For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, April 20, 2022 USDL-22-0673 

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

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

EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES — 2021 

In 2021, 6.7 percent of families included an unemployed person, down from 9.8 percent in 2020, the 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Of the nation's 83.2 million families, 78.5 percent had 

at least one employed member in 2021.

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 member unemployed fell by 2.5 million to 5.6 million in 

2021. The proportion of families with an unemployed person, at 6.7 percent, fell by 3.1 percentage 

points from the prior year but remained above its 2019 value of 4.9 percent. In 2021, the proportion 

of families with an unemployed person declined for White (to 6.0 percent of families), Black (10.3 

percent), Asian (7.7 percent), and Hispanic (10.1 percent) families. Black and Hispanic families 

remained more likely to have an unemployed member than White or Asian families. (See table 1.)

In 2021, among families with an unemployed member, 67.4 percent also had at least one family 

member employed, little changed from the prior year. The proportion of families with an unemployed 

member that had at least one family member working full time fell by 1.4 percentage points to 58.5 

percent in 2021. In 2019, prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 62.4 percent of families 

with an unemployed member had at least one family member working full time. Among families 

with an unemployed member, Black families remained less likely to also have at least one family 

member who was working in 2021 (56.7 percent of families) than White (69.9 percent), Asian (75.6 

percent), and Hispanic (68.4 percent) families. (See table 1.)

In 2021, 5.5 percent of married-couple families had an unemployed member, which was less than the 

shares for families maintained by women (9.8 percent) and for families maintained by men (10.5 

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

likely to also have an employed family member (48.7 percent) than families maintained by men and 

married-couple families (56.4 percent and 78.5 percent, respectively). (See tables 2 and 3.) 
-2- 

Families and Employment

In 2021, 78.5 percent of families had at least one employed family member, up from 78.2 percent 

in 2020 but below the 2019 share of 81.2 percent. From 2020 to 2021, the likelihood of having an 

employed family member increased for Black (to 76.6 percent of families), Asian (86.2 percent), 

and Hispanic (85.0 percent) families, but changed little for White families (78.1 percent). Black 

families were the least likely to have an employed family member in 2021. (See table 1.)

Families maintained by women remained less likely to have an employed member (75.7 percent) in 

2021 than families maintained by men (82.4 percent) or married-couple families (78.7 percent). 

Among married-couple families, both spouses were employed in 46.8 percent of families, up from 

45.5 percent in the prior year. In 2021, only one spouse was employed in 25.3 percent of marriedcouple families, down from 26.7 percent in 2020. (See table 2.) 

Families with Children

In 2021, 32.8 million families, or 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 89.1 percent of families with children, up from 

88.5 percent in 2020 but below its 2019 value of 91.4 percent. Among married-couple families with 

children, 96.5 percent had at least one employed parent in 2021, and in 62.3 percent of these families 

both parents were employed. Among families maintained by fathers, 81.7 percent of fathers were 

employed, a greater share than the 71.2 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 71.2 percent in 2021, unchanged from the prior year but 

down from 72.3 percent in 2019. The participation rate for fathers with children under age 18, at 92.5 

percent in 2021, was little changed from 2020 (92.3 percent) but down from 2019 (93.3 percent). 

(See table 5.)

The participation rate for married fathers increased by 0.2 percentage point from the prior year to 93.5 

percent in 2021, while the rates for married mothers (69.3 percent) and for mothers and fathers with 

other marital statuses (75.3 percent and 87.0 percent, respectively) showed little change. Married 

mothers remained less likely to participate in the labor force in 2021 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 persons who are never married; widowed; 

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

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

older children. In 2021, 65.6 percent of mothers with children under age 6 participated in the labor 

force compared with 75.5 percent of mothers whose youngest child was age 6 to 17. By contrast, 

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

youngest child was age 6 to 17 (93.9 percent versus 91.5 percent). (See table 5.) 
-3- 

In 2021, the unemployment rate for mothers decreased by 2.5 percentage points from the prior year to 

5.0 percent, and the rate for fathers decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 3.8 percent. The 

unemployment rate for married mothers remained considerably lower than the rate for mothers with 

other marital statuses—3.3 percent compared with 8.5 percent in 2021. Married fathers also continued 

to have a lower unemployment rate, at 3.1 percent, than fathers with other marital statuses, at 8.0 

percent. Among mothers who had children under age 3, the unemployment rate for those who were 

married was about one-third the rate for mothers with other marital statuses (3.6 percent versus 11.2 

percent). (See tables 5 and 6.) 

