73.4 69.0
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Total families ..................................................... 10,500 10,489
With employed member(s) .......................................... 9,135 8,852
As percent of total families ............................... 87.0 84.4
Some usually work full time (1) ......................... 8,466 7,923
With no employed member .......................................... 1,365 1,637
As percent of total families ............................... 13.0 15.6
With unemployed member(s) ........................................ 1,159 1,770
As percent of total families ............................... 11.0 16.9
Some member(s) employed ........................................ 846 1,228
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ........ 73.0 69.3
Some usually work full time (1) .............................. 743 1,021
As percent of families with unemployed member(s) ...... 64.1 57.7
1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
NOTE: The race or ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the householder. Estimates for
the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data
are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type, 2008-09 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Number Percent distribution
Characteristic
2008 2009 2008 2009
MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES
Total ...................................... 58,125 58,124 100.0 100.0
Member(s) employed, total ........................ 48,541 47,876 83.5 82.4
Husband only ................................. 11,351 11,371 19.5 19.6
Wife only .................................... 4,036 4,909 6.9 8.4
Husband and wife ............................. 29,854 28,211 51.4 48.5
Other employment combinations ................ 3,300 3,384 5.7 5.8
No member(s) employed ............................ 9,585 10,248 16.5 17.6
FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN (1)
Total ...................................... 14,383 14,610 100.0 100.0
Member(s) employed, total ........................ 10,929 10,642 76.0 72.8
Householder only ............................. 6,250 6,135 43.5 42.0
Householder and other member(s) .............. 2,870 2,642 20.0 18.1
Other member(s), not householder ............. 1,809 1,866 12.6 12.8
No member(s) employed ............................ 3,454 3,968 24.0 27.2
FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN (1)
Total ...................................... 5,435 5,627 100.0 100.0
Member(s) employed, total ........................ 4,589 4,492 84.4 79.8
Householder only ............................. 2,178 2,104 40.1 37.4
Householder and other member(s) .............. 1,659 1,557 30.5 27.7
Other member(s), not householder ............. 752 831 13.8 14.8
No member(s) employed ............................ 845 1,135 15.6 20.2
1 No spouse present.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with
the release of January data.
Table 3. Unemployment in families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type, 2008-09
annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Number Percent distribution
Characteristic
2008 2009 2008 2009
MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES
With unemployed member(s), total ................ 3,796 6,056 100.0 100.0
No member employed ............................ 663 1,218 17.5 20.1
Some member(s) employed ....................... 3,133 4,838 82.5 79.9
Husband unemployed ............................ 1,439 2,808 37.9 46.4
Wife employed ................................ 927 1,799 24.4 29.7
Wife unemployed ............................... 1,114 1,630 29.3 26.9
Husband employed ............................. 975 1,397 25.7 23.1
Other family member unemployed ................ 1,243 1,618 32.7 26.7
FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN (1)
With unemployed member(s), total ................ 1,666 2,309 100.0 100.0
No member employed ............................ 849 1,244 50.9 53.9
Some member(s) employed ....................... 817 1,065 49.1 46.1
Householder unemployed ........................ 796 1,141 47.8 49.4
Other member(s) employed ..................... 181 225 10.9 9.7
Other member(s) unemployed .................... 870 1,168 52.2 50.6
FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN (1)
With unemployed member(s), total ................ 642 1,016 100.0 100.0
No member employed ............................ 274 482 42.7 47.4
Some member(s) employed ....................... 368 535 57.3 52.6
Householder unemployed ........................ 385 626 60.0 61.6
Other member(s) employed ..................... 164 239 25.6 23.5
Other member(s) unemployed .................... 257 391 40.0 38.4
1 No spouse present.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually
with the release of January data.
