Demographic Characteristics (CPS)
This page contains information about national labor force statistics with demographic characteristics available from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Data on the labor force characteristics of employed and unemployed persons, plus hours of work and earnings, also are available.
Demographic labor force information for States, counties, and cities are available separately from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. Contact LAUS staff for state or city data.
Age
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by age group. See also Older workers and Youth.
Certifications and licenses
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for persons with or without certifications and licenses—credentials that demonstrate a level of skill or knowledge needed to perform a specific type of job. These non-degree credentials are distinct from educational attainment. Questions to identify persons with professional certifications and licenses were added to the Current Population Survey (CPS) in January 2015.
Disability
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for persons with or without a disability. These are estimates for the nation as a whole; data are not available by state. (Questions to identify persons with a disability were added to the Current Population Survey (CPS) in June 2008.) See also Veterans with a service-connected disability.
Educational attainment
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by educational attainment for persons age 25 and older. (Learn how we define educational attainment.) See also Earnings by education, School enrollment and Certifications and licenses.
Families and marital status
See also Women, including additional tables on parents, families, and marital status in the annual report on Women in the Labor Force: A Databook.
Employment, unemployment, and labor force participation in families
- News release: Employment Characteristics of Families (Annual)
(PDF) (Archives)
- Database: Retrieve historical data series
- Looking for estimates of wives who earn more than their husbands?
These data are available from the U.S. Census Bureau in table F-22.
- Charts:
- Unemployment in families lower in 2022 than before COVID-19 pandemic (May 2023)
- Labor force participation of mothers and fathers little changed in 2021, remains lower than in 2019 (April 2022)
- Labor force participation declines for mothers and fathers in 2020 (April 2021)
- 4.9 percent of families had an unemployed person in 2019, a historical low (April 2020)
- 5.2 percent of families had an unemployed person in 2018 (April 2019)
- Married mothers less likely to participate in labor force in 2017 than other moms (April 2018)
- Employment in families with children in 2016 (April 2017)
- Husband and wife employed in 48 percent of married-couple families in 2015 (May 2016)
- Labor force participation of fathers in 2014 (June 2015)
- 80.1 percent of families had at least one employed family member in 2014 (April 2015)
- Working wives in married-couple families, 1967–2011 (June 2014)
- Proportion of families with an unemployed member decreased to 9.6 percent in 2013 (April 2014)
- Median weekly earnings by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own children under 18 in 2012 (December 2013)
- Working mothers in 2012 (May 2013)
- Employment characteristics of families, 2012 (April 2013)
- Unemployment among families, 2011 (May 2012)
- Employment status of parents, 2011 (April 2012)
- Families with an employed mother, 1994–2010 (May 2011)
- Employment characteristics of families, 2010 (March 2011)
- Employment and unemployment of fathers without spouses (June 2010)
- Families with unemployed members in 2009 (June 2010)
- Labor force participation rates among mothers, March 1975–2008 (May 2010)
- Labor force participation of women and mothers, 2008 (October 2009)
- Labor force participation of mothers with infants in 2008 (May 2009)
- Wives earning more than their husbands, 1967–2006 (January 2009)
- Labor force participation of mothers, 1975–2007 (January 2009)
- Labor force status of families: a visual essay (July/August 2007) (PDF)
- Article: Trends in labor force participation of married mothers of infants (February 2007) (PDF)
Employment and unemployment statistics for married men and women
Unemployment statistics by marital status
Foreign-born workers
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by foreign- and native-born status (nativity). (Learn how we define foreign born and native born.)
