U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey

Demographics

This page contains information about labor force statistics with demographic characteristics available from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Data on the labor force characteristics of employed and unemployed persons, plus hours of work and earnings, also are available.

Age

Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by age group. See also Older Workers and Youth.

Age distributions and median age of workers by industry and occupation are available on request. Contact the Current Population Survey staff to obtain these data.

• Database: Retrieve historical data series
• Annual table: Employment status by detailed age group, sex, and race (TXT) (PDF)
• Monthly table: Employment status by detailed age group, sex, and race (TXT) (PDF)
• Article: Trends in labor force participation in the United States (October 2006)
  (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)
  

Educational attainment

Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by educational attainment for persons age 25 and older. See also Earnings by Education.

• Databases: Retrieve historical data series
  • Top series
  • More options (must select age 25 and over)
• Annual table: Employment status by educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic ethnicity (TXT) (PDF)
• Monthly table: Employment status by educational attainment (TXT) (PDF)
• Charts: Charting the U.S. Labor Market in 2006

Families and marital status

Employment, unemployment, and labor force participation in families.

• News release: Employment characteristics of families (HTML) (PDF) (Archives)
• Charts:
  • Labor force status of families: a visual essay (July/August 2007) (PDF)
  • Charting the U.S. labor market in 2006
• Article: Trends in labor force participation of married mothers of infants (February 2007)
  (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)

Employment and unemployment statistics for married men and women.

• Database: Retrieve historical data series
• Monthly tables:
  • Employment levels (TXT) (PDF)
  • Unemployment levels and rates (TXT) (PDF)

Unemployment statistics by marital status.

• Annual table: Unemployment levels and rates by marital status (TXT) (PDF)

Foreign-born workers

Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics by foreign- and native-born status.

• News release: Labor force characteristics of foreign-born workers

(HTML) (PDF) (Archives)
• Charts: Foreign-born workforce, 2004: a visual essay (PDF)
• Article: Labor force characteristics of second-generation Americans (September 2006)
  (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)
• Article: The role of foreign-born workers in the US economy (May 2002)
  (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)

Older Workers

See also Age.
Labor force, employment,and unemployment statistics by single year of age for persons age 55 and older are available on request. Contact the Current Population Survey staff to obtain these data.

• Charts: Older Workers, Spotlight on Statistics (July 2008), includes CPS and other BLS survey data

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for whites, blacks or African Americans, Asians, and persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. See also Earnings by Demographics.

• Databases: Retrieve historical data series
  • Top series by race
  • Top series by Hispanic ethnicity
  • More options
• Monthly table: Employment status by race and Hispanic ethnicity (TXT) (PDF)
• Annual tables:
  • Employment status by race (TXT) (PDF)
  • Employment status by Hispanic ethnicity and detailed ethnic group (TXT) (PDF)
  • Employment by major occupation, race, Hispanic ethnicity, and sex (TXT) (PDF)
  • Hispanic workers by detailed ethnic group, sex, and major occupation (TXT) (PDF)
  • Employment by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic ethnicity (TXT) (PDF)
  • Employment by detailed industry, race, and Hispanic ethnicity (TXT) (PDF)
• Charts:
  • Charting the U.S. labor market in 2006
  • Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics in the civilian labor force: a visual essay (June 2004) (PDF)
• Report: Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity, 2007 (PDF)

School enrollment

Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for youth ages 16 to 24 by school enrollment status.

• News release: College enrollment and work activity of high school graduates (HTML) (PDF) (Archives)
• Monthly table: Employment status by school enrollment, sex, race, and Hispanic ethnicity (TXT) (PDF)
• Article: Youth enrollment and employment during the school year (February 2008)
  (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)

Veterans

Labor force, employment, unemployment statistics for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces by period of service and service-connected disability.

• News release: Employment Situation of Veterans (HTML) (PDF) (Archives)
• Charts: Employment characteristics of Gulf War-era II veterans in 2006: a visual essay (PDF)



• Revised Data from the August 1995 Vietnam Veterans Survey

Volunteering

Statistics on persons who volunteer through or for an organization.

• News release: Volunteering in the United States (HTML) (PDF) (Archives)
• Charts: Volunteering in the United States, 2005: a visual essay (PDF)
• Article: Volunteerism in the United States (August 2003) (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)

Women

Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for women.

• Database: Retrieve historical data series
  
• Annual tables:
  • Employment by detailed occupation and sex (TXT) (PDF)
  • Employment by detailed industry and sex (TXT) (PDF)
• Annual report: Women in the labor force: a databook

  HTML	2008 edition	2007 edition	2006 edition	2005 edition	2004 edition
  PDF	2008 edition	2007 edition	2006 edition	2005 edition	2004 edition

  
  
• Annual report: Highlights of women's earnings

  PDF

  2007

  2006

  2005

  2004

  2003

  2002

  2001

  2000

  1999

  1998

  
  
• Charts:
  • Charting the U.S. labor market in 2006
  • Women at work: a visual essay (October 2003) (PDF)
• Article: Women still underrepresented among highest earners (March 2006) (PDF)
• Article: The labor force experience of women from 'Generation X' (March 2002)
  (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)

Youth

Labor force, employment, and unemployment statistics for youth ages 16 to 24. See also Age and School Enrollment.

• News release: Summer employment and unemployment among youth (HTML) (PDF) (Archives)
• News release: College enrollment and work activity of high school graduates (HTML) (PDF) (Archives)
• Article: Youth enrollment and employment during the school year (February 2008)
  (Abstract) (Excerpt) (PDF)
• Article: Declining teen labor force participation (September 2002) (PDF)
• Report on the Youth Labor Force (November 2000)

Last Modified Date: December 19, 2008