For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, April 22, 2016 USDL-16-0795 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 • cpsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cps

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES — 2015

In 2015, 6.9 percent of families included an unemployed person, down from 8.0 percent in 2014, the 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Of the nation’s 81.4 million families, 80.3 percent had at 

least one employed member in 2015. 

These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are collected as part of the Current 

Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of about 60,000 households. Data in this release are annual 

averages. Families are classified either as married-couple families or as families maintained by women 

or men without spouses present. Unless otherwise noted, families include those without children as well 

as those with children under age 18. For further information, see the Technical Note in this news release.

Families and Unemployment

The number of families with at least one member unemployed decreased by 871,000 to 5.6 million in 

2015, and the proportion of families with an unemployed person declined by 1.1 percentage points to 6.9 

percent. Black and Hispanic families remained more likely to have an unemployed member in 2015 

(12.0 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively) than White or Asian families (6.0 percent and 5.7 percent, 

respectively). (See table 1.)

In 2015, about two-thirds (68.2 percent) of families with an unemployed member also had at least one 

family member who was employed, and 58.8 percent had at least one family member who was 

employed full time. Both measures were about unchanged from 2014. (See table 1.) 

Among married-couple families with an unemployed member, the proportion with at least one employed 

family member was 80.6 percent in 2015. Among families maintained by women (no spouse present) 

with an unemployed member, 48.2 percent also had an employed family member in 2015; for families 

maintained by men (no spouse present), the proportion was 57.0 percent. These proportions were all 

about the same as in the prior year. (See table 3.)

Families and Employment

In 2015, the share of families with an employed member was 80.3 percent, up by 0.2 percentage point 

from 2014. The likelihood of having an employed family member rose in 2015 for Black families (from 

76.4 percent to 77.7 percent) and for Hispanic families (from 85.9 percent to 86.4 percent). The 

likelihood for White and Asian families showed little or no change (80.1 percent and 88.6 percent, 

respectively). (See table 1.)
- 2 - 

In 2015, families maintained by women with no spouse present remained less likely to have an 

employed member (75.0 percent) than families maintained by men with no spouse present (82.9 percent) 

or married-couple families (81.4 percent). Among married-couple families, both the husband and wife 

were employed in 48.0 percent of families; in 19.8 percent of married-couple families only the husband 

was employed, and in 7.1 percent only the wife was employed. (See table 2.)

Families with Children

In 2015, 34.4 million families included children under age 18, about two-fifths of all families. (Children 

are sons, daughters, step-children, or adopted children living in the household who are under 18 years 

old. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, other related and unrelated children, and children 

not living in the household.) Among families with children, 89.3 percent had at least one employed 

parent in 2015. Among married-couple families with children, 96.7 percent had at least one employed 

parent; both parents worked in 60.6 percent of married-couple families. Among families of other marital 

statuses with children, the mother was employed in 70.8 percent of those maintained by mothers in 

2015, and the father was employed in 82.1 percent of those maintained by fathers. (Other marital status 

refers to persons who never married or are widowed, divorced, separated, or married but living apart 

from their spouse.) (See table 4.)

Parents

The labor force participation rate—the percent of the population working or looking for work—for all 

women with children under age 18 was 69.9 percent in 2015. The participation rate for married mothers 

(67.6 percent) remained lower than the rate for mothers with other marital statuses (74.8 percent). The 

unemployment rate for married mothers was also considerably lower than for mothers with other marital 

statuses—3.3 percent, compared with 8.9 percent. (See table 5.) 

Mothers with younger children are less likely to be in the labor force than mothers with older children. 

In 2015, the labor force participation rate of mothers with children under 6 years old was lower than the 

rate of those whose youngest child was 6 to 17 years old (64.2 percent versus 74.4 percent). The 

participation rate of mothers with infants under a year old was 58.1 percent. Among mothers with 

infants, the participation rates of married mothers and mothers with other marital statuses were little 

different—57.6 percent and 59.1 percent, respectively. However, the unemployment rate of married 

mothers with infants, at 3.2 percent, was substantially lower than the rate for mothers with other marital 

statuses, at 13.9 percent. (See tables 5 and 6.) 