- Current monthly data: Employment Situation news release (Monthly), Table A-7
(PDF) (Charts) (Archives) (Schedule)
- News release: Labor Force Characteristics of Foreign-Born Workers (Annual)
(PDF) (Archives)
- Database: Retrieve historical Table A-7 data series
- Charts:
- Foreign-born workers were a record high 18.1 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force in 2022 (June 2023)
- Unemployment rates for foreign- and native-born workers in 2021 remained higher than in 2019 (June 2022)
- 17.0 percent of U.S. labor force in 2020 was foreign born, down from 17.4 percent in 2019 (June 2021)
- Foreign-born workers made up 17.4 percent of labor force in 2019 (May 2020)
- Foreign-born workers with a bachelor's degree and higher earned more than native born in 2018 (May 2019)
- Foreign-born labor force nearly half Hispanic and one-quarter Asian in 2017 (May 2018)
- Foreign-born workers made 83.1 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts in 2016 (May 2017)
- Foreign born more likely than native born to work in service occupations (June 2016)
- Foreign born make up 28 percent of labor force in Pacific states (May 2016)
- Foreign born represented 16.5 percent of the U.S. labor force in 2014, up from 14.8 percent in 2005 (May 2015)
- Earnings of foreign born were 79.9 percent of native born in 2013 (May 2014)
- Foreign-born workers in the U.S. labor force, Spotlight on Statistics (July 2013), includes CPS and other BLS survey data
- Labor force participation rates of the foreign born and native born, 2008–2012 (May 2013)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month, Spotlight on Statistics (September 2012), includes CPS and other BLS survey data
- Education and occupations of the foreign born in 2011 (June 2012)
- Employed foreign-born and native-born persons by occupation, 2010 (June 2011)
- Unemployment rates for foreign-born workers, 2009 (March 2010)
- Foreign-born workers by region, 2008 (March 2009)
- Unemployment and foreign-born workers, 2008 (March 2009)
- Occupations and foreign-born workers in 2007 (April 2008)
- Educational attainment of foreign born labor force, 2007 (April 2008)
- Second-generation Americans, age, and the labor force, 2005 (October 2006)
- Foreign-born workforce, 2004: a visual essay (PDF)
- Articles:
- Labor force characteristics of second-generation Americans (September 2006) (PDF)
- The role of foreign-born workers in the US economy (May 2002) (PDF)
- Looking for Foreign Labor Certification (hiring foreign-born workers for employment in the U.S., including H-1B visas)? See the U.S. Department of Labor.
Older workers
See also Age.
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by single year of age for persons age 55 and older are available on request. Contact the Current Population Survey staff to obtain these data.
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for whites, blacks or African Americans, Asians, and persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. (Learn how we define race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.) See also Earnings by Demographics.
- Annual report: Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity
- Database: Retrieve historical data series
- Annual tables:
- Monthly table: Employment status by race and Hispanic ethnicity (PDF)
- Charts:
- Expanded data for detailed Hispanic or Latino groups now available (October 2023)
- New monthly and quarterly labor force data for detailed Asian groups (September 2023)
- BLS Now Publishing Monthly and Quarterly Labor Force Data for Detailed Asian Groups (September 2023)
- Labor Force Trends of Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (May 2023)
- Employment trends of Asians and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (May 2022)
- Unemployment rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives at 7.9 percent in December 2021 (January 2022)
- Employment declined sharply during COVID-19 pandemic for self-employed Asians (May 2021)
- Labor Market Activity of Blacks in the United States, Spotlight on Statistics (February 2020)
- Black women made up 53 percent of the Black labor force in 2018 (February 2019)
- Rising educational attainment among Blacks or African Americans in the labor force, 1992 to 2018 (February 2019)
- Labor market trends for American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2000–17 (November 2018)
- Labor force participation rate of Hispanics at 66.1 percent in 2017 (September 2018)
- 26.8 million Hispanics or Latinos in the U.S. labor force in 2016 (September 2017)
- Unemployment rate and employment-population ratio vary by race and ethnicity (January 2017)