Table 4. Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and family type, 2008-09 annual
averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Number Percent distribution
Characteristic
2008 2009 2008 2009
WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS
Total............................................. 35,154 34,762 100.0 100.0
Parent(s) employed................................... 31,651 30,521 90.0 87.8
No parent employed................................... 3,504 4,241 10.0 12.2
Married-couple families.............................. 24,634 24,223 100.0 100.0
Parent(s) employed................................ 23,890 23,179 97.0 95.7
Mother employed.................................. 16,615 16,055 67.4 66.3
Both parents employed........................... 15,295 14,269 62.1 58.9
Mother employed, not father..................... 1,319 1,786 5.4 7.4
Father employed, not mother...................... 7,275 7,124 29.5 29.4
Neither parent employed........................... 744 1,044 3.0 4.3
Families maintained by women (1) .................... 8,338 8,308 100.0 100.0
Mother employed................................... 5,954 5,632 71.4 67.8
Mother not employed............................... 2,384 2,677 28.6 32.2
Families maintained by men (1) ...................... 2,182 2,231 100.0 100.0
Father employed................................... 1,806 1,710 82.8 76.6
Father not employed............................... 376 521 17.2 23.4
WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER
Total............................................. 20,062 19,699 100.0 100.0
Parent(s) employed................................... 18,212 17,465 90.8 88.7
No parent employed................................... 1,851 2,234 9.2 11.3
Married-couple families.............................. 13,771 13,449 100.0 100.0
Parent(s) employed................................ 13,351 12,867 96.9 95.7
Mother employed.................................. 10,139 9,691 73.6 72.1
Both parents employed........................... 9,298 8,582 67.5 63.8
Mother employed, not father..................... 841 1,109 6.1 8.2
Father employed, not mother...................... 3,212 3,176 23.3 23.6
Neither parent employed........................... 420 582 3.1 4.3
Families maintained by women (1) .................... 5,031 4,928 100.0 100.0
Mother employed................................... 3,823 3,578 76.0 72.6
Mother not employed............................... 1,207 1,350 24.0 27.4
Families maintained by men (1) ...................... 1,260 1,321 100.0 100.0
Father employed................................... 1,037 1,019 82.3 77.1
Father not employed............................... 223 302 17.7 22.9
WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS
Total............................................. 15,092 15,063 100.0 100.0
Parent(s) employed................................... 13,439 13,056 89.0 86.7
No parent employed................................... 1,653 2,007 11.0 13.3
Married-couple families.............................. 10,863 10,774 100.0 100.0
Parent(s) employed................................ 10,539 10,312 97.0 95.7
Mother employed.................................. 6,476 6,364 59.6 59.1
Both parents employed........................... 5,998 5,688 55.2 52.8
Mother employed, not father..................... 478 676 4.4 6.3
Father employed, not mother...................... 4,063 3,948 37.4 36.6
Neither parent employed........................... 324 462 3.0 4.3
Families maintained by women (1) .................... 3,307 3,380 100.0 100.0
Mother employed................................... 2,131 2,053 64.4 60.8
Mother not employed............................... 1,176 1,327 35.6 39.2
Families maintained by men (1) ...................... 922 910 100.0 100.0
Father employed................................... 769 691 83.4 75.9
Father not employed............................... 153 219 16.6 24.1
1 No spouse present.
NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews,
grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population
controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 5. Employment status of the population by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own children under 18,
2008-09 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
2008 2009
Characteristic
Total Men Women Total Men Women
WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS
Civilian noninstitutional population ................ 65,655 29,142 36,513 64,854 28,778 36,076
Civilian labor force ............................... 53,506 27,422 26,085 52,748 26,985 25,763
Participation rate ............................... 81.5 94.1 71.4 81.3 93.8 71.4
Employed .......................................... 51,017 26,380 24,637 48,621 24,989 23,632
Employment-population ratio ...................... 77.7 90.5 67.5 75.0 86.8 65.5
Full-time workers (1) ......................... 43,967 25,338 18,629 41,003 23,583 17,419
Part-time workers (2) ......................... 7,050 1,042 6,008 7,618 1,406 6,212
Unemployed ........................................ 2,490 1,041 1,448 4,128 1,996 2,132
Unemployment rate ................................ 4.7 3.8 5.6 7.8 7.4 8.3
Married, spouse present
Civilian noninstitutional population ................ 52,433 26,647 25,786 51,634 26,249 25,385
Civilian labor force ............................... 43,137 25,205 17,933 42,424 24,763 17,661
Participation rate ............................... 82.3 94.6 69.5 82.2 94.3 69.6
Employed .......................................... 41,611 24,353 17,258 39,732 23,100 16,632
Employment-population ratio ...................... 79.4 91.4 66.9 76.9 88.0 65.5
Full-time workers (1) ......................... 36,128 23,444 12,685 33,846 21,871 11,975
Part-time workers (2) ......................... 5,482 909 4,573 5,886 1,229 4,657
Unemployed ........................................ 1,527 852 675 2,692 1,663 1,029
Unemployment rate ................................ 3.5 3.4 3.8 6.3 6.7 5.8
Other marital status (3)
Civilian noninstitutional population ................ 13,222 2,495 10,727 13,221 2,529 10,691
Civilian labor force ............................... 10,369 2,217 8,152 10,325 2,223 8,102
Participation rate ............................... 78.4 88.9 76.0 78.1 87.9 75.8