In 2015, 92.7 percent of all men with children under age 18 participated in the labor force. The rate for 

married fathers, at 93.7 percent, continued to be higher than the participation rate of fathers with other 

marital statuses (86.7 percent). Married fathers also continued to have a lower unemployment rate (2.7 

percent) than fathers with other marital statuses (7.4 percent). (See table 5.)
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release are based on annual average 

data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS, 

which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a monthly survey of about 60,000 

eligible households that provides information on the labor 

force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the 

nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. 

The data presented in this release are not strictly 

comparable with data for earlier years due to the introduction 

of updated population estimates, or controls, used in the CPS. 

The population controls are updated each year in January to 

reflect the latest information about population change. 

Additional information is available from the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request: Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339. 

Reliability of the estimates

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling 

and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire 

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample 

estimates may differ from the true population values they 

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies 

depending on the particular sample selected, and this 

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. 

There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, 

that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 

1.6 standard errors from the true population value because of 

sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 

90-percent level of confidence. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing of 

the data. 

Information about the reliability of data from the CPS 

and guidance on estimating standard errors is available at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

Definitions 

Definitions of the principal terms used in this release are 

presented below.

Family. A family is a group of two or more persons 

residing together who are related by birth, marriage, or 

adoption. The count of families is for "primary" families only, 

that is, the householder and all other persons related to and 

residing with the householder. Families are classified either as 

married-couple families or as families maintained by women 

or men without spouses. Families include those without 

children as well as those with children under 18.

Householder. The householder is the family reference 

person. This is the person (or one of the persons) in whose 

name the housing unit is owned or rented. The relationship of 

other individuals in the household is defined in terms of 

relationship to the householder. The race or ethnicity of the 

family is determined by that of the householder. 

Married, spouse present; other marital status. These 

terms denote the marital status of individuals at the time of 

interview. Married, spouse present, refers to husbands and 

wives living together in the same household, even though one 

may be temporarily absent on business, on vacation, on a visit, 

in a hospital, or for other reasons. Other marital status includes 

persons who are never-married; married, spouse absent; 

separated; widowed; or divorced. Separated includes persons 

with legal separations, those living apart with intentions of 

obtaining a divorce, and other people permanently or 

temporarily separated because of marital discord. Married, 

spouse absent, includes married people living apart because 

either the husband or wife was employed and living at a 

considerable distance from home, was serving away from 

home in the Armed Forces, had moved to another area, or had 

a different place of residence for any other reason except 

separation as defined above. 

Children. Data on children refer to own children under 

age 18 that live in the household. Included are sons, daughters, 

step-children, and adopted children of the husband, wife, or 

person maintaining the family. Not included are nieces, 

nephews, grandchildren, other related children, and all 

unrelated children living in the household. 

Employed. Employed persons are all those who, during 

the survey reference week, (a) did any work at all as paid 

employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or on 

their own farm; (c) or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid 

workers in an enterprise operated by a member of the family. 

Persons who were temporarily absent from their jobs because 

of illness, vacation, labor disputes, or another reason also are 

counted as employed.

Unemployed. The unemployed are persons who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available for 

work at that time, and had made specific efforts to find 

employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with 

the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be recalled 

to a job from which they had been laid off need not be looking 

for work to be classified as unemployed. 

Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force comprises 

all persons classified as employed or unemployed. 

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the 

number unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force. 

Labor force participation rate. The labor force 

participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the 

population. 

