For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, April 24, 2024 USDL-24-0743 

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

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

EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES — 2023

In 2023, 4.8 percent of families included an unemployed person, up from 4.7 percent in 2022, the U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Of the nation's 83.8 million families, 80.2 percent had at least 

one employed member in 2023. 

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 news 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 with and without 

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 family member unemployed was unchanged at 4.0 million in 

2023. The proportion of families with an unemployed person increased by 0.1 percentage point from the 

prior year to 4.8 percent. In 2023, the proportion of families with an unemployed person rose for White 

families (to 4.3 percent) and declined for Black families (to 7.4 percent). The proportion of families with 

an unemployed member changed little for Asian (4.7 percent) and Hispanic (6.8 percent) families. Black 

and Hispanic families remained more likely to have an unemployed member than White or Asian 

families. (See table 1.)

Among families with an unemployed member in 2023, 73.0 percent also had at least one family member 

employed, up by 2.1 percentage points from the prior year. The proportion of families with an 

unemployed member that had at least one family member working full time rose by 2.0 percentage 

points to 64.0 percent in 2023. Among families with an unemployed member, Black families remained 

less likely to also have at least one family member who was working in 2023 (63.1 percent of families) 

than White (74.8 percent), Asian (85.5 percent), and Hispanic (74.8 percent) families. (See table 1.) 

In 2023, 3.9 percent of married-couple families had an unemployed member, which was less than the 

shares for families maintained by women (7.4 percent) and for those families maintained by men (7.0 

percent). Among families with an unemployed member, those maintained by women remained less 

likely to also include an employed family member (57.3 percent) than either families maintained by men

(62.0 percent) or married-couple families (82.8 percent). (See tables 2 and 3.) 
-2-

Families and Employment

The share of families with at least one employed family member was little changed at 80.2 percent in 

2023. The likelihood of having an employed family member was unchanged for White families (79.4 

percent) and little changed for Asian (87.4 percent) and Hispanic (87.2 percent) families. This likelihood 

increased for Black families (81.2 percent) in 2023. Asian and Hispanic families remained more likely 

than White and Black families to have an employed family member. (See table 1.) 

The share of families maintained by women with an employed member increased by 1.2 percentage 

points to 79.7 percent in 2023, while the shares of married-couple families with an employed family 

member (79.8 percent) and families maintained by men with an employed family member (85.0 percent) 

changed little from the prior year. Despite this over-the-year increase in the share of families maintained 

by women with an employed family member, these families remained less likely to have an employed 

member than families maintained by men. The likelihood of including an employed member was little 

different between families maintained by women and married-couple families. (See table 2.) 

Among married-couple families in 2023, both spouses were employed in 49.7 percent of families, up 

from 48.9 percent in the prior year. In 2023, only one spouse was employed in 23.5 percent of marriedcouple families, down from 24.5 percent in 2022. (See table 2.) 

Families with Children

In 2023, 32.6 million families, or about two-fifths of all families, included children under age 18. 

(Children are biological, step-, or adopted children living in the household who are under age 18. Not 

included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, other related and unrelated children, and children not 

living in the household.) At least one parent was employed in 91.9 percent of families with children, up 

from 91.2 percent in 2022. Among married-couple families with children, 97.6 percent had at least one 

employed parent in 2023, and in 67.0 percent of these families both parents were employed. Among 

families maintained by fathers, 86.5 percent of fathers were employed, a greater share than the 76.2 

percent of mothers who were employed in families maintained by mothers. (See tables 1 and 4.) 

Parents

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

mothers with children under age 18 was 74.0 percent in 2023, up by 1.1 percentage points from the prior 

year. The participation rate for fathers with children under age 18 rose from 92.9 percent in 2022 to 93.4 

percent in 2023. (See table 5.) 

The participation rate for married mothers increased by 1.6 percentage points from the prior year to 72.7 

percent in 2023. The rates for married fathers (94.1 percent) and for fathers and mothers with other 

marital statuses (89.0 percent and 77.1 percent, respectively) were little changed from the previous year. 

