Table 3.  Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor 
force from age 18 to age 44 in 1978-2008 by educational attainment, sex, race, and 
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

                                                Percent of total weeks while ages 18 to 44
         Characteristic                                        in 1978-2008
         
                                                  Employed     Unemployed     Not in 
                                                                            labor Force

Total, ages 18 to 44 in 1978-2008 ............      77.2          4.4          17.6
  Less than a high school diploma ............      59.9          8.1          30.9
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......      77.8          4.9          16.6
  Some college or associate degree ...........      79.8          4.0          15.4
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2)............      82.3          2.5          14.7

Men ..........................................      83.8          4.9          10.5
  Less than a high school diploma ............      69.4          9.3          20.1
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......      86.1          5.2           8.0
  Some college or associate degree ...........      86.7          4.2           8.3
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........      86.4          2.6          10.5

Women ........................................      70.3          4.0          25.0
  Less than a high school diploma ............      45.9          6.5          46.8
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......      68.9          4.6          25.8
  Some college or associate degree ...........      73.9          3.8          21.4
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........      78.2          2.3          18.9

White non-Hispanic ...........................      79.3          3.7          16.3
  Less than a high school diploma ............      63.9          7.4          27.6
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......      80.2          4.1          15.1
  Some college or associate degree ...........      81.1          3.2          14.8
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........      82.4          2.3          14.8

Black non-Hispanic ...........................      68.7          8.2          22.2
  Less than a high school diploma ............      47.2         11.5          40.6
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......      68.3          9.0          21.7
  Some college or associate degree ...........      74.7          7.3          17.2
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........      82.0          4.0          13.1

Hispanic  or Latino ..........................      71.9          5.4          21.8
  Less than a high school diploma ............      59.4          7.9          31.5
  High school graduates, no college (1) ......      74.4          5.2          19.6
  Some college or associate degree ...........      78.3          4.1          16.4
  Bachelor's degree and higher (2) ...........      79.8          2.9          16.6

   1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
   2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, or doctoral degrees.
   NOTE: This table excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978, or who 
had not yet turned age 45 when interviewed in 2008-09. Totals do not add to 100 percent
due to a small number of respondents whose employment status cannot be determined for all
weeks. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were
born in the years 1957-64 and were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979. These 
individuals were ages 43 to 52 in 2008-09. Educational attainment is defined as of the 
2008-09 survey. 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.