U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Longitudinal Surveys
NLSY79 Overview
The NLSY is a nationally representative sample of 12,686 young men and young women who where 14 to 22 years of age when they were first surveyed in 1979. During the years since that first interview, these young people have finished their schooling, moved out of their parental homes, made decisions on continuing education and training, entered the labor market, served in the military, and married and started families of their own. Data collected during the yearly surveys of the NLSY chronicle these changes and provide researchers a unique opportunity to study in detail the life course experiences of a large group of young adults who can be considered representative of all American men and women born in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The NLSY sampling design enables researches to study in detail the longitudinal experiences of not only this particular age group of young Americans but to analyze the disparate life course experiences of such groups as women, Hispanics, blacks, and the economically disadvantaged. The NLSY is comprised of three subsamples:
- A cross-sectional sample of 6,111 youth designed to be representative of the non institutionalized civilian segment of young people living in the U.S. in 1979 and born between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1964;
- A supplemental sample of 5,295 youth designed to oversample civilian Hispanic, black, and economically disadvantaged white youth living in the U.S. in 1979 and born between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1964;
- A sample of 1,280 youth designed to represent the population born between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1961 (who were aged 17-21 as of January 1, 1979) and who were enlisted in the four branches of the military as of September 30, 1978.
Last Modified Date: October 16, 2001