Married mothers remained less likely to participate in the labor force in 2023 than mothers with other 

marital statuses. By contrast, married fathers remained more likely to participate in the labor force than 

fathers with other marital statuses. (Other marital status includes people who are never married; 

widowed; divorced; separated; and married, spouse absent.) (See table 5.) 
-3-

Mothers of younger children remained less likely to participate in the labor force than mothers with 

older children. In 2023, 68.9 percent of mothers with children under age 6 participated in the labor force 

compared with 77.8 percent of mothers whose youngest child was ages 6 to 17. Conversely, fathers with 

children under age 6 were more likely to participate in the labor force than those whose youngest child 

was ages 6 to 17 (94.6 percent versus 92.4 percent). (See table 5.)

In 2023, the unemployment rate for mothers decreased by 0.4 percentage point from the prior year to 3.0 

percent, and the rate for fathers was unchanged at 2.2 percent. The unemployment rate for married 

mothers remained considerably lower than the rate for mothers with other marital statuses in 2023—2.0 

percent compared with 5.2 percent. Married fathers also continued to have a lower unemployment rate 

than fathers with other marital statuses (1.8 percent versus 4.4 percent). Among mothers who had 

children under age 3, the unemployment rate for those with other marital statuses was about four times 

higher than that for married mothers (8.3 percent versus 2.1 percent). (See tables 5 and 6.) 

Employed fathers remained more likely to work full time than employed mothers in 2023—95.6 percent 

compared with 80.1 percent. Among employed mothers, those with older children remained more likely 

to work full time than those with younger children. In 2023, 82.0 percent of employed mothers with 

children ages 6 to 17 worked full time compared with 77.2 percent of mothers with children under age 6. 

However, employed fathers of older and younger children were about equally likely to work full time: 

95.6 percent of those with older children and 95.7 percent of those with younger children worked full 

time. (See table 5.)
Technical Note

The estimates in this news 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.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech 

disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access 

telecommunications relay services.

Definitions

Definitions of the principal terms used in this 

news release are described briefly below.

Householder. The householder is the family 

reference person. This is the person (or one of the 

people) in whose name the housing unit is owned 

or rented. The relationship of other individuals in 

the household is defined in terms of their 

relationship to the householder. The race and 

Hispanic ethnicity of the family is determined by 

that of the householder.

Family. A family is a group of two or more 

people residing together who are related by birth, 

marriage, or adoption; all such individuals are 

considered members of one family. The count of 

families is for "primary" families only. A primary 

family consists of a householder and all other 

people related to and residing with the 

householder. Sub-families are excluded from the

count of families. A sub-family is a family that 

does not maintain their own household, such as a 

married couple living in the home of a friend and 

their family. In this example, the report would 

include only one family (the householder’s or 

primary family), not two.

Families include those with and without children 

under age 18. Families are further categorized as 

follows:

• Married-couple families refer to opposite-sex 

and same-sex married couples residing together 

and any of their family members residing in the 

household.

• Families maintained by women or men are 

made up of householders residing with one or 

more family members but no spouse of either 

sex present. Unmarried domestic partners of 

either sex may or may not be present in the 

household.

This news release presents data for two marital

status categories, defined below. Marital status is 

based on a person's status at the time of the survey.

Total married, spouse present. Married, spouse 

present, includes people in either opposite-sex or 

same-sex marriages 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. Other marital status 

includes people who are never married; widowed; 

divorced; separated; and married, spouse absent. 

Separated includes people 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 a 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 biological, step-, 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. Children not living in the 

household are also not included.

Parents. Data on parents refer to people living 

in a household with their own children under age 

18. (This includes those living with biological, 

step-, and adopted children.)

Employed. Employed people 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; or (c) 

worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in an 

enterprise operated by a member of the family. 

People who were temporarily absent from their 

jobs because of illness, vacation, labor disputes, or 

another reason also are counted as employed.

Full-time workers. Full-time workers are those 

who usually work 35 hours or more per week at all 

jobs.
Part-time workers. Part-time workers are those 

who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week at 

all jobs.

