Table 4. Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force from age 18 through age 36 in 1998-2021 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 36 in 1998-2021 by age, educational attainment, sex, race, 
and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity					

                                                            Percent of total weeks

           Age and characteristic                                                    
                                                                                     
                                                                              	       Not in
                                                      Employed       Unemployed        labor
                                                                      		       force

Total, ages 18 to 36 in 1998-2021 ...............      75.9		5.4		18.7		
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008 .....................      69.8		6.1		24.1
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014 .....................      78.2		6.2		15.6
 Ages 30 to 36 in 2010-2021 .....................      79.2		4.4		16.5
						
Men, ages 18 to 36 in 1998-2021 .................      79.5		6.0		14.6
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008 .....................      70.9		6.6		22.5
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014 .....................      82.0		6.9		11.1
 Ages 30 to 36 in 2010-2021 .....................      84.6		4.8		10.6
					
Women, ages 18 to 36 in 1998-2021 ...............      72.2		4.9		22.9
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008 .....................      68.6		5.5		25.8
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014 .....................      74.2		5.5		20.3
 Ages 30 to 36 in 2010-2021 .....................      73.5		4.0		22.6
					
White, non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 36 in 1998-2021 .      78.0		4.4		17.6
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008 .....................      72.8		4.8		22.4
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014 .....................      80.3		5.2		14.5
 Ages 30 to 36 in 2010-2021  ....................      80.5		3.5		16.0
					
Black, non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 36 in 1998-2021 .      59.0		10.9		30.1	
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008 .....................      58.7		10.9		30.4
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014 .....................      69.7		10.9		19.5
 Ages 30 to 36 in 2010-2021 .....................      73.3		8.3		18.4
							
Hispanic or Latino, ages 18 to 36 in 1998-2021 ..      74.9		5.8		19.3
 Ages 18 to 23 in 1998-2008 .....................      69.2		6.7		24.1
 Ages 24 to 29 in 2004-2014 .....................      77.1		6.5		16.4
 Ages 30 to 36 in 2010-2021 .....................      77.9		4.6		17.5
					
					
NOTE: This table excludes individuals who had not yet turned age 37 when 
interviewed in 2021-2022. 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.