For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, December 18, 2012 USDL-12-2459
Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION -- 2011
A total of 153.5 million persons worked at some point during 2011, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The proportion of the civilian
noninstitutional population age 16 and over who worked at some time during
2011 was 63.3 percent, down from 63.7 percent in 2010. The number of persons
who experienced some unemployment during 2011 was 23.7 million, down by 1.5
million from 2010.
These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and
Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS
is a monthly survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. The ASEC collects information on employment and
unemployment experienced during the prior calendar year. Additional
information about the CPS and the ASEC, including concepts and definitions,
is provided in the Technical Note.
Highlights from the 2011 data:
--The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in 2011 was
65.8 percent, up from 64.7 percent in 2010. (See table 1.)
--The "work-experience unemployment rate"--defined as the number of
persons unemployed at some time during the year as a proportion of the
number of persons who worked or looked for work during the year--was
14.9 percent in 2011, down from 15.9 percent in 2010. (See table 3.)
--The number of individuals who looked for a job but did not work at all
during 2011 declined by 348,000 over the year to 6.2 million. (See
table 3.)
Persons with Employment
Overall, 63.3 percent of the population worked in 2011. The proportion of
men who worked during the year was 68.8 percent, down from 69.3 percent in
2010. The proportion of women who worked at some point during 2011 was 58.1
percent, little changed from the prior year. (See table 1.)
The proportion of whites (64.1 percent) who worked at some time during 2011
declined from 2010, while the share of blacks (58.2 percent), Asians (62.8
percent), and Hispanics (63.4 percent) showed little or no change. (See
table 2.)
Of those employed at some time during 2011, 78.6 percent usually worked full
time, up from 78.2 percent a year earlier. The proportion of employed men
working full time rose, while the proportion of women changed little. Men
continued to be more likely than women to work full time during the year,
84.8 versus 71.7 percent.
Of the total who worked during 2011, 77.0 percent were employed year round
(working 50 to 52 weeks, either full or part time), an increase from 75.9
percent in 2010. The share of men employed year round rose by 1.7 percentage
points to 78.4 percent in 2011, while the percentage of women working year
round was little changed at 75.5 percent. (See table 1.)
Persons with Unemployment
About 159.7 million persons worked or looked for work at some time in 2011.
Of those, 23.7 million experienced some unemployment during the year, 1.5
million fewer than in 2010.
At 14.9 percent in 2011, the work-experience unemployment rate (those looking
for work during the year as a percent of those who worked or looked for work
during the year) was 1.0 percentage point lower than in 2010. The rate for 2009
(16.4 percent) was the highest since 1985. The work-experience unemployment
rate for men has also fallen since a recent peak in 2009, but the rate for
women was about unchanged. Men continued to have higher work-experience
unemployment rates in 2011 than women, 15.8 versus 13.8 percent. (See
table 3.)
The work-experience unemployment rates for whites (13.7 percent) and Hispanics
(18.3 percent) declined from 2010 to 2011, while the rates for blacks (22.2
percent) and Asians (12.2 percent) were little changed. Among whites, blacks,
and Hispanics, the rates for men were higher than the rates for women. Among
Asians, the rates for men and women were little different from each other.
(See table 4.)
Among those who experienced unemployment in 2011, the median number of weeks
spent looking for work was 19.8, about unchanged from 2009 and 2010. The number
of persons who looked for a job but did not work at all in 2011 declined by
348,000 over the year to 6.2 million. Of the 17.5 million individuals who worked
during 2011 and also experienced unemployment, 1 in 5 had two or more spells of
joblessness, about the same as in the prior 2 years. (See table 3.)
Technical Note
The data presented in this release were collected in the Annual Social and Economic
Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample
survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Data from the CPS are used to obtain the monthly estimates of the nation's employment and
unemployment levels. The supplement, conducted in the months of February through April,
includes questions about work activity during the prior calendar year. For instance, data
collected in 2012 refer to the 2011 calendar year. Because the reference period is a full
year, the number of persons with some employment or unemployment greatly exceeds the average
levels for any given month, which are based on a 1-week reference period, and the corresponding
annual average of the monthly estimates. As shown below, for example, the number experiencing
any unemployment during 2011 was about twice the number unemployed in an average month during
the year.