Unemployed. The unemployed are people 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. People 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 people classified as employed or 

unemployed.

Labor force participation rate. The labor force

participation rate is the number of people in the 

labor force as a percent of the population.

Employment-population ratio. The 

employment-population ratio is the number of 

employed people as a percent of the population.

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is 

the number of unemployed people as a percent of 

the civilian labor force.

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 are available at

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

Comparability of the estimates

Effective with data for 2020, estimates of the 

number of married people refer to those in oppositesex and same-sex marriages. Prior to 2020, 

estimates of the number of married people referred 

to those in opposite-sex marriages only. The 

definition of families incorporated this change by 

expanding the definition of married-couple families 

to include same-sex married couples. This new 

classification resulted in a larger estimate of the 

number of people who are married with a spouse 

present. It also resulted in a larger estimate of the 

number of married-couple families and the total 

number of families. 

In addition, the data presented in this news

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.
Table 1. Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2022-2023 annual

averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic 2022 2023

EMPLOYMENT IN FAMILIES

Total families............................................................................................................ 83,798 83,843

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 67,159 67,244

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 80.1 80.2

With at least one family member employed full time1........................................................ 61,745 61,759

With no family member employed................................................................................. 16,639 16,599

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 19.9 19.8

White

Total families............................................................................................................ 65,498 65,372

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 52,007 51,894

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 79.4 79.4

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 47,799 47,621

With no family member employed................................................................................. 13,491 13,478

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 20.6 20.6

Black or African American

Total families............................................................................................................ 10,372 10,359

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 8,295 8,410

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 80.0 81.2

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 7,551 7,689

With no family member employed................................................................................. 2,076 1,948

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 20.0 18.8

Asian

Total families............................................................................................................ 5,305 5,411

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 4,675 4,729

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 88.1 87.4

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 4,425 4,469

With no family member employed................................................................................. 630 683

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 11.9 12.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total families............................................................................................................ 14,037 14,228

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 12,255 12,407

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 87.3 87.2

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 11,306 11,434

With no family member employed................................................................................. 1,782 1,821

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 12.7 12.8

UNEMPLOYMENT IN FAMILIES

Total families............................................................................................................ 83,798 83,843

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 3,975 4,012

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 4.7 4.8

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 2,819 2,928

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 70.9 73.0

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 2,466 2,566

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 62.0 64.0

White

Total families............................................................................................................ 65,498 65,372

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 2,724 2,782

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 4.2 4.3

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 2,000 2,082

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 73.4 74.8

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 1,747 1,829

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 64.1 65.7

Black or African American

Total families............................................................................................................ 10,372 10,359

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 830 763

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 8.0 7.4

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2022-2023 annual

averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic 2022 2023

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 511 481

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 61.6 63.1

Some family member employed full time1................................................................... 446 416

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 53.7 54.6

Asian

Total families............................................................................................................ 5,305 5,411

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 228 255

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 4.3 4.7

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 194 218

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 85.4 85.5

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 176 197

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 77.1 77.1

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total families............................................................................................................ 14,037 14,228

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 932 961

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 6.6 6.8

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 675 719

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 72.4 74.8

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 586 620

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 62.8 64.5

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. People 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. Beginning in 2020, family estimates reflect a change in the classification of marital status. This change

expanded the definition of married-couple families to include same-sex married couples. As a result, data under the new definition are not strictly

comparable with data prior to 2020.
Table 2. Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type, 2022-2023 annual

averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2022 2023 2022 2023

TOTAL MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES1

Total........................................................................................ 60,877 61,272 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 48,707 48,865 80.0 79.8

With only one spouse employed................................................... 14,892 14,384 24.5 23.5

With both spouses employed...................................................... 29,783 30,451 48.9 49.7

Other employment combinations.................................................. 4,032 4,030 6.6 6.6

With no family member employed................................................... 12,170 12,407 20.0 20.2

Opposite-sex married-couple families

Total........................................................................................ 60,186 60,550 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 48,092 48,223 79.9 79.6