Employment-population ratio. The employmentpopulation ratio is the employed as a percent of the 

population. 
Table 1. Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2014-2015 annual

averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic 2014 2015

EMPLOYMENT IN FAMILIES

Total families............................................................................................................ 80,889 81,410

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 64,832 65,360

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 80.1 80.3

With at least one family member employed full time1........................................................ 58,762 59,520

With no family member employed................................................................................. 16,057 16,050

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 19.9 19.7

White

Total families............................................................................................................ 64,476 64,663

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 51,661 51,769

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 80.1 80.1

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 46,937 47,225

With no family member employed................................................................................. 12,815 12,894

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 19.9 19.9

Black or African American

Total families............................................................................................................ 9,793 9,854

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 7,481 7,652

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 76.4 77.7

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 6,596 6,792

With no family member employed................................................................................. 2,312 2,202

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 23.6 22.3

Asian

Total families............................................................................................................ 4,374 4,538

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 3,872 4,020

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 88.5 88.6

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 3,614 3,786

With no family member employed................................................................................. 502 518

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 11.5 11.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total families............................................................................................................ 12,178 12,602

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 10,456 10,883

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 85.9 86.4

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 9,429 9,914

With no family member employed................................................................................. 1,722 1,719

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 14.1 13.6

UNEMPLOYMENT IN FAMILIES

Total families............................................................................................................ 80,889 81,410

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 6,486 5,615

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 8.0 6.9

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 4,419 3,831

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 68.1 68.2

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 3,819 3,302

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 58.9 58.8

White

Total families............................................................................................................ 64,476 64,663

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 4,499 3,908

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 7.0 6.0

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 3,195 2,784

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 71.0 71.2

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 2,767 2,408

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 61.5 61.6

Black or African American

Total families............................................................................................................ 9,793 9,854

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 1,376 1,184

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 14.1 12.0

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2014-2015 annual

averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic 2014 2015

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 780 666

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 56.7 56.3

Some family member employed full time1................................................................... 666 558

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 48.4 47.2

Asian

Total families............................................................................................................ 4,374 4,538

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 328 260

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 7.5 5.7

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 262 213

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 79.8 82.1

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 232 191

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 70.9 73.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total families............................................................................................................ 12,178 12,602

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 1,311 1,220

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 10.8 9.7

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 933 864

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 71.1 70.8

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 798 740

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 60.9 60.7

1 Usually work 35 hours or more per week at all jobs.

NOTE: The race or ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the householder, the family reference person in whose name the housing unit is

owned or rented. Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not

presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced

annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type, 2014-2015 annual

averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2014 2015 2014 2015

MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES

Total........................................................................................ 58,806 59,217 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 47,852 48,205 81.4 81.4

Husband only........................................................................ 11,713 11,726 19.9 19.8

Wife only.............................................................................. 4,422 4,209 7.5 7.1

Husband and wife................................................................... 28,042 28,434 47.7 48.0

Other employment combinations.................................................. 3,676 3,837 6.3 6.5

With no family member employed................................................... 10,954 11,012 18.6 18.6

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN1

Total........................................................................................ 15,581 15,693 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 11,585 11,765 74.4 75.0

Householder only.................................................................... 6,368 6,451 40.9 41.1

Householder and other member(s)................................................ 3,059 3,181 19.6 20.3

Other member(s), not householder................................................ 2,159 2,133 13.9 13.6

With no family member employed................................................... 3,995 3,928 25.6 25.0

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN1

Total........................................................................................ 6,502 6,499 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 5,394 5,389 83.0 82.9

Householder only.................................................................... 2,568 2,517 39.5 38.7

Householder and other member(s)................................................ 1,891 1,932 29.1 29.7

Other member(s), not householder................................................ 935 940 14.4 14.5

With no family member employed................................................... 1,108 1,110 17.0 17.1

1 No spouse present.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 3. Unemployment in families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type,

2014-2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2014 2015 2014 2015

MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 3,765 3,292 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 3,028 2,653 80.4 80.6

No family member employed......................................................... 737 639 19.6 19.4

Unemployment of family members

Husband unemployed1

................................................................ 1,398 1,194 37.1 36.3

Wife employed....................................................................... 872 739 23.2 22.5

