December 2009

Multiple Jobholding in States in 2008

James Campbell

In 2008, 25 States experienced increases in their multiple jobholding rates from 2007, 22 States and the District of Columbia recorded decreases, and 3 States had no change.1 The national multiple jobholding rate remained unchanged in 2008, standing at 5.2 percent for the third consecutive year. The largest over-the-year increases in multiple jobholding rates among the States were recorded in North Dakota (+1.1 percentage points), Idaho (+1.0 point), Massachusetts (+0.9 point), and Delaware (+0.8 point). Missouri and Montana experienced the largest decreases (-0.9 percentage point each), followed by Kansas (-0.8 point) and South Dakota and Washington (-0.7 point each). Although the U.S. multiple jobholding rate in 2008 was the same as in both 2006 and 2007, it was 1.0 percentage point lower than in both 1995 and 1996, when it peaked at 6.2 percent.2 Compared with 1996, 44 States and the District of Columbia had lower multiple jobholding rates in 2008, while 4 States had higher rates, and 2 States had the same rates. The largest declines over this period occurred in Missouri (-3.7 percentage points) and Montana (-3.1 points). No State had an increase in its multiple jobholding rate greater than 0.4 percentage point over this 12-year span. As in past years, the multiple jobholding rates for individual States varied considerably around the U.S. average in 2008. (See chart 1.) Overall, 27 States had higher multiple jobholding rates than the national average, 20 States and the District of Columbia had lower rates, and 3 States had the same rate. As in past years, northern States generally had higher rates than southern States.

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