American Community Survey Briefs

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

Labor Force Participation Rate for 

Selected Age Groups: 2008 and 

2009

The recent economic downturn has 

aff ected the labor force participation of men and women of all ages 

and education levels.1 Recent college graduates have had diffi culty 

obtaining jobs,2 while older workers 

are returning to work or continuing to work in order to bolster their 

diminished retirement savings.3 

Some younger workers may enroll 

in school or stay in school due to 

diminished job prospects, while others may end their job search out of 

frustration.4 The recession has also 

had an impact on workers in the 

prime working age group of 25 to 

54, particularly for men and especially for those with less education. 

The largest job losses have been in 

male-dominated industries such as 

construction and manufacturing, 

whereas female-dominated industries such as healthcare have fared 

relatively better over the course of 

the recession.5 As a result of men 

bearing the brunt of the job losses, 

women are entering the labor force 

to supplement family income when 

their spouses have either lost their 

jobs or have had their work hours

reduced.6 Consequently, workers 

1 Hipple, Steven F., “The Labor Market in 

2009: Recession Drags On,” Monthly Labor 

Review, March 2010, Vol. 133, No. 3, pp. 3–22. 2 Hipple, 2010.

3 See Bureau of Labor Statistics, Issues in 

Labor Statistics, March 2010, at <www.bls.gov

/opub/ils/pdf/opbils81.pdf>. 4 Hipple, 2010.

5 Hipple, 2010.

6 See Greenhouse, Steven, “Recession Drives 

Women Back to the Work Force,” New York Times, 

September 19, 2009, at <www.nytimes.com 

/2009/09/19/business/19women.html>.

Issued October 2010

ACSBR/09-9

By

David J. Howard Labor force participation rate: The 

labor force participation rate represents the 

proportion of the population that is in the 

labor force. For example, if there are 100 

people in the population 16 years and over, 

and 64 of them are in the labor force, then 

the labor force participation rate for the 

population 16 years and over would be 64 

percent.

Civilian labor force: Consists of people 

classifi ed as employed or unemployed.

Labor force: All people classifi ed in the 

civilian labor force plus members of the 

U.S. Armed Forces (people on active duty 

with the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine 

Corps, or Coast Guard).

Employed: This category includes all 

civilians 16 years old and over who either 

(1) were “at work,” that is, those who did 

any work at all during the reference week 

as paid employees, worked in their own 

business or profession, worked on their 

own farm, or worked 15 hours or more 

as unpaid workers on a family farm or in 

a family business; or (2) were “with a job 

but not at work,” that is, those who did 

not work during the reference week but 

had jobs or businesses from which they 

were temporarily absent due to illness, bad 

weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or 

other personal reasons. Excluded from the 

employed are people whose only activity consisted of work around the house 

or unpaid volunteer work for religious, 

charitable, and similar organizations; also 

excluded are all institutionalized people 

and people on active duty in the U.S. 

Armed Forces.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

of all ages and education levels 

will be competing for jobs within a 

smaller job market pool.

For men aged 16 to 24, the 

national labor force participation rate decreased 2.3 percentage points from 61.5 percent in 

2008 to 59.2 percent in 2009. For 

women this age, the national labor 

force participation rate decreased 

1.7 percentage points from 60.4 

percent to 58.7 percent. For these 

men and women, the drop in labor 

force participation rate was related 

both to discouraged workers dropping out of the labor force7 and to 

an increase in school enrollment 

rates. Between 2008 and 2009, 

school enrollment increased nationally for this age group from 60.1 

7 See Bureau of Labor Statistics, Issues in 

Labor Statistics, April 2009, at <www.bls

.gov/opub/ils/pdf/opbils74.pdf>.

percent to 60.6 percent.8 Of the 

ten states that had an increase in 

school enrollment between 2008 

and 2009, six had decreases in 

labor force participation (see Table 

1).