Wife unemployed, husband employed or not in labor force...................... 1,121 947 29.8 28.8

Husband employed.................................................................. 943 786 25.1 23.9

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 1,246 1,151 33.1 35.0

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN2

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 1,933 1,666 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 936 804 48.4 48.2

No family member employed......................................................... 997 862 51.6 51.8

Unemployment of family members

Householder unemployed............................................................. 892 770 46.2 46.2

Other member(s) employed........................................................ 216 181 11.2 10.8

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 1,040 896 53.8 53.8

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN2

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 789 657 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 455 375 57.7 57.0

No family member employed......................................................... 333 282 42.3 43.0

Unemployment of family members

Householder unemployed............................................................. 446 378 56.5 57.5

Other member(s) employed........................................................ 200 158 25.4 24.1

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 343 280 43.5 42.5

1 Total families with unemployed husbands, including those with unemployed wives.

2 No spouse present.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and family type,

2014-2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2014 2015 2014 2015

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Total families.............................................................................. 34,434 34,363 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 30,545 30,672 88.7 89.3

No parent employed................................................................... 3,889 3,692 11.3 10.7

Married-couple families

Total...................................................................................... 23,330 23,401 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 22,528 22,631 96.6 96.7

Mother employed................................................................. 15,347 15,420 65.8 65.9

Both parents employed........................................................ 14,033 14,174 60.2 60.6

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 1,314 1,246 5.6 5.3

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 7,181 7,211 30.8 30.8

Neither parent employed........................................................... 801 771 3.4 3.3

Families maintained by mother1

Total...................................................................................... 8,589 8,505 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 5,958 6,024 69.4 70.8

Mother not employed................................................................ 2,632 2,481 30.6 29.2

Families maintained by father1

Total...................................................................................... 2,515 2,457 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 2,059 2,017 81.9 82.1

Father not employed................................................................ 456 440 18.1 17.9

WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER

Total families.............................................................................. 19,850 19,774 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 17,768 17,762 89.5 89.8

No parent employed................................................................... 2,082 2,012 10.5 10.2

Married-couple families

Total...................................................................................... 13,239 13,306 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 12,753 12,842 96.3 96.5

Mother employed................................................................. 9,321 9,363 70.4 70.4

Both parents employed........................................................ 8,453 8,565 63.9 64.4

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 868 798 6.6 6.0

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 3,432 3,479 25.9 26.1

Neither parent employed........................................................... 486 464 3.7 3.5

Families maintained by mother1

Total...................................................................................... 5,130 5,080 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 3,811 3,790 74.3 74.6

Mother not employed................................................................ 1,319 1,290 25.7 25.4

Families maintained by father1

Total...................................................................................... 1,481 1,388 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 1,204 1,130 81.3 81.4

Father not employed................................................................ 277 258 18.7 18.6

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS

Total families.............................................................................. 14,584 14,589 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 12,777 12,910 87.6 88.5

No parent employed................................................................... 1,807 1,680 12.4 11.5

Married-couple families

Total...................................................................................... 10,091 10,096 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 9,775 9,789 96.9 97.0

Mother employed................................................................. 6,027 6,057 59.7 60.0

Both parents employed........................................................ 5,580 5,609 55.3 55.6

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 447 448 4.4 4.4

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 3,749 3,732 37.1 37.0

Neither parent employed........................................................... 315 307 3.1 3.0

Families maintained by mother1

Total...................................................................................... 3,460 3,425 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 2,147 2,234 62.1 65.2

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and family type,

2014-2015 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2014 2015 2014 2015

Mother not employed................................................................ 1,313 1,191 37.9 34.8

Families maintained by father1

Total...................................................................................... 1,034 1,069 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 854 887 82.7 83.0

Father not employed................................................................ 179 182 17.3 17.0

1 No spouse present.

NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related

and unrelated children. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January

data.
Table 5. Employment status of the population by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own children

under 18, 2014-2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2014 2015

Total Men Women Total Men Women

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 65,643 29,040 36,602 65,564 29,095 36,469