Husband only........................................................................ 10,652 10,154 17.7 16.8

Wife only.............................................................................. 4,075 4,055 6.8 6.7

Husband and wife................................................................... 29,353 29,992 48.8 49.5

Other employment combinations.................................................. 4,012 4,022 6.7 6.6

With no family member employed................................................... 12,093 12,327 20.1 20.4

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN2

Total........................................................................................ 15,574 15,144 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 12,224 12,065 78.5 79.7

Householder only.................................................................... 6,267 6,083 40.2 40.2

Householder and other member(s)................................................ 3,709 3,792 23.8 25.0

Other member(s), not householder................................................ 2,248 2,191 14.4 14.5

With no family member employed................................................... 3,350 3,078 21.5 20.3

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN2

Total........................................................................................ 7,348 7,427 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 6,228 6,313 84.8 85.0

Householder only.................................................................... 2,893 2,866 39.4 38.6

Householder and other member(s)................................................ 2,369 2,436 32.2 32.8

Other member(s), not householder................................................ 966 1,011 13.2 13.6

With no family member employed................................................... 1,119 1,114 15.2 15.0

1

Includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families.

2

Includes families with no spouse of either sex present.

NOTE: In families maintained by women or men with no spouse present, householder refers to the woman or man maintaining the family. Detail may

not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Beginning in 2020, family

estimates reflect a change in the classification of marital status. This change expanded the definition of married-couple families to include same-sex

married couples. As a result, data under the new definition are not strictly comparable with data prior to 2020.
Table 3. Unemployment in families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type,

2022-2023 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2022 2023 2022 2023

TOTAL MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES1

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 2,284 2,369 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 1,878 1,961 82.2 82.8

No family member employed......................................................... 406 408 17.8 17.2

Unemployment of family members

At least one spouse unemployed2

................................................... 1,478 1,513 64.7 63.9

One spouse employed.............................................................. 1,074 1,120 47.0 47.3

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 806 856 35.3 36.1

Opposite-sex married-couple families

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 2,255 2,338 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 1,854 1,938 82.2 82.9

No family member employed......................................................... 401 401 17.8 17.1

Unemployment of family members

Husband unemployed3

................................................................ 787 805 34.9 34.4

Wife employed....................................................................... 484 515 21.5 22.0

Wife unemployed, husband employed or not in labor force...................... 667 682 29.6 29.2

Husband employed.................................................................. 572 585 25.4 25.0

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 801 852 35.5 36.4

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN4

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 1,171 1,121 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 627 643 53.5 57.3

No family member employed......................................................... 545 478 46.5 42.7

Unemployment of family members

Householder unemployed............................................................. 508 483 43.3 43.1

Other member(s) employed........................................................ 136 158 11.6 14.1

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 664 638 56.7 56.9

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN4

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 519 522 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 314 323 60.5 62.0

No family member employed......................................................... 205 198 39.5 38.0

Unemployment of family members

Householder unemployed............................................................. 289 279 55.7 53.5

Other member(s) employed........................................................ 132 135 25.4 25.8

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 230 242 44.3 46.5

1

Includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families.

2

Includes families with both spouses unemployed.

3 Total opposite-sex married couple families with unemployed husbands, including those with unemployed wives.

4

Includes families with no spouse of either sex present.

NOTE: In families maintained by women or men with no spouse present, householder refers to the woman or man maintaining the family. Detail may

not sum to totals due to rounding. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data. Beginning in 2020, family

estimates reflect a change in the classification of marital status. This change expanded the definition of married-couple families to include same-sex

married couples. As a result, data under the new definition are not strictly comparable with data prior to 2020.
Table 4. Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and family type,

2022-2023 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2022 2023 2022 2023

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Total families.............................................................................. 33,253 32,610 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 30,318 29,958 91.2 91.9

No parent employed................................................................... 2,934 2,652 8.8 8.1

Total married-couple families1

Total........................................................................................ 22,672 22,605 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 22,088 22,059 97.4 97.6