There were 20 states for which the 

labor force participation rate for 

men aged 16 to 24 and for women 

aged 16 to 24 did not change from 

2008 to 2009 (see map). For 12 

states and the District of Columbia, 

the male labor force participation 

rate decreased while the female 

rate did not change. There were 

fi ve states (Indiana, Kentucky, 

Minnesota, New Jersey, and 

Oklahoma) that experienced a 

decrease in labor force participation rate for women and not for 

8 U.S. Census Bureau, American 

Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009. College enrollment rates for 18 to 24 year olds 

increased from 38.6 percent in 2008 to 39.5 

percent in 2009 (author’s tabulations).

men. There were 12 states that 

had a decrease in the labor force 

participation rates for men and for 

women. 

Vermont was the only state with an 

increase in male labor force participation rate; its rate for women did 

not change. 

For men aged 25 to 54, the 

national labor force participation 

rate decreased from 88.5 percent 

in 2008 to 87.9 percent in 2009, 

while women in this group experienced an increase from 77.0 

percent to 77.1 percent. The drop 

in the male labor force participation rate for this age group was 

related to large job losses in 

male-dominated industries, such as 

construction and manufacturing, 

and the subsequent withdrawal of 

men in these industries from the 

labor force. This, in turn, may have 

MT

AK

NM

HI

OR MN

KS

SD

WA

FL

IL IN

WI NY

IA PA

ME

MA

CT 

AZ

NV

TX

CO

ND

MI

OH

MO

CA

WY

UT

ID

NE

OK

AL GA

AR

NC

MS

LA

TN

KY VA

SC

WV

RI 

DE 

MD 

DC 

NJ 

Labor Force Participation Rate Change by State: 2008 to 2009; 

Men and Women Aged 16 to 24

VT NH

United States = Decrease in labor 

 force participation 

 rates for men and

 for women

Difference in labor force 

participation rate

Decrease for men only

Decrease for women only

Decrease for men and women

No change for men or women

Increase for men; no change 

for women

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009, Puerto Rico Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009. 

PR
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table 1.

Percent Change in Labor 

Force Participation Rate 

and School Enrollment 

Rate From 2008 to 2009 for 

Those Aged 16 to 24

State

Change in 

labor force 

participation 

rate

Change in 

school 

enrollment 

rate

Arizona –2.65 1.75

California –2.56 1.10

Florida –2.36 1.81

Georgia –2.33 1.56

Maryland –2.28 1.81

Virginia –3.01 1.67

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American 

Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009.

WHAT IS THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY?

The American Community Survey (ACS) is a nationwide survey 

designed to provide communities with reliable and timely 

demographic, social, economic, and housing data for the nation, 

states, congressional districts, counties, places, and other localities 

every year. It has an annual sample size of about 3 million addresses 

across the United States and Puerto Rico and includes both housing 

units and group quarters (e.g., nursing facilities and prisons). 

The ACS is conducted in every county throughout the nation, and 

every municipio in Puerto Rico, where it is called the Puerto Rico 

Community Survey. Beginning in 2006, ACS data for 2005 were 

released for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 and greater. 

For information on the ACS sample design and other topics, visit 

<www.census.gov/acs/www>.

contributed to the rise in women 

this age entering or returning to 

the labor force to off set losses in 

household income after, for example, a husband’s job loss or reduction in hours worked.9 Women 

also faced better job prospects as 

a result of possessing education 

levels, such as advanced degrees, 

required to attain and hold on to 

jobs in today’s evolving economy.

For men 55 years and older, the 

national labor force participation 

rate remained unchanged (at 45.2 

percent) from 2008 to 2009, while 

the rate for women increased from 

32.8 percent to 33.2 percent.10 

These results were partly related to 

older workers staying at their existing jobs longer, or returning to the 

work force, or both. 

9 See Woodring (2010), “Employment 

Status of Married-Couple Families by Presence 

of Own Children Under 18 Years: 2008 and 

2009” at <www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs

/acsbr09-10.pdf>, and Greenhouse, Steven, 

“Recession Drives Women Back to the Work 

Force,” New York Times, September 19, 2009, 

at <www.nytimes.com/2009/09/19

/business/19women.html>.