Employed fathers remained more likely to work full time than employed mothers in 2021—95.5 

percent compared with 79.6 percent. Among employed mothers, those with older children remained 

more likely to work full time than those with younger children. In 2021, 81.2 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. Among employed fathers, 95.7 percent of those with older children and 95.3 

percent of those with younger children worked full time. (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.

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 

release are described briefly below.

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 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 

persons 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 

persons 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 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 persons 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 persons who are never married; widowed; 

divorced; separated; and married, spouse absent. 

Separated includes persons with legal separations, 

those living apart with intentions of obtaining a 

divorce, and other persons permanently or 

temporarily separated because of marital discord. 

Married, spouse absent, includes married persons 

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.

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; or (c) 

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.

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 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.

Labor force participation rate. The labor force

participation rate is the number of persons in the 

labor force as a percent of the population.

Employment-population ratio. The 

employment-population ratio is the number of 

employed persons as a percent of the population.

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is 

the number of unemployed persons 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 persons refer to those in 

opposite-sex and same-sex marriages. Prior to 

2020, estimates of the number of married persons

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 persons 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. The 2019 estimates mentioned

in this news release are revised data that incorporate 

the new classification of married persons. These

revised 2019 estimates, as published in the 

"Employment Characteristics of Families—2020" 

news release, do not match those originally 

published in the "Employment Characteristics of 

Families—2019" news release or in the BLS online 

database. Additional information about the 

classification change is available from the Census 

Bureau at

www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/work

ing-papers/2019/demo/SEHSD-WP-2018-30.pdf.

In addition, 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.
Table 1. Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2020-2021 annual

averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic 2020 2021

EMPLOYMENT IN FAMILIES

Total families............................................................................................................ 83,144 83,179

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 64,995 65,286

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 78.2 78.5

With at least one family member employed full time1........................................................ 59,683 59,839

With no family member employed................................................................................. 18,148 17,894

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 21.8 21.5

White

Total families............................................................................................................ 65,324 65,279

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 50,925 50,967

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 78.0 78.1

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 46,762 46,757

With no family member employed................................................................................. 14,399 14,312

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 22.0 21.9

Black or African American

Total families............................................................................................................ 10,183 10,248

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 7,713 7,851

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 75.7 76.6

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 6,975 7,063

With no family member employed................................................................................. 2,470 2,397

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 24.3 23.4

Asian

Total families............................................................................................................ 5,153 5,141

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 4,365 4,432

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 84.7 86.2

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 4,131 4,149

With no family member employed................................................................................. 788 709

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 15.3 13.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total families............................................................................................................ 13,369 13,734

With at least one family member employed...................................................................... 11,245 11,671

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 84.1 85.0

With at least one family member employed full time1

........................................................ 10,367 10,744

With no family member employed................................................................................. 2,124 2,063

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 15.9 15.0

UNEMPLOYMENT IN FAMILIES

Total families............................................................................................................ 83,144 83,179

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 8,124 5,594

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 9.8 6.7

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 5,492 3,771

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 67.6 67.4

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 4,869 3,272

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 59.9 58.5

White

Total families............................................................................................................ 65,324 65,279

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 5,858 3,894

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 9.0 6.0

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 4,097 2,723

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 69.9 69.9

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 3,644 2,368

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 62.2 60.8

Black or African American

Total families............................................................................................................ 10,183 10,248