Civilian labor force.................................................. 52,580 26,939 25,641 52,476 26,978 25,498

Participation rate.................................................. 80.1 92.8 70.1 80.0 92.7 69.9

Employed.......................................................... 49,948 25,899 24,049 50,238 26,079 24,159

Full-time workers1.............................................. 42,727 24,615 18,112 43,250 24,880 18,370

Part-time workers2

............................................. 7,221 1,284 5,937 6,989 1,199 5,790

Employment-population ratio.................................... 76.1 89.2 65.7 76.6 89.6 66.2

Unemployed....................................................... 2,632 1,040 1,592 2,238 899 1,339

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.0 3.9 6.2 4.3 3.3 5.3

Married, spouse present

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 49,739 25,098 24,641 49,822 25,122 24,700

Civilian labor force.................................................. 40,220 23,505 16,715 40,226 23,532 16,694

Participation rate.................................................. 80.9 93.7 67.8 80.7 93.7 67.6

Employed.......................................................... 38,804 22,762 16,042 39,026 22,889 16,137

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 33,773 21,751 12,022 34,148 21,958 12,190

Part-time workers2

............................................. 5,032 1,012 4,020 4,877 931 3,947

Employment-population ratio.................................... 78.0 90.7 65.1 78.3 91.1 65.3

Unemployed....................................................... 1,415 742 673 1,200 643 557

Unemployment rate............................................ 3.5 3.2 4.0 3.0 2.7 3.3

Other marital status3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 15,904 3,943 11,961 15,742 3,973 11,769

Civilian labor force.................................................. 12,360 3,434 8,926 12,250 3,446 8,804

Participation rate.................................................. 77.7 87.1 74.6 77.8 86.7 74.8

Employed.......................................................... 11,143 3,137 8,007 11,213 3,190 8,022

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 8,955 2,864 6,090 9,101 2,922 6,179

Part-time workers2............................................. 2,189 272 1,917 2,111 268 1,843

Employment-population ratio.................................... 70.1 79.6 66.9 71.2 80.3 68.2

Unemployed....................................................... 1,217 298 919 1,038 256 782

Unemployment rate............................................ 9.8 8.7 10.3 8.5 7.4 8.9

WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 36,486 16,114 20,372 36,616 16,171 20,445

Civilian labor force.................................................. 29,989 14,768 15,221 30,057 14,840 15,218

Participation rate.................................................. 82.2 91.6 74.7 82.1 91.8 74.4

Employed.......................................................... 28,689 14,244 14,445 28,923 14,392 14,531

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 24,746 13,594 11,153 25,073 13,785 11,288

Part-time workers2............................................. 3,943 650 3,292 3,850 607 3,243

Employment-population ratio.................................... 78.6 88.4 70.9 79.0 89.0 71.1

Unemployed....................................................... 1,300 524 775 1,134 448 687

Unemployment rate............................................ 4.3 3.6 5.1 3.8 3.0 4.5

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 29,157 12,927 16,230 28,948 12,924 16,024

Civilian labor force.................................................. 22,591 12,171 10,420 22,419 12,138 10,281

Participation rate.................................................. 77.5 94.2 64.2 77.4 93.9 64.2

Employed.......................................................... 21,259 11,655 9,604 21,315 11,687 9,628

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 17,981 11,021 6,959 18,177 11,095 7,082

Part-time workers2

............................................. 3,278 634 2,644 3,139 592 2,547

Employment-population ratio.................................... 72.9 90.2 59.2 73.6 90.4 60.1

Unemployed....................................................... 1,332 516 816 1,104 451 652

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.9 4.2 7.8 4.9 3.7 6.3

WITH NO OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 182,304 90,707 91,596 185,237 92,006 93,231

Civilian labor force.................................................. 103,342 55,943 47,399 104,654 56,643 48,011

Participation rate.................................................. 56.7 61.7 51.7 56.5 61.6 51.5