Employed Unemployed
2011 estimates (in thousands)
Annual average of
monthly estimates 139,869 13,747
Annual supplement data 153,479 23,739
In addition, estimates from the supplement differ from those obtained in the basic CPS
because the questions used to classify workers as either employed or unemployed are different.
More important, perhaps, is that fewer questions by which to categorize respondents are asked
in the supplement. In regard to unemployment in particular, the supplement has no questions
on the type of job search activity or on the respondent's availability to work. Also, individuals
can be counted as both employed and unemployed in the work experience supplement data, whereas,
for a specific monthly reference week, each person is only counted in one category and employment
activity takes precedence over job search activity.
Work experience data for 2011, which were collected in the 2012 Annual Social and
Economic Supplement to the CPS, are not strictly comparable with data for 2010 and earlier
years because of the introduction in January 2012 of revised population controls used in
the CPS. The effect of the revised population controls on the work experience estimates
is unknown. However, the effect of the new January 2012 controls on the monthly CPS
estimates was to increase the December 2011 employment level by 216,000 and the unemployment
level by 42,000. Additional information is online at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
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
component of this difference that occurs because samples differ by chance is known as
sampling error, and its 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 at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.
Concepts and definitions
Persons who worked. In the 2012 supplement, persons are considered to have worked if
they responded "yes" to either the question "Did you work at a job or business at any time
during 2011?" or "Did you do any temporary, part-time, or seasonal work even for a few
days during 2011?"
Unemployed persons. Persons who worked during the year but not in every week are counted
as unemployed if they also reported looking for work or being on layoff from a job during
the year. Those who reported no work activity during the year are considered unemployed if
they responded "yes" to the question "Even though you did not work in 2011, did you spend
any time trying to find a job or on layoff?"
Work-experience unemployment rate. The number of persons unemployed at some point during
the year as a proportion of the number of persons who worked or looked for work during the
year.
Labor force participants. Persons who either worked or were unemployed during the year.
Usual full- and part-time employment. These data refer to the number of hours a worker
typically works during most weeks of the year. Workers are classified as full time if they
usually worked 35 hours or more in a week; part-time employment refers to workers whose
typical workweek was between 1 and 34 hours.
Year-round and part-year employment. Workers are classified as year round if they
worked 50 to 52 weeks. Part-year employment refers to workers who worked fewer than 50 weeks.
Other information
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.
Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2010-11
Total Men Women
Extent of employment
2010 2011 2010 2011 2010 2011
Numbers (in thousands)
Civilian noninstitutional population............................ 238,999 242,602 115,986 116,984 123,012 125,619
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 158,882 159,693 84,000 83,715 74,882 75,978
Percent of the population................................... 66.5 65.8 72.4 71.6 60.9 60.5
Total who worked during the year (1).......................... 152,320 153,479 80,341 80,503 71,980 72,976
Percent of the population................................... 63.7 63.3 69.3 68.8 58.5 58.1
Full time (2)............................................... 119,145 120,585 67,693 68,289 51,452 52,295
50 to 52 weeks............................................ 98,490 100,915 55,738 57,288 42,752 43,627
48 to 49 weeks............................................ 1,800 1,691 1,084 971 715 720
40 to 47 weeks............................................ 5,392 4,862 3,052 2,639 2,340 2,223
27 to 39 weeks............................................ 4,498 4,474 2,609 2,561 1,888 1,913
14 to 26 weeks............................................ 5,287 5,291 3,103 2,941 2,184 2,350
1 to 13 weeks............................................. 3,680 3,351 2,106 1,889 1,574 1,463
Part time (3)............................................... 33,175 32,895 12,648 12,214 20,528 20,681
50 to 52 weeks............................................ 17,113 17,247 5,874 5,786 11,239 11,460
48 to 49 weeks............................................ 780 791 257 295 523 496
40 to 47 weeks............................................ 2,941 2,633 1,079 987 1,863 1,647