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 1,360 1,050

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 13.4 10.3

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2020-2021 annual

averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic 2020 2021

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 776 595

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 57.1 56.7

Some family member employed full time1................................................................... 676 513

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 49.7 48.8

Asian

Total families............................................................................................................ 5,153 5,141

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 560 395

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 10.9 7.7

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 401 299

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 71.6 75.6

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 358 258

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 63.9 65.2

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total families............................................................................................................ 13,369 13,734

With at least one family member unemployed................................................................... 1,906 1,391

As a percent of total families..................................................................................... 14.3 10.1

Some family member(s) employed.............................................................................. 1,290 951

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed................................. 67.7 68.4

Some family member(s) employed full time1

................................................................ 1,150 821

As a percent of families with at least one family member unemployed............................... 60.3 59.0

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. 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, 2020-2021 annual

averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2020 2021 2020 2021

TOTAL MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES1

Total........................................................................................ 61,375 60,471 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 48,279 47,612 78.7 78.7

With only one spouse employed................................................... 16,408 15,300 26.7 25.3

With both spouses employed...................................................... 27,921 28,275 45.5 46.8

Other employment combinations.................................................. 3,950 4,037 6.4 6.7

With no family member employed................................................... 13,096 12,859 21.3 21.3

Opposite-sex married-couple families

Total........................................................................................ 60,804 59,843 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 47,785 47,067 78.6 78.7

Husband only........................................................................ 11,644 10,897 19.1 18.2

Wife only.............................................................................. 4,614 4,250 7.6 7.1

Husband and wife................................................................... 27,591 27,900 45.4 46.6

Other employment combinations.................................................. 3,937 4,019 6.5 6.7

With no family member employed................................................... 13,018 12,776 21.4 21.3

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN2

Total........................................................................................ 14,826 15,515 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 11,089 11,748 74.8 75.7

Householder only.................................................................... 5,879 6,065 39.7 39.1

Householder and other member(s)................................................ 3,108 3,520 21.0 22.7

Other member(s), not householder................................................ 2,102 2,163 14.2 13.9

With no family member employed................................................... 3,737 3,767 25.2 24.3

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN2

Total........................................................................................ 6,943 7,194 100.0 100.0

With at least one family member employed........................................ 5,627 5,926 81.1 82.4

Householder only.................................................................... 2,706 2,784 39.0 38.7

Householder and other member(s)................................................ 1,959 2,161 28.2 30.0

Other member(s), not householder................................................ 963 982 13.9 13.6

With no family member employed................................................... 1,315 1,268 18.9 17.6

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,

2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2020 2021 2020 2021

TOTAL MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES1

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 5,292 3,313 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 4,031 2,602 76.2 78.5

No family member employed......................................................... 1,261 711 23.8 21.5

Unemployment of family members

At least one spouse unemployed2

................................................... 3,920 2,340 74.1 70.6

One spouse employed.............................................................. 2,632 1,633 49.7 49.3

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 1,371 972 25.9 29.4

Opposite-sex married-couple families

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 5,237 3,279 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 3,990 2,574 76.2 78.5

No family member employed......................................................... 1,247 705 23.8 21.5

Unemployment of family members

Husband unemployed3

................................................................ 2,041 1,314 39.0 40.1

Wife employed....................................................................... 1,096 784 20.9 23.9

Wife unemployed, husband employed or not in labor force...................... 1,835 994 35.0 30.3

Husband employed.................................................................. 1,506 824 28.8 25.1

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 1,361 971 26.0 29.6

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN4

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 1,890 1,528 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 943 745 49.9 48.7

No family member employed......................................................... 947 783 50.1 51.3

Unemployment of family members

Householder unemployed............................................................. 942 749 49.8 49.0

Other member(s) employed........................................................ 266 185 14.1 12.1

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 948 780 50.2 51.0

FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN4

With at least one family member unemployed, total................................. 942 753 100.0 100.0

Employment of family members

Some family member(s) employed................................................... 518 425 55.0 56.4