- Educational attainment and occupation groups by race and ethnicity in 2014 (November 2015)
- Hispanics and Latinos in industries and occupations (October 2015)
- Educational attainment, employment, and unemployment among African Americans (February 2015)
- Civilian labor levels for persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity by detailed ethnic group, 1990–2013 (October 2014)
- Forty-nine percent of employed Asians in management, professional, and related occupations, 2012 (December 2013)
- Racial and ethnic characteristics of the U.S. labor force in 2012 (November 2013)
- Occupational employment by race and ethnicity, 2011 (October 2012)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month, Spotlight on Statistics (September 2012), includes CPS and other BLS survey data
- Racial and ethnic characteristics of the U.S. labor force, 2011 (September 2012)
- Employed Asians by occupation, 2008–2010 (May 2012)
- Educational attainment and unemployment among Asians in the United States (December 2011)
- Asians in the U.S. labor force, 2008–2010 (December 2011)
- Unemployment rates by race and ethnicity, 1975–2010 (October 2011)
- Earnings and employment by occupation, race, ethnicity, and sex, 2010 (September 2011)
- African American History Month, Spotlight on Statistics (February 2010), includes CPS and other BLS survey data
- Labor force demographics, 2008 (January 2010)
- Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics in the civilian labor force: a visual essay (June 2004) (PDF)
- Articles:
- CPS questions on race and Hispanic ethnicity were revised in 2003 (PDF)
School enrollment
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for youth ages 16 to 24 by school enrollment status. See also Youth and Educational attainment.
Veterans
News releases
Current monthly data:
Employment Situation news release (Monthly), Table A-5
(PDF) (Charts) (Archives) (Schedule)
Annual average and supplemental survey data, including service-connected disability:
Employment Situation of Veterans
(PDF) (Archives)
Frequently asked questions about data on veterans
Database
Retrieve historical data series
Veteran status by age and sex (including detail for Gulf War-era II veterans)
Veteran status by period of service and sex
What percentage of people in the labor force are veterans?
Seasonally adjusted data for veterans and nonveterans
Not seasonally adjusted data for veterans and nonveterans by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
Tables
Annual average table: Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, age, and sex (PDF) (XLSX)
Quarterly average table: Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, age, and sex (PDF)
Monthly data table: Employment status of persons 18 years and over by veteran status, age, and sex (PDF)
Charts
- Unemployment rate for veterans was unchanged at 2.8 percent in 2023 (June 2024)
- Unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans with a service-connected disability up in 2023 (March 2024)
- Unemployment rates down from pre-pandemic levels for Gulf War-era II veterans in 2022 (March 2023)
- Unemployment rate falls for Gulf War-era II veterans with service-connected disability in 2021 (April 2022)
- Labor force participation rate for veterans was 46.8 percent in October 2021 (November 2021)
- Veterans with a service-connected disability much more likely to work for the federal government (March 2021)
- Gulf War Era Veterans in the Labor Force, Spotlight on Statistics (October 2020)
- Unemployment rate 5.5 percent in 2019 for Gulf War-era II veterans with a disability (March 2020)
- Management, professional, and related occupations most common among veterans and nonveterans (November 2019)
- Labor force participation rate 73.5 percent in 2018 for Gulf War-era II veterans with a disability (March 2019)
- Alaska had highest share of veterans in labor force among states in 2017 (March 2018)
- 31 percent of employed veterans with a disability worked in government in August 2016 (March 2017)
- 43.3 percent of veterans with a service-connected disability were employed in August 2015 (November 2016)
- Unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans 5.8 percent in 2015 (March 2016)
- Employment of veterans by occupation, 2014 (May 2015)
- Veteran unemployment rate decreases to 5.3 percent in 2014 (March 2015)
- Employment and unemployment among all veterans, Gulf-War era II veterans, and nonveterans (November 2014)
- Women veterans ages 25 to 34 had unemployment rate of 9.8 percent in 2013 (September 2014)
- Women veterans in the labor force, Spotlight on Statistics (August 2014)