Both parents employed............................................................. 14,746 15,156 65.0 67.0

Only one parent employed......................................................... 7,342 6,903 32.4 30.5

Neither parent employed.............................................................. 584 546 2.6 2.4

Opposite-sex married couple families

Total...................................................................................... 22,528 22,469 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 21,946 21,926 97.4 97.6

Mother employed................................................................. 15,808 16,173 70.2 72.0

Both parents employed........................................................ 14,648 15,059 65.0 67.0

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 1,160 1,114 5.1 5.0

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 6,139 5,753 27.2 25.6

Neither parent employed........................................................... 581 543 2.6 2.4

Families maintained by mother2

Total...................................................................................... 7,852 7,364 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 5,892 5,614 75.0 76.2

Mother not employed................................................................ 1,960 1,750 25.0 23.8

Families maintained by father2

Total...................................................................................... 2,729 2,641 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 2,338 2,285 85.7 86.5

Father not employed................................................................ 391 356 14.3 13.5

WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER

Total families.............................................................................. 19,379 19,126 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 17,722 17,615 91.5 92.1

No parent employed................................................................... 1,657 1,511 8.5 7.9

Total married-couple families1

Total........................................................................................ 12,848 12,911 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 12,472 12,563 97.1 97.3

Both parents employed............................................................. 8,679 8,975 67.6 69.5

Only one parent employed......................................................... 3,793 3,588 29.5 27.8

Neither parent employed.............................................................. 376 348 2.9 2.7

Opposite-sex married couple families

Total...................................................................................... 12,763 12,823 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 12,389 12,477 97.1 97.3

Mother employed................................................................. 9,377 9,637 73.5 75.2

Both parents employed........................................................ 8,622 8,910 67.6 69.5

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 755 728 5.9 5.7

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 3,011 2,840 23.6 22.1

Neither parent employed........................................................... 374 346 2.9 2.7

Families maintained by mother2

Total...................................................................................... 4,846 4,581 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 3,818 3,656 78.8 79.8

Mother not employed................................................................ 1,028 925 21.2 20.2

Families maintained by father2

Total...................................................................................... 1,684 1,634 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 1,432 1,396 85.0 85.4

Father not employed................................................................ 253 238 15.0 14.6

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS

Total families.............................................................................. 13,874 13,484 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 12,596 12,344 90.8 91.5

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

2022-2023 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2022 2023 2022 2023

No parent employed................................................................... 1,278 1,141 9.2 8.5

Total married-couple families1

Total........................................................................................ 9,824 9,694 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 9,616 9,496 97.9 98.0

Both parents employed............................................................. 6,066 6,181 61.8 63.8

Only one parent employed......................................................... 3,549 3,315 36.1 34.2

Neither parent employed.............................................................. 208 198 2.1 2.0

Opposite-sex married couple families

Total...................................................................................... 9,765 9,646 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 9,558 9,449 97.9 98.0

Mother employed................................................................. 6,430 6,536 65.9 67.8

Both parents employed........................................................ 6,026 6,149 61.7 63.8

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 404 386 4.1 4.0

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 3,127 2,913 32.0 30.2

Neither parent employed........................................................... 207 197 2.1 2.0

Families maintained by mother2

Total...................................................................................... 3,005 2,783 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 2,074 1,958 69.0 70.4

Mother not employed................................................................ 931 825 31.0 29.6

Families maintained by father2

Total...................................................................................... 1,045 1,007 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 906 890 86.7 88.3

Father not employed................................................................ 139 118 13.3 11.7

1

Includes both opposite-sex and same-sex married-couple families.

2

Includes families with no spouse of either sex present.