No family member employed......................................................... 424 328 45.0 43.6

Unemployment of family members

Householder unemployed............................................................. 559 456 59.4 60.6

Other member(s) employed........................................................ 218 187 23.2 24.8

Other family member(s) unemployed................................................ 383 296 40.6 39.4

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,

2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2020 2021 2020 2021

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Total families.............................................................................. 33,047 32,756 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 29,259 29,198 88.5 89.1

No parent employed................................................................... 3,788 3,558 11.5 10.9

Total married-couple families1

Total........................................................................................ 22,921 22,156 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 21,846 21,372 95.3 96.5

Both parents employed............................................................. 13,705 13,794 59.8 62.3

Only one parent employed......................................................... 8,141 7,577 35.5 34.2

Neither parent employed.............................................................. 1,075 784 4.7 3.5

Opposite-sex married couple families

Total...................................................................................... 22,826 22,050 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 21,755 21,269 95.3 96.5

Mother employed................................................................. 15,044 14,955 65.9 67.8

Both parents employed........................................................ 13,642 13,720 59.8 62.2

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 1,402 1,234 6.1 5.6

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 6,711 6,315 29.4 28.6

Neither parent employed........................................................... 1,071 780 4.7 3.5

Families maintained by mother2

Total...................................................................................... 7,526 7,904 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 5,344 5,624 71.0 71.2

Mother not employed................................................................ 2,181 2,280 29.0 28.8

Families maintained by father2

Total...................................................................................... 2,601 2,696 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 2,069 2,202 79.6 81.7

Father not employed................................................................ 531 494 20.4 18.3

WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER

Total families.............................................................................. 19,246 19,029 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 17,109 17,058 88.9 89.6

No parent employed................................................................... 2,137 1,971 11.1 10.4

Total married-couple families1

Total........................................................................................ 12,939 12,553 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 12,315 12,085 95.2 96.3

Both parents employed............................................................. 8,090 8,140 62.5 64.9

Only one parent employed......................................................... 4,224 3,945 32.6 31.4

Neither parent employed.............................................................. 624 467 4.8 3.7

Opposite-sex married couple families

Total...................................................................................... 12,887 12,491 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 12,266 12,026 95.2 96.3

Mother employed................................................................. 8,944 8,908 69.4 71.3

Both parents employed........................................................ 8,058 8,098 62.5 64.8

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 886 810 6.9 6.5

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 3,322 3,118 25.8 25.0

Neither parent employed........................................................... 621 464 4.8 3.7

Families maintained by mother2

Total...................................................................................... 4,731 4,881 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 3,538 3,687 74.8 75.5

Mother not employed................................................................ 1,193 1,194 25.2 24.5

Families maintained by father2

Total...................................................................................... 1,576 1,595 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 1,256 1,286 79.7 80.6

Father not employed................................................................ 320 309 20.3 19.4

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS

Total families.............................................................................. 13,801 13,727 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 12,150 12,140 88.0 88.4

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

2020-2021 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

Number Percent distribution

2020 2021 2020 2021

No parent employed................................................................... 1,651 1,587 12.0 11.6

Total married-couple families1

Total........................................................................................ 9,983 9,603 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed.................................................................... 9,531 9,286 95.5 96.7

Both parents employed............................................................. 5,614 5,654 56.2 58.9

Only one parent employed......................................................... 3,917 3,632 39.2 37.8

Neither parent employed.............................................................. 451 317 4.5 3.3

Opposite-sex married couple families

Total...................................................................................... 9,939 9,559 100.0 100.0

Parent(s) employed................................................................. 9,490 9,243 95.5 96.7

Mother employed................................................................. 6,100 6,046 61.4 63.3

Both parents employed........................................................ 5,584 5,622 56.2 58.8

Mother employed, not father.................................................. 516 424 5.2 4.4

Father employed, not mother.................................................... 3,390 3,197 34.1 33.4

Neither parent employed........................................................... 450 316 4.5 3.3

Families maintained by mother2

Total...................................................................................... 2,795 3,023 100.0 100.0