27 to 39 weeks............................................ 2,856 2,855 1,183 1,121 1,673 1,735
14 to 26 weeks............................................ 4,753 4,729 2,141 2,009 2,611 2,719
1 to 13 weeks............................................. 4,732 4,639 2,113 2,016 2,619 2,623
Percent distribution
Total who worked during the year (1)............................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)................................................. 78.2 78.6 84.3 84.8 71.5 71.7
50 to 52 weeks.............................................. 64.7 65.8 69.4 71.2 59.4 59.8
48 to 49 weeks.............................................. 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.0
40 to 47 weeks.............................................. 3.5 3.2 3.8 3.3 3.3 3.0
27 to 39 weeks.............................................. 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.2 2.6 2.6
14 to 26 weeks.............................................. 3.5 3.4 3.9 3.7 3.0 3.2
1 to 13 weeks............................................... 2.4 2.2 2.6 2.3 2.2 2.0
Part time (3)................................................. 21.8 21.4 15.7 15.2 28.5 28.3
50 to 52 weeks.............................................. 11.2 11.2 7.3 7.2 15.6 15.7
48 to 49 weeks.............................................. 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.7
40 to 47 weeks.............................................. 1.9 1.7 1.3 1.2 2.6 2.3
27 to 39 weeks.............................................. 1.9 1.9 1.5 1.4 2.3 2.4
14 to 26 weeks.............................................. 3.1 3.1 2.7 2.5 3.6 3.7
1 to 13 weeks............................................... 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.5 3.6 3.6
1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
2 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week.
3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of
January data.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2010-11
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2010 2011 2010 2011 2010 2011
WHITE
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 192,792 192,898 94,689 94,146 98,103 98,752
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 129,249 127,809 69,593 68,304 59,656 59,505
Percent of the population................................. 67.0 66.3 73.5 72.6 60.8 60.3
Total who worked during the year (1) ....................... 124,651 123,717 66,984 66,180 57,667 57,537
Percent of the population................................. 64.7 64.1 70.7 70.3 58.8 58.3
Percent who worked during the year (1) ..................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 77.9 78.4 84.5 85.1 70.2 70.6
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 64.5 65.8 69.6 71.7 58.6 59.0
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 7.7 7.2 8.5 7.7 6.7 6.7
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 5.7 5.4 6.4 5.8 4.9 5.0
Part time (3)............................................. 22.1 21.6 15.5 14.9 29.8 29.4
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 11.5 11.4 7.3 7.0 16.4 16.5
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 4.5 4.2 3.1 3.0 6.0 5.5
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.1 6.0 5.1 4.8 7.3 7.4
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 29,004 29,790 13,108 13,447 15,896 16,343
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 18,263 18,822 8,466 8,685 9,797 10,137
Percent of the population................................. 63.0 63.2 64.6 64.6 61.6 62.0
Total who worked during the year (1) ....................... 16,868 17,332 7,708 7,932 9,160 9,399
Percent of the population................................. 58.2 58.2 58.8 59.0 57.6 57.5
Percent who worked during the year (1) ..................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 79.6 79.4 82.0 82.2 77.6 77.1
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 64.5 65.0 66.0 66.1 63.2 64.0
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 8.3 7.2 8.6 8.1 8.0 6.5
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 6.8 7.2 7.4 8.1 6.3 6.5
Part time (3)............................................. 20.4 20.6 18.0 17.8 22.4 22.9
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 9.5 10.0 7.3 8.3 11.4 11.3
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 3.4 4.0 3.2 3.2 3.6 4.6
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 7.4 6.7 7.5 6.3 7.4 7.0
ASIAN
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 11,320 12,813 5,325 5,979 5,995 6,834
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 7,569 8,364 3,955 4,347 3,614 4,017
Percent of the population................................. 66.9 65.3 74.3 72.7 60.3 58.8
Total who worked during the year (1) ....................... 7,253 8,048 3,811 4,194 3,442 3,854
Percent of the population................................. 64.1 62.8 71.6 70.1 57.4 56.4
Percent who worked during the year (1) ..................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 81.7 81.4 87.2 87.0 75.7 75.3