SOURCE AND ACCURACY

Data presented in this report are 

based on people and households 

that responded to the ACS in 2008 

and 2009. The resulting estimates 

are representative of the entire 

population. All comparisons presented in this report have taken 

sampling error into account and are 

signifi cant at the 90 percent confi -

dence level unless otherwise noted. 

10 See Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010–11 Edition 

at <www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm>, and 

McQueen, M. P., “Better Education Shields 

Women from Worst of Job Cuts,” Wall Street 

Journal, February 12, 2010, at <online.wsj

.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB1000142405274

8703389004575033762482114190.html>.

Due to rounding, some details may 

not sum to totals. For information 

on sampling and estimation methods, confi dentiality protection, and 

sampling and nonsampling errors, 

please see the “2009 ACS Accuracy 

of the Data” document located at 

<www.census.gov/acs

/www/Downloads/data

_documentation/Accuracy/ACS

_Accuracy_of_Data_2009.pdf>. 
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2. 

Labor Force Participation Rate by State and Age: 2008 and 2009; Men Only

(In percent)

Area

2008 2009 Change from 2008 to 2009

16 to 24 25 to 54 55 and 

older 16 to 24 25 to 54 55 and older 16 to 24 25 to 54 55 and older

Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E.

 United States . . . 61.5 0.2 88.5 0.1 45.2 0.1 59.2 0.2 87.9 0.1 45.2 0.1 *–2.3 0.3 *–0.6 0.1 – 0.2

Alabama . . . . . . . . . 61.2 1.8 85.3 0.6 40.8 0.9 58.5 1.6 84.8 0.6 40.8 0.8 *–2.7 2.4 –0.5 0.8 – 1.2

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . 71.0 3.1 88.3 1.5 54.6 2.6 63.9 4.0 87.8 1.4 54.6 2.1 *–7.1 5.1 –0.5 2.1 – 3.4

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . 63.7 1.4 87.4 0.5 39.9 0.8 59.8 1.3 86.0 0.6 39.8 0.8 *–3.9 1.9 *–1.4 0.8 –0.2 1.2

Arkansas . . . . . . . . . 63.2 2.0 84.0 0.9 38.5 1.0 61.7 2.4 84.3 0.8 39.7 1.1 –1.5 3.1 0.3 1.2 1.2 1.5

California . . . . . . . . . 58.4 0.5 88.5 0.2 45.9 0.4 55.4 0.5 88.1 0.2 46.4 0.4 *–3.0 0.7 *–0.4 0.3 *0.6 0.5

Colorado . . . . . . . . . 68.4 1.2 91.2 0.5 51.2 0.9 65.9 1.2 89.7 0.5 51.1 0.8 *–2.5 1.7 *–1.5 0.7 –0.1 1.2

Connecticut . . . . . . . 63.0 1.9 90.4 0.5 51.6 1.0 59.6 1.7 90.4 0.6 52.0 0.9 *–3.4 2.6 – 0.7 0.3 1.4

Delaware . . . . . . . . . 62.9 3.4 89.3 1.1 43.1 1.8 59.1 3.8 89.0 1.2 43.9 2.0 –3.8 5.1 –0.3 1.6 0.7 2.7

District of Columbia . . 50.2 4.2 88.0 1.8 45.9 3.3 42.2 4.6 87.4 1.6 49.8 3.1 *–8.0 6.2 –0.6 2.4 3.9 4.5

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . 60.4 0.8 87.5 0.3 38.6 0.4 57.8 0.8 87.0 0.4 38.8 0.4 *–2.6 1.1 *–0.5 0.5 0.3 0.6

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . 57.7 1.0 87.8 0.5 47.7 0.7 54.7 1.2 86.7 0.5 45.7 0.8 *–3.0 1.6 *–1.1 0.7 *–2.0 1.1

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . 62.4 2.9 89.4 1.1 46.5 1.5 60.5 2.9 89.7 1.1 47.3 1.2 –1.9 4.1 0.3 1.5 0.8 1.9

Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.5 2.7 92.0 1.0 43.8 1.4 65.7 2.9 88.6 0.9 43.3 1.2 –1.8 3.9 *–3.4 1.3 –0.5 1.9

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.3 1.0 89.9 0.3 46.9 0.5 60.5 1.0 89.3 0.4 47.2 0.5 *–1.8 1.4 *–0.6 0.5 0.3 0.7

Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . 62.5 1.2 88.9 0.4 46.1 0.6 60.9 1.4 88.4 0.5 46.1 0.7 –1.7 1.8 –0.5 0.6 0.1 0.9

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.1 1.4 91.8 0.5 49.3 0.7 68.9 2.0 91.5 0.6 48.4 0.8 *–3.2 2.4 –0.3 0.8 –0.9 1.1

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . 71.2 1.6 91.2 0.5 50.9 1.0 66.8 1.9 89.8 0.6 49.5 0.9 *–4.4 2.4 *–1.4 0.8 *–1.3 1.3

Kentucky . . . . . . . . . 63.0 1.5 82.7 0.6 37.8 0.9 61.2 1.5 83.0 0.6 39.4 0.9 –1.8 2.1 0.3 0.9 *1.5 1.2

Louisiana . . . . . . . . . 60.0 2.0 84.0 0.6 43.1 1.1 59.2 1.7 84.9 0.7 43.7 1.0 –0.8 2.6 0.9 1.0 0.6 1.5

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.0 2.5 87.9 1.0 45.1 1.3 64.6 2.4 87.9 0.9 44.8 1.3 1.5 3.5 – 1.4 –0.3 1.8

Maryland . . . . . . . . . 62.3 1.4 90.5 0.5 52.4 0.8 59.4 1.7 89.8 0.5 52.9 1.0 *–2.9 2.2 *–0.7 0.7 0.4 1.3

Massachusetts . . . . . 62.7 1.2 89.8 0.5 49.6 0.9 59.2 1.2 89.7 0.5 49.9 0.7 *–3.4 1.7 –0.2 0.6 0.3 1.2

Michigan . . . . . . . . . 61.5 0.9 86.4 0.4 39.7 0.5 59.6 1.1 85.5 0.5 39.3 0.5 *–1.9 1.5 *–0.9 0.6 –0.4 0.8

Minnesota . . . . . . . . 68.8 1.5 92.9 0.4 48.9 0.7 68.4 1.1 92.3 0.4 47.7 0.6 –0.4 1.8 *–0.7 0.5 *–1.2 1.0

Mississippi . . . . . . . . 55.2 2.1 83.6 0.9 40.7 1.3 52.3 2.2 81.6 0.9 40.1 1.3 –2.9 3.1 *–2.0 1.3 –0.7 1.9

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . 65.5 1.2 88.5 0.5 43.6 0.8 63.1 1.2 87.1 0.6 43.6 0.7 *–2.4 1.7 *–1.4 0.7 – 1.1

Montana . . . . . . . . . . 65.7 3.6 88.7 1.0 45.7 1.8 62.1 4.0 86.4 1.2 46.0 1.7 –3.6 5.3 *–2.3 1.6 0.3 2.5

Nebraska . . . . . . . . . 73.0 2.0 92.6 0.7 52.6 1.2 70.7 1.9 91.9 0.8 51.8 1.2 –2.3 2.8 –0.6 1.0 –0.7 1.7

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . 65.0 2.2 91.0 0.8 47.1 1.3 63.7 1.9 91.0 0.7 47.6 1.3 –1.4 2.8 – 1.0 0.5 1.9

New Hampshire . . . . 66.8 2.5 92.8 0.8 51.6 1.8 65.0 2.7 91.1 0.9 52.5 1.4 –1.9 3.7 *–1.7 1.3 1.0 2.3

New Jersey . . . . . . . 57.7 1.1 91.1 0.4 49.9 0.7 56.8 1.2 90.7 0.3 50.3 0.7 –0.9 1.7 –0.4 0.5 0.4 1.0