Mother employed.................................................................... 1,807 1,937 64.6 64.1

Mother not employed................................................................ 988 1,086 35.4 35.9

Families maintained by father2

Total...................................................................................... 1,024 1,101 100.0 100.0

Father employed..................................................................... 813 916 79.4 83.2

Father not employed................................................................ 211 185 20.6 16.8

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 of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family. 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, 2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

Total Men Women Total Men Women

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 63,242 28,569 34,673 62,258 27,990 34,269

Civilian labor force.................................................. 51,063 26,361 24,702 50,308 25,902 24,406

Participation rate.................................................. 80.7 92.3 71.2 80.8 92.5 71.2

Employed.......................................................... 47,742 24,892 22,850 48,091 24,912 23,179

Full-time workers1.............................................. 42,008 23,796 18,212 42,253 23,802 18,451

Part-time workers2

............................................. 5,734 1,097 4,638 5,838 1,110 4,728

Employment-population ratio.................................... 75.5 87.1 65.9 77.2 89.0 67.6

Unemployed....................................................... 3,321 1,469 1,852 2,217 989 1,228

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.5 5.6 7.5 4.4 3.8 5.0

Total married, spouse present3

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 48,799 24,511 24,287 47,140 23,645 23,495

Civilian labor force.................................................. 39,673 22,858 16,816 38,413 22,120 16,293

Participation rate.................................................. 81.3 93.3 69.2 81.5 93.5 69.3

Employed.......................................................... 37,542 21,760 15,782 37,188 21,432 15,756

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 33,329 20,878 12,451 33,073 20,561 12,512

Part-time workers2

............................................. 4,213 882 3,331 4,115 871 3,244

Employment-population ratio.................................... 76.9 88.8 65.0 78.9 90.6 67.1

Unemployed....................................................... 2,131 1,097 1,034 1,225 688 537

Unemployment rate............................................ 5.4 4.8 6.1 3.2 3.1 3.3

Other marital status4

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 14,443 4,057 10,385 15,118 4,344 10,774

Civilian labor force.................................................. 11,389 3,504 7,886 11,895 3,782 8,113

Participation rate.................................................. 78.9 86.3 75.9 78.7 87.0 75.3

Employed.......................................................... 10,200 3,132 7,068 10,903 3,480 7,423

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 8,679 2,918 5,762 9,180 3,241 5,939

Part-time workers2............................................. 1,521 215 1,306 1,723 240 1,484

Employment-population ratio.................................... 70.6 77.2 68.1 72.1 80.1 68.9

Unemployed....................................................... 1,189 371 818 992 301 690

Unemployment rate............................................ 10.4 10.6 10.4 8.3 8.0 8.5

WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 35,666 15,967 19,699 35,127 15,644 19,483

Civilian labor force.................................................. 29,437 14,588 14,848 29,019 14,310 14,710

Participation rate.................................................. 82.5 91.4 75.4 82.6 91.5 75.5

Employed.......................................................... 27,621 13,825 13,797 27,823 13,791 14,032

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 24,433 13,233 11,200 24,588 13,199 11,390

Part-time workers2............................................. 3,189 592 2,597 3,234 592 2,642

Employment-population ratio.................................... 77.4 86.6 70.0 79.2 88.2 72.0

Unemployed....................................................... 1,815 764 1,052 1,197 519 678

Unemployment rate............................................ 6.2 5.2 7.1 4.1 3.6 4.6

WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 27,575 12,602 14,973 27,131 12,345 14,786

Civilian labor force.................................................. 21,626 11,773 9,853 21,289 11,592 9,697

Participation rate.................................................. 78.4 93.4 65.8 78.5 93.9 65.6

Employed.......................................................... 20,121 11,068 9,053 20,268 11,121 9,147

Full-time workers1

.............................................. 17,575 10,563 7,012 17,665 10,603 7,061