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 70.7 70.4 76.4 76.6 64.4 63.6
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 5.7 6.2 5.9 5.7 5.5 6.7
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 5.4 4.9 5.0 4.7 5.8 5.0
Part time (3)............................................. 18.3 18.6 12.8 13.0 24.3 24.7
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 10.1 11.0 6.6 7.2 14.1 15.1
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 3.6 3.1 2.6 2.0 4.7 4.3
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 4.5 4.5 3.6 3.8 5.5 5.3
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Civilian noninstitutional population.......................... 34,155 36,461 17,602 18,276 16,552 18,185
Total who worked or looked for work......................... 22,825 24,216 13,301 13,683 9,524 10,533
Percent of the population................................. 66.8 66.4 75.6 74.9 57.5 57.9
Total who worked during the year (1) ....................... 21,686 23,124 12,663 13,127 9,023 9,997
Percent of the population................................. 63.5 63.4 71.9 71.8 54.5 55.0
Percent who worked during the year (1) ..................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Full time (2)............................................. 78.9 79.2 84.0 84.6 71.8 72.1
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 62.2 64.3 65.7 68.6 57.2 58.8
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 9.8 8.5 11.0 9.6 8.1 7.1
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 7.0 6.3 7.3 6.4 6.5 6.2
Part time (3)............................................. 21.1 20.8 16.0 15.4 28.2 27.9
50 to 52 weeks.......................................... 11.2 11.3 8.0 7.8 15.8 15.9
27 to 49 weeks.......................................... 4.1 3.8 3.4 3.0 5.0 4.8
1 to 26 weeks........................................... 5.8 5.7 4.6 4.7 7.4 7.2
1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
2 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week.
3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in
table 1 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 3. Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 2010-11
Total Men Women
Extent of unemployment
2010 2011 2010 2011 2010 2011
Numbers (in thousands)
Total who worked or looked for work............................. 158,882 159,693 84,000 83,715 74,882 75,978
Percent with unemployment..................................... 15.9 14.9 17.7 15.8 13.8 13.8
Total with unemployment....................................... 25,241 23,739 14,880 13,262 10,360 10,477
Did not work but looked for work............................ 6,562 6,214 3,659 3,212 2,903 3,002
1 to 14 weeks............................................. 1,351 1,395 634 656 717 739
15 weeks or more.......................................... 5,211 4,819 3,025 2,556 2,186 2,263
Worked during the year...................................... 18,679 17,525 11,221 10,050 7,458 7,476
Year-round workers (1) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment.. 591 417 379 271 211 147
Part-year workers (2) with unemployment................... 18,088 17,108 10,842 9,779 7,246 7,329
1 to 4 weeks............................................ 2,259 2,211 1,178 1,170 1,081 1,041
5 to 10 weeks........................................... 2,393 2,273 1,419 1,238 974 1,035
11 to 14 weeks.......................................... 2,299 2,063 1,438 1,276 861 787
15 to 26 weeks.......................................... 5,113 4,942 3,231 2,936 1,882 2,007
27 weeks or more........................................ 6,024 5,619 3,577 3,159 2,447 2,459
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers........ 19.9 19.8 20.1 19.9 19.5 19.8
With 2 spells or more of unemployment............... 3,872 3,524 2,620 2,448 1,252 1,076
2 spells.......................................... 1,786 1,745 1,129 1,121 657 624
3 spells or more.................................. 2,086 1,779 1,491 1,327 595 451
Percent distribution
Did not work but looked for work................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1 to 14 weeks................................................. 20.6 22.4 17.3 20.4 24.7 24.6
15 weeks or more.............................................. 79.4 77.6 82.7 79.6 75.3 75.4
Worked during the year.......................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (1) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment...... 3.2 2.4 3.4 2.7 2.8 2.0
Part-year workers (2) with unemployment....................... 96.8 97.6 96.6 97.3 97.2 98.0
1 to 4 weeks................................................ 12.1 12.6 10.5 11.6 14.5 13.9
5 to 10 weeks............................................... 12.8 13.0 12.6 12.3 13.1 13.8
11 to 14 weeks.............................................. 12.3 11.8 12.8 12.7 11.5 10.5
15 to 26 weeks.............................................. 27.4 28.2 28.8 29.2 25.2 26.8
27 weeks or more............................................ 32.3 32.1 31.9 31.4 32.8 32.9