New Mexico . . . . . . . 60.4 2.5 84.2 1.1 41.7 1.4 60.3 2.7 84.1 1.2 41.7 1.4 –0.1 3.7 –0.1 1.6 –0.1 2.0

New York . . . . . . . . . 54.2 0.8 87.8 0.3 44.9 0.5 51.4 0.7 87.6 0.3 45.4 0.4 *–2.8 1.0 –0.3 0.5 0.5 0.6

North Carolina . . . . . 62.1 1.3 88.2 0.4 44.8 0.6 59.4 1.2 87.9 0.4 43.5 0.5 *–2.6 1.8 –0.3 0.6 *–1.3 0.8

North Dakota . . . . . . 73.8 2.5 92.5 0.9 48.2 1.8 66.3 3.1 93.0 0.9 48.2 1.5 *–7.5 4.0 0.5 1.3 – 2.4

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.0 0.8 88.3 0.4 43.9 0.5 60.4 1.1 87.2 0.3 43.5 0.5 *–3.6 1.3 *–1.1 0.5 –0.5 0.7

Oklahoma . . . . . . . . 64.6 1.8 85.7 0.7 44.5 1.0 62.7 1.6 85.5 0.7 43.3 0.9 –1.9 2.4 –0.2 1.0 –1.1 1.3

Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . 61.5 1.9 88.8 0.6 43.1 0.9 61.3 1.8 88.0 0.7 42.5 1.0 –0.2 2.6 –0.8 0.9 –0.6 1.4

Pennsylvania . . . . . . 58.7 1.0 88.1 0.3 44.0 0.5 57.7 1.0 87.4 0.3 45.0 0.4 –1.0 1.4 *–0.6 0.4 *1.0 0.7

Rhode Island . . . . . . 62.7 3.2 87.1 1.2 48.5 1.7 61.4 3.0 88.4 1.3 48.6 1.9 –1.4 4.4 1.3 1.8 0.1 2.5

South Carolina . . . . . 58.0 1.5 86.0 0.6 42.7 0.9 56.8 1.9 85.3 0.5 42.1 0.9 –1.2 2.5 –0.7 0.8 –0.5 1.2

South Dakota . . . . . . 71.4 3.4 90.0 1.1 50.9 1.5 68.6 4.2 91.0 1.1 48.3 2.0 –2.8 5.4 1.0 1.6 *–2.5 2.5

Tennessee . . . . . . . . 62.3 1.3 87.2 0.4 44.2 0.7 60.4 1.2 86.2 0.5 42.3 0.9 *–1.8 1.8 *–1.0 0.7 *–1.9 1.1

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2 0.7 89.1 0.2 48.3 0.5 59.6 0.7 88.2 0.3 48.6 0.4 *–2.6 1.0 *–0.9 0.3 0.3 0.6

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.7 2.1 92.4 0.5 48.4 1.3 70.6 1.9 92.1 0.6 49.1 1.4 –0.2 2.8 –0.3 0.8 0.6 1.9

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . 60.2 3.1 92.0 1.1 52.3 1.6 66.1 2.8 89.9 1.1 50.7 1.6 *5.9 4.2 *–2.1 1.5 –1.6 2.2

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . 61.5 1.2 89.2 0.4 49.3 0.7 59.1 1.4 88.7 0.4 49.0 0.7 *–2.4 1.8 –0.5 0.6 –0.3 1.0

Washington . . . . . . . 62.5 1.3 89.2 0.4 45.7 0.7 59.2 1.4 88.4 0.4 45.5 0.7 *–3.2 1.9 *–0.9 0.6 –0.1 1.0

West Virginia . . . . . . 56.8 2.3 82.0 1.0 34.0 1.3 57.2 2.6 81.7 0.9 35.4 1.3 0.5 3.4 –0.3 1.4 1.4 1.8

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . 69.4 1.1 91.0 0.4 45.6 0.7 67.5 1.3 90.0 0.4 46.4 0.6 *–1.9 1.7 *–0.9 0.5 0.9 0.9

Wyoming . . . . . . . . . 69.8 4.0 93.2 1.1 52.3 2.3 70.7 4.1 92.1 1.2 51.1 2.5 0.9 5.7 –1.1 1.6 –1.2 3.4

Puerto Rico . . . . . . . 41.4 1.3 74.3 0.8 26.4 0.8 40.5 1.3 75.2 1.0 25.4 0.9 –0.9 1.8 0.9 1.3 –1.0 1.2

* Statistically different at the 90 percent confi dence level.