Part-time workers2

............................................. 2,546 505 2,041 2,604 518 2,085

Employment-population ratio.................................... 73.0 87.8 60.5 74.7 90.1 61.9

Unemployed....................................................... 1,505 705 800 1,020 471 550

Unemployment rate............................................ 7.0 6.0 8.1 4.8 4.1 5.7

WITH NO OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 197,087 97,353 99,734 199,187 98,498 100,689

Civilian labor force.................................................. 109,680 58,843 50,837 110,896 59,603 51,293

Participation rate.................................................. 55.7 60.4 51.0 55.7 60.5 50.9

Employed.......................................................... 100,053 53,668 46,385 104,490 55,917 48,573

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, 2020-2021 annual averages — Continued

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

Total Men Women Total Men Women

Full-time workers1.............................................. 81,180 45,666 35,515 84,907 47,709 37,197

Part-time workers2............................................. 18,872 8,002 10,870 19,583 8,207 11,376

Employment-population ratio.................................... 50.8 55.1 46.5 52.5 56.8 48.2

Unemployed....................................................... 9,627 5,175 4,452 6,406 3,686 2,720

Unemployment rate............................................ 8.8 8.8 8.8 5.8 6.2 5.3

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

4

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

NOTE: Own children include biological, step-, and adopted children of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family. 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 persons 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, 2020-2021 annual averages

[Numbers in thousands]

Characteristic

2020 2021

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..................... 8,480 2,698 3,071 2,711 8,224 2,657 2,957 2,609

Civilian labor force..................................... 5,371 1,797 1,940 1,634 5,187 1,714 1,878 1,594

Participation rate.................................... 63.3 66.6 63.2 60.3 63.1 64.5 63.5 61.1

Employed............................................. 4,943 1,653 1,783 1,507 4,883 1,616 1,767 1,500

Full-time workers1

................................ 3,785 1,298 1,320 1,167 3,700 1,224 1,340 1,136

Part-time workers2

................................ 1,158 355 463 340 1,183 393 427 364

Employment-population ratio...................... 58.3 61.3 58.1 55.6 59.4 60.8 59.7 57.5

Unemployed.......................................... 428 144 157 127 304 98 111 94

Unemployment rate.............................. 8.0 8.0 8.1 7.8 5.9 5.7 5.9 5.9

Total married, spouse present3

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 6,181 1,971 2,239 1,971 5,794 1,873 2,075 1,847

Civilian labor force..................................... 3,887 1,281 1,412 1,194 3,628 1,183 1,295 1,149

Participation rate.................................... 62.9 65.0 63.1 60.6 62.6 63.2 62.4 62.2

Employed............................................. 3,650 1,201 1,323 1,126 3,499 1,140 1,248 1,110

Full-time workers1................................ 2,827 956 985 886 2,673 863 953 857

Part-time workers2

................................ 823 245 338 240 825 277 295 253

Employment-population ratio...................... 59.0 60.9 59.1 57.1 60.4 60.9 60.2 60.1

Unemployed.......................................... 238 80 89 69 129 43 47 39

Unemployment rate.............................. 6.1 6.3 6.3 5.8 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.4

Other marital status4

Civilian noninstitutional population..................... 2,299 727 831 740 2,430 785 883 762

Civilian labor force..................................... 1,484 516 528 440 1,559 531 583 445

Participation rate.................................... 64.6 70.9 63.5 59.5 64.2 67.7 66.0 58.4

Employed............................................. 1,294 452 460 382 1,385 476 519 390

Full-time workers1................................ 959 342 336 281 1,027 360 387 280

Part-time workers2

................................ 335 110 125 100 358 116 132 110

Employment-population ratio...................... 56.3 62.1 55.3 51.6 57.0 60.7 58.8 51.2

Unemployed.......................................... 190 64 68 58 174 55 64 55

Unemployment rate.............................. 12.8 12.4 12.9 13.3 11.2 10.4 11.0 12.4

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

4

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

NOTE: Own children include biological, step-, and adopted children of the husband, wife, or person maintaining the family. 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 persons 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.