Table 3. Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force from age 18 to age 40 in 1978-2004 by educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Table 3.  Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force
from age 18 to age 40 in 1978-2004 by educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or
Latino ethnicity

                                              Percent of total weeks while ages 18 to 40
            Characteristic                                   in 1978-2004

                                                   Employed     Unemployed      Not in 
                                                                             labor Force

Total, ages 18 to 40 in 1978-2004 ............       77.2          4.7          17.6
  Less than a high school diploma ............       64.7          8.0          26.8
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......       77.0          5.4          17.0
  Some college or associate degree ...........       78.8          4.2          16.4
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2)............       81.5          2.6          15.6

Men ..........................................       84.5          5.1           9.8
  Less than a high school diploma ............       77.2          9.3          12.9
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......       85.1          5.7           8.5
  Some college or associate degree ...........       87.4          4.2           7.9
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........       84.9          2.7          11.9

Women ........................................       69.6          4.3          25.6
  Less than a high school diploma ............       47.7          6.1          45.8
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......       67.7          5.1          26.7
  Some college or associate degree ...........       72.0          4.2          23.1
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........       78.0          2.4          19.2

White non-Hispanic ...........................       79.4          3.9          16.2
  Less than a high school diploma ............       69.3          6.9          23.2
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......       79.6          4.5          15.4
  Some college or associate degree ...........       80.0          3.5          15.8
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........       81.6          2.4          15.5

Black non-Hispanic ...........................       68.3          8.9          22.2
  Less than a high school diploma ............       54.0         11.6          33.8
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......       66.5         10.3          22.6
  Some college or associate degree ...........       73.5          7.6          18.5
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........       80.3          4.4          15.0

Hispanic  or Latino ..........................       71.9          5.3          22.2
  Less than a high school diploma ............       60.3          7.7          31.3
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......       72.1          5.5          21.7
  Some college or associate degree ...........       78.3          3.6          17.6
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........       80.3          3.7          15.6

   1  Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   2  Includes persons with a bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
   NOTE:  This table excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978, or
who had not yet turned age 41 when interviewed in 2004-05.
   Totals do not add to 100 percent due to a small number of respondents whose employment
status cannot be determined for all weeks. 
   The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were born
in the years 1957-64 and were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979.  These 
individuals were ages 39 to 48 in 2004-05.  Educational attainment is defined as of the
2004-05 survey.  Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but
not exhaustive.  Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown
separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to 
provide statistically reliable estimates.