– Represents or rounds to zero.

1

Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error in 

relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent confi -

dence interval.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009, Puerto Rico Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

Table 3. 

Labor Force Participation Rate by State and Age: 2008 and 2009; Women Only

(In percent)

Area

2008 2009 Change from 2008 to 2009

16 to 24 25 to 54 55 and 

older 16 to 24 25 to 54 55 and older 16 to 24 25 to 54 55 and older

Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E. Rate M.O.E.

 United States . . . 60.4 0.2 77.0 0.1 32.8 0.1 58.7 0.2 77.1 0.1 33.2 0.1 *–1.7 0.3 *0.1 0.1 *0.4 0.1

Alabama . . . . . . . . . . 55.5 1.5 73.9 0.7 27.2 0.7 54.9 2.0 73.3 0.8 28.2 0.7 –0.6 2.5 –0.7 1.1 *1.0 1.0

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.6 4.3 78.2 1.8 46.0 2.3 60.4 4.4 77.6 1.6 46.0 2.8 –5.2 6.1 –0.7 2.4 – 3.6

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . 58.7 1.5 73.8 0.8 30.0 0.7 57.4 1.6 73.5 0.8 29.3 0.8 –1.4 2.2 –0.3 1.1 –0.8 1.1

Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . 58.1 2.2 74.6 0.8 28.9 0.9 57.0 2.3 74.1 1.0 28.8 0.9 –1.1 3.2 –0.5 1.3 –0.1 1.3

California . . . . . . . . . . 55.4 0.6 73.6 0.3 32.2 0.3 53.3 0.5 74.6 0.2 33.6 0.3 *–2.1 0.8 *1.0 0.4 *1.4 0.4

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . 63.5 1.6 78.7 0.7 37.3 0.7 62.6 1.5 78.3 0.6 38.1 0.8 –0.9 2.2 –0.4 1.0 0.8 1.1

Connecticut . . . . . . . . 65.8 1.9 79.6 0.7 37.1 0.7 62.9 1.6 80.9 0.7 38.4 0.8 *–2.9 2.5 *1.3 1.0 *1.3 1.1

Delaware . . . . . . . . . . 61.1 4.1 80.4 1.4 32.7 1.7 61.5 3.8 80.0 1.5 34.3 1.7 0.4 5.6 –0.4 2.1 1.6 2.4

District of Columbia . . 52.1 4.3 84.2 1.7 39.1 2.7 46.9 4.2 82.0 1.8 39.9 1.9 –5.3 6.0 –2.3 2.5 0.8 3.3

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.1 0.9 77.6 0.4 29.1 0.4 57.1 1.0 77.9 0.4 28.9 0.4 *–2.1 1.4 0.3 0.5 –0.2 0.5

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . 54.6 1.1 76.6 0.6 33.9 0.6 53.0 1.4 76.8 0.5 32.8 0.7 –1.6 1.8 0.2 0.8 *–1.0 1.0

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.9 3.2 80.1 1.4 35.5 1.3 56.4 3.6 79.7 1.5 36.2 1.3 –1.5 4.8 –0.4 2.0 0.7 1.8

Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.7 2.9 73.5 1.5 33.2 1.3 61.4 2.6 74.1 1.3 33.5 1.2 –3.3 3.8 0.7 2.0 0.3 1.8

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.5 1.0 78.2 0.3 34.7 0.4 60.0 1.0 78.7 0.4 34.2 0.5 *–1.4 1.4 *0.5 0.5 –0.5 0.6

Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.4 1.3 78.4 0.6 33.4 0.6 60.7 1.4 77.8 0.6 33.8 0.6 *–2.8 1.9 –0.6 0.8 0.4 0.9

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.5 1.3 83.9 0.7 35.8 0.7 71.3 1.4 84.1 0.9 36.4 0.7 *–2.1 1.9 0.3 1.1 0.6 1.0

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.6 1.6 80.7 0.8 36.6 0.8 65.8 2.3 80.6 0.8 36.1 0.8 *–4.7 2.8 –0.1 1.1 –0.5 1.1

Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . 60.2 1.8 72.7 0.8 27.5 0.7 57.5 1.8 72.3 0.8 29.0 0.6 *–2.7 2.5 –0.4 1.1 *1.4 0.9

Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . 56.3 2.0 73.1 0.9 29.4 0.8 57.9 2.0 74.3 0.7 29.5 0.9 1.6 2.8 *1.2 1.2 0.1 1.2

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.4 3.2 80.5 1.2 34.7 1.2 66.9 2.4 79.9 1.1 33.7 1.1 1.5 4.0 –0.6 1.6 –1.0 1.6

Maryland . . . . . . . . . . 63.7 1.4 82.8 0.6 38.1 0.5 62.1 1.4 82.4 0.6 39.0 0.7 –1.7 2.0 –0.4 0.9 *0.9 0.9

Massachusetts . . . . . . 64.8 1.2 81.0 0.6 37.4 0.6 62.3 1.5 81.5 0.5 37.6 0.6 *–2.5 1.9 0.5 0.8 0.2 0.8

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . 62.7 0.9 77.1 0.4 30.0 0.4 62.7 1.1 77.3 0.5 30.1 0.4 – 1.5 0.2 0.6 – 0.6

Minnesota . . . . . . . . . 72.3 1.3 84.8 0.4 37.2 0.6 69.8 1.0 84.3 0.5 37.3 0.5 *–2.5 1.6 –0.5 0.6 0.1 0.8

Mississippi . . . . . . . . . 53.1 2.3 74.1 1.0 28.3 1.0 53.7 1.9 73.6 1.1 27.9 1.1 0.7 3.0 –0.5 1.5 –0.4 1.5

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . 66.1 1.3 79.1 0.6 32.8 0.6 65.7 1.1 78.1 0.7 33.2 0.7 –0.4 1.7 *–1.0 0.9 0.4 0.9

Montana . . . . . . . . . . . 65.6 3.5 79.1 1.6 35.1 1.4 64.4 3.4 80.2 1.5 34.9 1.4 –1.1 4.9 1.1 2.2 –0.2 2.0

Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . 73.7 1.9 83.8 0.9 37.8 0.8 73.7 2.3 83.0 0.9 38.6 0.9 –0.1 3.0 –0.8 1.3 0.8 1.3

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . 61.4 2.4 77.3 0.8 37.7 1.3 59.0 2.4 77.1 1.0 37.1 1.1 –2.4 3.4 –0.2 1.3 –0.6 1.7

New Hampshire . . . . . 68.8 2.3 82.2 1.1 38.3 1.2 68.1 2.1 82.8 1.2 39.7 1.5 –0.7 3.2 0.6 1.7 1.4 1.9

New Jersey . . . . . . . . 59.9 1.2 78.6 0.5 36.1 0.5 57.8 1.1 78.3 0.5 36.5 0.6 *–2.1 1.6 –0.2 0.7 0.4 0.8

New Mexico . . . . . . . . 60.5 2.8 74.8 1.3 31.9 1.3 56.8 2.7 74.4 1.3 32.5 1.4 –3.6 3.9 –0.3 1.8 0.6 1.9

New York . . . . . . . . . . 56.4 0.8 77.5 0.3 32.6 0.4 53.5 0.9 77.3 0.4 34.0 0.4 *–2.8 1.2 –0.3 0.5 *1.4 0.5