- U.S. military veterans and nonveterans in the labor force, 2013 (June 2014)
- Unemployment rate for veterans edges down in 2013 (March 2014)
- Unemployment among veterans declines in 2012 (March 2013)
- Veterans in the civilian labor force, 2011 (November 2012)
- Employment Situation of Veterans - 2011 (March 2012)
- Employment of veterans, 2010 (November 2011)
- Unemployment rates of veterans, 2010 (March 2011)
- Demographics of Gulf War-era II veterans (August 2010)
- Employment Situation of Veterans, Spotlight on Statistics (May 2010)
- Charts submitted with Statement on Veterans' Employment (April 2010)
- Disabled veterans and the labor force, August 2009 (March 2010)
- Labor force participation in 2008 of veterans of World War II, Korean War, or Vietnam era (March 2009)
- Unemployment in 2008 and veterans who served since September 2001 (March 2009)
- Employment characteristics of Gulf War-era II veterans in 2006: a visual essay (May 2008)
Articles
- Resilience through two recessions: veterans in the labor market since 2003 (June 2023) (HTML)
- Employment and earnings of recent veterans: data from the CPS (July 2010) (PDF)
- BLS Deputy Commissioner's Statement on Veterans' Employment (April 2010) (PDF) (Slides, including charts)
Special notices and technical documentation
Beginning with data for January 2014, estimates for veterans incorporate updated weighting procedures that more accurately reflect the current demographic composition of the veteran population. The new weighting methodology had little effect on unemployment rates for veterans, regardless of gender or period of service. Learn more about the effect of the January 2014 weighting change on labor force estimates for veterans.
Effective with data for January 2023, estimates for veterans incorporate population controls derived from a new Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Population Projection Model (VetPop2020). In accordance with usual practice, BLS did not revise estimates for previous years. See also Veteran Population Projection Model.
See also Revised Data from the August 1995 Vietnam Veterans Survey
Volunteering
These statistics reflect persons who volunteered through or for an organization. They come from a special supplemental survey last conducted in September 2015.
NOTICE
The last volunteer supplement and associated BLS news release reflected data collected in September 2015.
The volunteer supplement was sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), now known as AmeriCorps.
Please direct inquiries about newer data to AmeriCorps Staff.
Women
Notice
The CPS content about women is moving to a new page dedicated to data about women. You can find this content on the Women in the Labor Force page. Please update your bookmarks and other links to this new page.
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for women. See also Families and marital status and Earnings by demographics.
- Annual report: Women in the Labor Force: A Databook
- Charts:
- Percentage of employed women working full time little changed over past 5 decades (December 2017)
- Women's and men's earnings by age in 2016 (August 2017)
- 39 percent of managers in 2015 were women (August 2016)
- Educational attainment and earnings of women (June 2014)
- Women's earnings, 1979–2012 (November 2013)
- Women as a percent of total employed in selected occupations, 2011 (May 2012)
- Employment status of parents, 2011 (April 2012)
- Educational attainment of women in the labor force, 1970–2010 (December 2011)
- Women in the labor force, 2010 (December 2011)
- Women at Work, Spotlight on Statistics (March 2011), includes CPS and other BLS survey data
- Women's earnings and employment by industry, 2009 (February 2011)
- Women in the labor force, 1970–2009 (January 2011)
- Women's-to-men's earnings ratio by age, 2009 (July 2010)
- Labor force participation rates among mothers, March 1975–2008 (May 2010)
- Labor force participation of women and mothers, 2008 (October 2009)
- Labor force participation of mothers with infants in 2008 (May 2009)
- Wives earning more than their husbands, 1967–2006 (January 2009)
- Labor force participation of mothers, 1975–2007 (January 2009)
- Women and employment by industry, 2007 (January 2009)
- Women at work: a visual essay (October 2003) (PDF)
- Articles:
- Women still underrepresented among highest earners (March 2006) (PDF)
- The labor force experience of women from 'Generation X' (March 2002) (PDF)
Youth
Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for youth ages 16 to 24. See also Age and School Enrollment.
Last Modified Date: September 13, 2024