Employed .......................................... 9,406 2,027 7,379 8,889 1,889 7,000
Employment-population ratio ...................... 71.1 81.3 68.8 67.2 74.7 65.5
Full-time workers (1) ......................... 7,838 1,894 5,944 7,157 1,712 5,445
Part-time workers (2) ......................... 1,568 133 1,435 1,732 177 1,555
Unemployed ........................................ 963 190 773 1,436 334 1,103
Unemployment rate ................................ 9.3 8.6 9.5 13.9 15.0 13.6
WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER
Civilian noninstitutional population ................ 36,581 16,256 20,325 35,885 15,982 19,903
Civilian labor force ............................... 30,846 15,128 15,718 30,200 14,821 15,379
Participation rate ............................... 84.3 93.1 77.3 84.2 92.7 77.3
Employed .......................................... 29,590 14,588 15,003 28,059 13,775 14,284
Employment-population ratio ...................... 80.9 89.7 73.8 78.2 86.2 71.8
Full-time workers (1) ......................... 25,733 14,054 11,679 23,864 13,067 10,798
Part-time workers (2) ......................... 3,858 534 3,324 4,194 708 3,486
Unemployed ........................................ 1,255 541 715 2,141 1,046 1,095
Unemployment rate ................................ 4.1 3.6 4.5 7.1 7.1 7.1
WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS
Civilian noninstitutional population ................ 29,074 12,886 16,188 28,969 12,796 16,173
Civilian labor force ............................... 22,661 12,293 10,367 22,549 12,164 10,384
Participation rate ............................... 77.9 95.4 64.0 77.8 95.1 64.2
Employed .......................................... 21,426 11,792 9,634 20,562 11,214 9,348
Employment-population ratio ...................... 73.7 91.5 59.5 71.0 87.6 57.8
Full-time workers (1) ......................... 18,234 11,284 6,950 17,138 10,517 6,622
Part-time workers (2) ......................... 3,193 508 2,684 3,424 697 2,726
Unemployed ........................................ 1,234 501 733 1,987 950 1,036
Unemployment rate ................................ 5.4 4.1 7.1 8.8 7.8 10.0
WITH NO OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS
Civilian noninstitutional population ................ 168,133 83,971 84,162 170,947 85,358 85,589
Civilian labor force ............................... 100,780 55,098 45,682 101,394 55,138 46,256
Participation rate ............................... 59.9 65.6 54.3 59.3 64.6 54.0
Employed .......................................... 94,346 51,106 43,239 91,257 48,681 42,576
Employment-population ratio ...................... 56.1 60.9 51.4 53.4 57.0 49.7
Full-time workers (1) ......................... 76,064 43,515 32,549 71,631 40,368 31,263
Part-time workers (2) ......................... 18,282 7,592 10,690 19,626 8,313 11,313
Unemployed ........................................ 6,435 3,992 2,443 10,137 6,457 3,680
Unemployment rate ................................ 6.4 7.2 5.3 10.0 11.7 8.0
1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
2 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
3 Includes never married; married, spouse absent; divorced; separated; and widowed persons.
NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews,
grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated
population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 6. Employment status of mothers with own children under 3 years old by single year of age of youngest child and marital
status, 2008-09 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Civilian labor force
Civilian
noninsti- Employed Unemployed
Characteristic tutional Percent
population of
Total popula- Percent Full- Part- Percent
tion Total of time time Number of labor
popula- workers workers force
tion (1) (2)
2008
TOTAL MOTHERS
With own children under 3 years old .. 9,595 5,792 60.4 5,354 55.8 3,782 1,573 438 7.6
2 years .......................... 2,934 1,852 63.1 1,734 59.1 1,264 470 118 6.4
1 year ........................... 3,342 2,069 61.9 1,905 57.0 1,337 568 164 7.9
Under 1 year...................... 3,319 1,871 56.4 1,715 51.7 1,180 535 156 8.4
Married, spouse present
With own children under 3 years old .. 6,868 4,035 58.7 3,848 56.0 2,717 1,132 186 4.6
2 years .......................... 2,088 1,255 60.1 1,206 57.8 871 335 49 3.9
1 year ........................... 2,414 1,450 60.1 1,380 57.2 970 410 70 4.8
Under 1 year ..................... 2,366 1,330 56.2 1,263 53.4 875 388 67 5.0
Other marital status (3)
With own children under 3 years old .. 2,727 1,758 64.4 1,506 55.2 1,065 441 252 14.3
2 years .......................... 847 597 70.5 528 62.4 393 135 69 11.5
1 year ........................... 928 619 66.7 525 56.6 367 159 94 15.1
Under 1 year ..................... 953 542 56.8 452 47.5 305 147 89 16.5
2009
TOTAL MOTHERS
With own children under 3 years old .. 9,476 5,787 61.1 5,191 54.8 3,626 1,565 595 10.3
2 years .......................... 2,848 1,855 65.1 1,693 59.4 1,195 498 162 8.7
1 year ........................... 3,398 2,104 61.9 1,880 55.3 1,314 566 224 10.6
Under 1 year ..................... 3,231 1,828 56.6 1,619 50.1 1,117 502 209 11.4
Married, spouse present
With own children under 3 years old .. 6,784 4,047 59.7 3,780 55.7 2,657 1,123 267 6.6
2 years .......................... 2,053 1,288 62.7 1,208 58.8 858 350 80 6.2
1 year ........................... 2,425 1,465 60.4 1,369 56.4 963 406 96 6.6
Under 1 year ..................... 2,306 1,293 56.1 1,204 52.2 836 368 90 7.0
Other marital status (3)
With own children under 3 years old .. 2,693 1,740 64.6 1,411 52.4 969 442 328 18.9
2 years .......................... 795 567 71.3 485 61.0 337 148 82 14.4
1 year ........................... 973 639 65.6 511 52.5 351 160 127 20.0
Under 1 year ..................... 925 534 57.8 415 44.9 281 134 119 22.3
1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
2 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
3 Includes never married; married, spouse absent; divorced; separated; and widowed persons.
NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews,
grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population
controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
United States Department of Labor