North Carolina . . . . . . 59.4 1.2 77.6 0.4 32.8 0.6 55.5 1.1 77.1 0.5 32.2 0.5 *–3.9 1.6 –0.5 0.7 –0.6 0.7

North Dakota . . . . . . . 72.3 2.8 84.7 1.3 36.3 1.4 70.8 3.0 86.0 1.2 35.5 1.6 –1.5 4.1 1.3 1.8 –0.8 2.1

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.2 0.9 78.9 0.5 32.1 0.5 64.3 0.9 78.3 0.4 32.8 0.5 –0.9 1.3 –0.5 0.6 *0.7 0.7

Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . 60.7 1.8 74.6 0.8 31.8 0.9 57.7 1.8 73.6 0.9 31.4 0.8 *–3.0 2.6 –1.0 1.2 –0.5 1.2

Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.6 1.7 77.1 0.8 32.3 0.7 62.1 1.7 78.4 1.0 33.0 0.9 –1.6 2.4 *1.3 1.2 0.7 1.1

Pennsylvania . . . . . . . 60.8 1.1 78.1 0.4 31.3 0.4 59.5 0.9 78.3 0.5 31.7 0.4 –1.3 1.4 0.2 0.6 0.5 0.5

Rhode Island . . . . . . . 61.2 3.8 80.8 1.4 34.2 1.2 61.6 3.2 81.6 1.4 36.0 1.7 0.5 5.0 0.8 2.0 1.8 2.0

South Carolina . . . . . . 57.9 1.7 75.7 0.8 30.0 0.8 57.3 1.8 77.3 0.7 31.1 0.8 –0.6 2.5 *1.6 1.1 1.0 1.1

South Dakota . . . . . . . 72.1 3.2 85.0 1.6 37.7 1.7 68.1 3.0 84.2 1.5 39.0 1.6 –4.0 4.4 –0.8 2.2 1.3 2.4

Tennessee . . . . . . . . . 60.9 1.4 74.7 0.6 31.2 0.7 56.9 1.2 75.1 0.8 30.7 0.6 *–4.0 1.9 0.4 1.0 –0.4 0.9

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.5 0.7 72.9 0.4 32.7 0.4 55.6 0.7 73.8 0.3 32.9 0.4 0.1 1.0 *0.9 0.5 0.2 0.5

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.0 1.7 70.5 1.0 33.7 1.1 69.7 1.8 70.9 1.1 34.7 1.0 –2.3 2.5 0.4 1.4 1.1 1.5

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . 66.3 3.1 84.0 1.7 41.2 1.7 65.1 3.2 83.2 1.3 39.8 1.8 –1.2 4.5 –0.8 2.1 –1.4 2.5

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.6 1.2 79.0 0.4 35.3 0.6 58.0 1.5 78.5 0.5 35.6 0.6 *–3.6 1.9 –0.4 0.7 0.3 0.8

Washington . . . . . . . . 62.2 1.1 76.1 0.6 34.0 0.6 61.1 1.2 76.0 0.5 35.6 0.7 –1.1 1.6 – 0.8 *1.5 0.9

West Virginia . . . . . . . 52.4 2.6 69.8 1.1 25.9 1.0 52.2 3.2 68.0 1.1 26.6 1.0 –0.2 4.1 *–1.8 1.5 0.6 1.4

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . 73.0 1.1 83.7 0.5 34.8 0.5 70.7 1.1 83.5 0.5 36.0 0.5 *–2.4 1.6 –0.2 0.7 *1.2 0.7

Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . 64.1 3.8 78.8 2.0 41.1 2.4 64.2 3.9 79.3 1.8 39.5 2.3 0.2 5.4 0.5 2.7 –1.5 3.3

Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . 33.3 1.5 62.0 0.8 13.8 0.6 34.1 1.5 63.6 0.9 13.6 0.6 0.8 2.1 *1.6 1.2 –0.2 0.8

* Statistically different at the 90 percent confi dence level.

– Represents or rounds to zero.

1

Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error in 

relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent confi -

dence interval.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009, Puerto Rico Community Surveys, 2008 and 2009.