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69.5 percent of people who worked in 2017 worked full time, year round

December 20, 2018

A total of 165.2 million people worked at some point during 2017. The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round (that is, 50 to 52 weeks) in 2017 was 69.5 percent, up 0.7 percentage point from the prior year. Among men who worked in 2017, 75.3 percent worked full time, year round, compared with 63.1 percent of women.

Percent distribution of people who worked during 2017, by usual full- or part-time status and number of weeks worked
Extent of employment Total Men Women White men White women Black or African American men Black or African American women Asian men Asian women Hispanic or Latino men Hispanic or Latino women

Total who worked during the year

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Full time, 50 to 52 weeks

69.5 75.3 63.1 75.6 62.2 73.0 67.2 79.6 66.8 74.6 61.7

Full time, 27 to 49 weeks

6.7 7.0 6.4 6.9 6.3 7.5 6.7 6.1 6.5 8.1 6.6

Full time, 1 to 26 weeks

4.2 4.3 3.9 4.2 3.8 5.1 4.6 4.1 4.2 4.7 4.6

Part time, 50 to 52 weeks

10.6 6.7 14.9 6.6 15.7 7.3 11.5 5.9 13.1 7.0 15.6

Part time, 27 to 49 weeks

3.8 2.4 5.1 2.6 5.4 2.3 4.2 1.5 4.5 2.0 4.8

Part time, 1 to 26 weeks

5.3 4.2 6.4 4.1 6.6 4.8 5.9 2.9 5.0 3.6 6.7

Among those who worked in 2017, 80.4 percent usually worked full time, up 0.6 percentage point from a year earlier. In 2017, men (86.6 percent) continued to be more likely than women (73.5 percent) to work full time during the year. Asians (84.0 percent) were more likely to work full time than Whites (80.0 percent), Blacks (81.8 percent), and Hispanics (81.1 percent).

Of those who worked during 2017, 80.1 percent were employed year round, up from 79.4 percent in 2016. The share of women working year round increased by 1.2 percentage points to 78.0 percent in 2017, while the percentage of men working year round was little changed at 82.0 percent.

These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more information, see "Work Experience of the Population — 2017." Full time means 35 hours or more per week. People whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 69.5 percent of people who worked in 2017 worked full time, year round at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/69-point-5-percent-of-people-who-worked-in-2017-worked-full-time-year-round.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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