With 2 spells or more of unemployment............. 20.7 20.1 23.3 24.4 16.8 14.4
2 spells........................................ 9.6 10.0 10.1 11.2 8.8 8.4
3 spells or more................................ 11.2 10.1 13.3 13.2 8.0 6.0
1 Worked 50 or 51 weeks.
2 Worked less than 50 weeks.
NOTE: Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2010-11
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2010 2011 2010 2011 2010 2011
WHITE
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 129,249 127,809 69,593 68,304 59,656 59,505
Percent with unemployment................................... 15.0 13.7 16.8 14.7 12.8 12.5
Total with unemployment..................................... 19,329 17,479 11,687 10,026 7,643 7,453
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 4,598 4,092 2,609 2,124 1,989 1,968
Worked during the year.................................... 14,732 13,387 9,078 7,902 5,654 5,485
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 19.2 18.8 19.6 19.0 18.5 18.4
Percent who worked during the year (1) ................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 3.4 2.6 3.6 3.0 3.1 2.1
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 96.6 97.4 96.4 97.0 96.9 97.9
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 12.0 13.6 10.2 12.3 14.9 15.5
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 26.3 25.7 26.6 25.8 25.7 25.5
15 weeks or more...................................... 58.3 58.1 59.6 58.9 56.3 56.9
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 21.5 20.4 23.7 24.5 17.9 14.6
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 18,263 18,822 8,466 8,685 9,797 10,137
Percent with unemployment................................... 22.5 22.2 25.9 24.5 19.5 20.3
Total with unemployment..................................... 4,105 4,180 2,192 2,124 1,913 2,056
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 1,395 1,491 758 753 637 737
Worked during the year.................................... 2,710 2,689 1,434 1,371 1,276 1,319
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 22.9 23.9 22.3 23.6 23.6 24.1
Percent who worked during the year (1) ................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 1.8 1.7 2.0 1.7 1.6 1.8
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 98.2 98.3 98.0 98.3 98.4 98.2
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 11.7 8.9 11.4 8.8 12.2 9.1
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 19.9 20.6 20.0 21.2 19.8 19.9
15 weeks or more...................................... 66.5 68.7 66.6 68.2 66.4 69.2
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 17.2 17.7 20.7 22.8 13.2 12.4
ASIAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 7,569 8,364 3,955 4,347 3,614 4,017
Percent with unemployment................................... 12.9 12.2 12.9 12.0 12.9 12.4
Total with unemployment..................................... 973 1,020 509 522 465 498
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 316 316 144 153 172 162
Worked during the year.................................... 657 705 364 369 293 335
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 21.3 20.5 21.7 20.2 20.8 20.7
Percent who worked during the year (1) ................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 3.0 0.8 3.6 0.9 2.3 0.6
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 97.0 99.2 96.4 99.1 97.7 99.4
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 14.6 10.6 15.3 12.1 13.9 8.9
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 20.6 27.1 19.5 28.1 21.9 25.9
15 weeks or more...................................... 61.8 61.6 61.6 58.8 61.9 64.6
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 14.0 18.9 16.9 22.0 10.5 15.4
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 22,825 24,216 13,301 13,683 9,524 10,533
Percent with unemployment................................... 20.5 18.3 22.4 19.2 18.0 17.1
Total with unemployment..................................... 4,686 4,427 2,974 2,630 1,712 1,798
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 1,138 1,093 638 556 500 536
Worked during the year.................................... 3,548 3,335 2,336 2,073 1,212 1,261
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 20.0 20.0 19.9 19.7 20.2 20.6
Percent who worked during the year (1) ................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.9 2.1 1.7
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 97.7 97.6 97.7 97.1 97.9 98.3
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 10.7 11.0 8.9 10.3 14.0 12.3
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 26.5 24.8 27.8 25.2 24.1 24.1
15 weeks or more...................................... 60.5 61.7 60.9 61.6 59.8 61.9
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 24.0 22.5 26.7 25.9 18.8 16.8
1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
2 Worked 50 or 51 weeks.
3 Worked less than 50 weeks.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in
table 3 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.
United States Department of Labor