NOTE: Own children include biological, step-, and adopted children living in the household who are under age 18. 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. Beginning in 2020, family estimates reflect a change in the classification of marital status. This change

expanded the definition of married-couple families to include same-sex married couples. As a result, data under the new definition are not strictly

comparable with data prior to 2020.
Table 5. Employment status of the population by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own children

under 18, 2022-2023 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2022 2023

Total Men Women Total Men Women

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 63,029 28,424 34,605 62,559 28,470 34,090

Civilian labor force.................................................. 51,635 26,411 25,224 51,803 26,579 25,224

Participation rate.................................................. 81.9 92.9 72.9 82.8 93.4 74.0

Employed.......................................................... 50,213 25,844 24,369 50,457 26,000 24,457

Full-time workers1.............................................. 44,327 24,712 19,615 44,455 24,868 19,587

Part-time workers2

............................................. 5,886 1,132 4,755 6,002 1,132 4,870

Employment-population ratio.................................... 79.7 90.9 70.4 80.7 91.3 71.7

Unemployed....................................................... 1,422 568 854 1,346 579 768

Unemployment rate............................................ 2.8 2.2 3.4 2.6 2.2 3.0

Total married, spouse present3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 48,079 24,151 23,928 48,152 24,328 23,823

Civilian labor force.................................................. 39,649 22,633 17,016 40,202 22,894 17,308

Participation rate.................................................. 82.5 93.7 71.1 83.5 94.1 72.7

Employed.......................................................... 38,859 22,218 16,642 39,430 22,477 16,953

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 34,739 21,364 13,374 35,076 21,609 13,467

Part-time workers2

............................................. 4,121 853 3,267 4,354 868 3,486

Employment-population ratio.................................... 80.8 92.0 69.6 81.9 92.4 71.2

Unemployed....................................................... 790 415 374 772 418 355

Unemployment rate............................................ 2.0 1.8 2.2 1.9 1.8 2.0

Other marital status4

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 14,950 4,273 10,677 14,408 4,141 10,267

Civilian labor force.................................................. 11,986 3,778 8,208 11,601 3,685 7,917

Participation rate.................................................. 80.2 88.4 76.9 80.5 89.0 77.1

Employed.......................................................... 11,353 3,626 7,728 11,027 3,523 7,504

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 9,588 3,347 6,240 9,379 3,259 6,120

Part-time workers2............................................. 1,766 278 1,487 1,648 264 1,384

Employment-population ratio.................................... 75.9 84.9 72.4 76.5 85.1 73.1

Unemployed....................................................... 632 152 480 574 161 413

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.3 4.0 5.8 5.0 4.4 5.2

WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 35,857 16,129 19,728 35,873 16,287 19,586

Civilian labor force.................................................. 29,935 14,810 15,125 30,278 15,048 15,230

Participation rate.................................................. 83.5 91.8 76.7 84.4 92.4 77.8

Employed.......................................................... 29,167 14,498 14,669 29,547 14,725 14,822

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 25,910 13,855 12,055 26,227 14,077 12,150

Part-time workers2............................................. 3,257 643 2,614 3,320 649 2,671

Employment-population ratio.................................... 81.3 89.9 74.4 82.4 90.4 75.7

Unemployed....................................................... 768 312 456 731 323 408

Unemployment rate............................................ 2.6 2.1 3.0 2.4 2.1 2.7

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 27,172 12,295 14,877 26,687 12,183 14,504

Civilian labor force.................................................. 21,700 11,602 10,098 21,525 11,531 9,994

Participation rate.................................................. 79.9 94.4 67.9 80.7 94.6 68.9

Employed.......................................................... 21,046 11,346 9,700 20,910 11,275 9,635

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 18,416 10,857 7,560 18,228 10,791 7,437

Part-time workers2

............................................. 2,629 489 2,141 2,682 483 2,198

Employment-population ratio.................................... 77.5 92.3 65.2 78.4 92.5 66.4

Unemployed....................................................... 654 256 398 615 256 359

Unemployment rate............................................ 3.0 2.2 3.9 2.9 2.2 3.6

WITH NO OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 200,945 100,194 100,751 204,383 102,007 102,376

Civilian labor force.................................................. 112,652 61,009 51,643 115,313 62,298 53,015

Participation rate.................................................. 56.1 60.9 51.3 56.4 61.1 51.8

Employed.......................................................... 108,078 58,359 49,719 110,580 59,500 51,080

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, 2022-2023 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2022 2023

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Full-time workers1.............................................. 87,918 49,764 38,154 89,601 50,628 38,972

Part-time workers2............................................. 20,160 8,595 11,565 20,979 8,871 12,108

Employment-population ratio.................................... 53.8 58.2 49.3 54.1 58.3 49.9

Unemployed....................................................... 4,574 2,650 1,923 4,733 2,799 1,935

Unemployment rate............................................ 4.1 4.3 3.7 4.1 4.5 3.6

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 people in both opposite-sex and same-sex marriages.

