Table 4. Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force from age 18 through age 38 in 1998-2023 by age, educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Table 4.  Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force from age 18
through age 38 in 1998-2023 by age, educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

                                                       
                                                            Percent of total weeks
           Age and characteristic                  Employed    Unemployed     Not in Labor
                                                                                 Force

Total, ages 18 to 38 in 1998-2023..............       76.3         5.3            18.4
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008....................       69.9         6.1            24.0
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014....................       78.1         6.2            15.6
 Ages 30 to 38 in 2010-2023....................       79.4         4.2            16.4

Men, ages 18 to 38 in 1998-2023................       79.8         5.8            14.4
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008....................       70.8         6.7            22.5
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014....................       81.9         7.0            11.1
 Ages 30 to 38 in 2010-2023....................       84.5         4.5            11.0

Women, ages 18 to 38 in 1998-2023..............       72.6         4.7            22.7
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008....................       68.9         5.5            25.7
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014....................       74.1         5.4            20.4
 Ages 30 to 38 in 2010-2023....................       74.1         3.8            22.1

White, non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 38 in 1998-2023       78.3         4.3            17.4
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008....................       73.1         4.9            22.0
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014....................       80.3         5.2            14.6
 Ages 30 to 38 in 2010-2023....................       80.6         3.3            16.1

Black, non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 38 in 1998-2023       68.4         9.4            22.2
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008....................       58.8         10.7           30.5
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014....................       69.6         10.8           19.7
 Ages 30 to 38 in 2010-2023....................       74.1         7.8            18.2

Hispanic or Latino, ages 18 to 38 in 1998-20223       75.6         5.5            18.9
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008....................       69.1         6.8            24.2
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014....................       77.3         6.4            16.3
 Ages 30 to 38 in 2010-2023....................       78.7         4.3            17.0


NOTE:  This table excludes individuals who had not yet turned age 39 when interviewed in 2023-24.
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12
to 16 on December 31, 1996. 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.