Employed.......................................................... 96,357 51,793 44,564 98,595 53,052 45,544

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 5. Employment status of the population by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own children

under 18, 2014-2015 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2014 2015

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Full-time workers1.............................................. 75,991 43,214 32,777 78,243 44,471 33,772

Part-time workers2............................................. 20,366 8,579 11,787 20,353 8,581 11,772

Employment-population ratio.................................... 52.9 57.1 48.7 53.2 57.7 48.9

Unemployed....................................................... 6,985 4,150 2,835 6,058 3,591 2,468

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.8 7.4 6.0 5.8 6.3 5.1

1 Usually work 35 hours or more per week at all jobs.

2 Usually work less than 35 hours per week at all jobs.

3

Includes never married; married, spouse absent; divorced; separated; and widowed persons.

NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related

and unrelated children. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January

data.
Table 6. Employment status of mothers with own children under 3 years old by single year of age of youngest

child and marital status, 2014-2015 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2014 2015

With own children under 3 years old With own children under 3 years old

Total 2 years 1 year Under 1

year

Total 2 years 1 year Under 1

year

TOTAL MOTHERS

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 9,224 2,834 3,293 3,097 9,308 2,920 3,254 3,134

Civilian labor force..................................... 5,624 1,799 2,056 1,770 5,714 1,869 2,024 1,821

Participation rate.................................... 61.0 63.5 62.4 57.1 61.4 64.0 62.2 58.1

Employed............................................. 5,169 1,661 1,880 1,628 5,336 1,741 1,897 1,698

Full-time workers1

................................ 3,685 1,185 1,325 1,175 3,882 1,280 1,370 1,232

Part-time workers2

................................ 1,484 477 555 453 1,455 462 526 466

Employment-population ratio...................... 56.0 58.6 57.1 52.6 57.3 59.6 58.3 54.2

Unemployed.......................................... 456 137 176 142 377 127 128 123

Unemployment rate.............................. 8.1 7.6 8.6 8.0 6.6 6.8 6.3 6.7

Married, spouse present

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 6,243 1,934 2,300 2,009 6,341 1,974 2,252 2,114

Civilian labor force..................................... 3,691 1,153 1,376 1,163 3,772 1,198 1,356 1,218

Participation rate.................................... 59.1 59.6 59.8 57.9 59.5 60.7 60.2 57.6

Employed............................................. 3,526 1,104 1,307 1,116 3,628 1,149 1,300 1,179

Full-time workers1

................................ 2,602 807 950 844 2,698 864 961 873

Part-time workers2

................................ 925 296 357 271 931 285 339 306

Employment-population ratio...................... 56.5 57.1 56.8 55.5 57.2 58.2 57.7 55.8

Unemployed.......................................... 165 49 68 47 144 49 55 39

Unemployment rate.............................. 4.5 4.3 5.0 4.1 3.8 4.1 4.1 3.2

Other marital status3

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,981 900 993 1,088 2,967 946 1,001 1,020

Civilian labor force..................................... 1,933 646 681 607 1,942 670 669 603

Participation rate.................................... 64.9 71.8 68.6 55.8 65.4 70.9 66.8 59.1

Employed............................................. 1,642 558 573 512 1,708 592 596 519

Full-time workers1................................ 1,083 377 375 330 1,184 415 409 359

Part-time workers2

................................ 559 180 197 182 524 177 187 160

Employment-population ratio...................... 55.1 62.0 57.7 47.0 57.6 62.6 59.5 50.9

Unemployed.......................................... 291 88 108 95 234 78 72 84

Unemployment rate.............................. 15.0 13.6 15.8 15.6 12.0 11.6 10.8 13.9

1 Usually work 35 hours or more per week at all jobs.

2 Usually work less than 35 hours per week at all jobs.

3

Includes never married; married, spouse absent; divorced; separated; and widowed persons.

NOTE: Own children include sons, daughters, step-children, and adopted children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related

and unrelated children. Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January

data.