4

Includes people who are never married; widowed; divorced; separated; and married, spouse absent.

NOTE: Own children include biological, step-, and adopted children living in the household who are under age 18. 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. Estimates for 2020 introduced a change in the classification of marital status; estimates of married people

refer to those in opposite-sex and same-sex marriages. As a result, data by marital status are not strictly comparable with data prior to 2020.
Table 6. Employment status of mothers with own children under 3 years old by single year of age of youngest

child and marital status, 2022-2023 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2022 2023

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..................... 8,256 2,666 2,874 2,716 8,164 2,535 2,981 2,647

Civilian labor force..................................... 5,413 1,825 1,915 1,672 5,412 1,770 2,001 1,641

Participation rate.................................... 65.6 68.5 66.6 61.6 66.3 69.8 67.1 62.0

Employed............................................. 5,192 1,764 1,829 1,600 5,203 1,709 1,913 1,581

Full-time workers1

................................ 3,989 1,361 1,392 1,236 3,981 1,327 1,443 1,211

Part-time workers2

................................ 1,204 403 437 364 1,223 382 471 370

Employment-population ratio...................... 62.9 66.2 63.6 58.9 63.7 67.4 64.2 59.7

Unemployed.......................................... 220 61 87 72 208 61 88 59

Unemployment rate.............................. 4.1 3.3 4.5 4.3 3.8 3.4 4.4 3.6

Total married, spouse present3

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 5,917 1,882 2,052 1,983 5,876 1,784 2,171 1,920

Civilian labor force..................................... 3,872 1,254 1,358 1,259 3,899 1,224 1,462 1,213

Participation rate.................................... 65.4 66.6 66.2 63.5 66.4 68.6 67.3 63.2

Employed............................................. 3,789 1,237 1,323 1,230 3,815 1,203 1,423 1,190

Full-time workers1................................ 2,949 964 1,018 967 2,952 942 1,086 924

Part-time workers2

................................ 840 273 305 263 863 260 337 266

Employment-population ratio...................... 64.0 65.7 64.4 62.0 64.9 67.4 65.5 62.0

Unemployed.......................................... 83 18 36 29 83 21 39 23

Unemployment rate.............................. 2.1 1.4 2.6 2.3 2.1 1.7 2.7 1.9

Other marital status4

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,339 784 822 733 2,288 750 810 727

Civilian labor force..................................... 1,541 571 557 413 1,513 546 539 428

Participation rate.................................... 65.9 72.8 67.8 56.3 66.1 72.8 66.6 58.8

Employed............................................. 1,403 528 506 369 1,388 506 491 391

Full-time workers1................................ 1,040 397 374 268 1,028 385 357 287

Part-time workers2

................................ 364 130 132 101 360 121 134 105

Employment-population ratio...................... 60.0 67.3 61.6 50.4 60.7 67.4 60.6 53.8

Unemployed.......................................... 137 43 51 43 125 40 49 36

Unemployment rate.............................. 8.9 7.6 9.1 10.5 8.3 7.3 9.0 8.5

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 people in both opposite-sex and same-sex marriages..

4

Includes people who are never married; widowed; divorced; separated; and married, spouse absent.

NOTE: Own children include biological, step-, and adopted children living in the household who are under age 18. 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. Estimates for 2020 introduced a change in the classification of marital status; estimates of married people

refer to those in opposite-sex and same-sex marriages. As a result, data by marital status are not strictly comparable with data prior to 2020.