1

Technical information: (202) 691-7410

 http://www.bls.gov/nls/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-732

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

WORK ACTIVITY OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: DATA FROM THE

NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL SURVEY OF YOUTH 1997

Based upon the recurring interviews of a panel of young people conducted over the 1997-2003 period,

work activity for high school students varied substantially depending upon the specific grade they were attending. For example, 23 percent of high school freshmen worked during the school year, while nearly 75

percent of high school seniors worked at some time during the school year. Many students who eventually

graduated from high school worked long hours during the school year; about a quarter of working freshmen

averaged 21 or more hours of work per week, as did 56 percent of working seniors.

These findings are from the first six annual rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which

is sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The survey provides information on the employment experiences, schooling, family background, social behavior, and other characteristics of

youths. The survey includes a nationally representative sample of about 9,000 young men and women who

were born during the years 1980 to 1984. These respondents were ages 12 to 17 when first interviewed in

1997, and ages 18 to 23 when interviewed for a sixth time in 2002-03. For this release, respondents born in

1984 were excluded from the analysis because many had not yet completed high school. The remaining respondents, born in the years 1980-83, attended high school during the years 1994 to 2002.

This release focuses on the employment experiences of these youths while in high school. The release

examines only “employee jobs,” also known as wage and salary jobs, in which youths have an ongoing

formal relationship with a particular employer. “Freelance jobs,” such as babysitting or lawn care, in which

youths are more casually involved in the labor market are not examined. Highlights from the longitudinal

survey include:

Forty-one percent of high school freshmen worked during the school year or following summer,

compared with 87 percent of seniors.

Year-round attachment to the formal labor market forms early while in high school. Nearly 18 percent of freshmen worked during both the school year and the following summer. By sophomore

year, the percent of students who worked during both school and summer doubled to 39 percent.

By senior year, two-thirds of students worked during both the school year and summer.

Working students who eventually graduated often worked 21 or more hours per week. Nearly

24 percent of working freshmen worked 21 or more hours per week during the school year, as

did 56 percent of working seniors.

•

•

•
2

Youths in Jobs during High School

For many youths, the introduction to the formal labor market begins at a young age. (See table 1.)

Nearly 41 percent of freshmen worked at some time during the school year or following summer. Almost 23

percent of freshmen worked at some point during the school year. Eighteen percent worked during both the

school year and the following summer, but not necessarily the entire school year and summer.

The percent of enrolled youths who worked at some point during the school year was substantially

higher at each successive grade. Among high school sophomores, 45 percent worked during the school

year. Nearly two-thirds of juniors worked during the school year, as did nearly three-fourths of seniors.

Among high school freshmen and sophomores, young men are more likely to work than are young

women. By the senior year, however, young men and women are equally likely to have jobs.

Differences in employment activities are also apparent by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Among

freshmen, 44 percent of non-Hispanic whites held a job during the school year or following summer, compared with 34 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 32 percent of Hispanics or Latinos. Students in all three

race or ethnic groups were substantially more likely to work at each successive grade level, but non-Hispanic

whites remained more likely to work than non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics or Latinos.

Of high school students who worked, the majority worked at some time during both the academic year

and the following summer. Even as freshmen, 45 percent of those who worked did so during both the

school year and the following summer, as did 60 percent of working sophomores, 73 percent of working

juniors, and 77 percent of working seniors. At advanced grade levels, comparatively few employed students

worked only during the summer without also having worked during the previous school year. Among working freshmen, 45 percent worked during the summer only; however, just 18 percent of juniors and 14 percent

of seniors worked during the summer without having worked during the previous school year. (See table 2.)

Employed non-Hispanic black students were less likely to work during both the school year and summer

and more likely to work only in the summer than were employed non-Hispanic white students. Among fresh-

 men, 33 percent of non-Hispanic black students worked at some point during both the school year and

following summer, compared with 47 percent of non-Hispanic white students. Among seniors, 69 percent

of non-Hispanic black students worked during both the school year and following summer, compared with

80 percent of non-Hispanic white students.

Graduates: Intensity of Work while in High School

Working students who eventually graduated from high school spent a large amount of time at work while

also juggling their academic requirements. More than half of freshmen who worked during the school year

worked more than 50 percent of the school weeks, although most worked 10 hours or less per week. (See

table 3.) By their sophomore year in high school, 54 percent of students who worked during the school year

worked more than half of their school weeks, with 18 percent of them averaging 21 or more hours per

week. By their senior year, three-quarters of employed students worked more than half of school weeks.

Moreover, 25 percent of seniors worked over half of the school year and averaged between 21 and 30

hours a week, while an additional 20 percent worked more than half of the school year and averaged 31

or more hours a week.

 than 50 percent of school weeks. About 1 in 5 employed seniors worked more than 50 percent of

 school weeks and averaged 31 or more hours of work per week.

• Of the 75 percent of seniors who worked during the school year, over three-fourths worked more
3

Non-Hispanic blacks who worked during the school year and eventually graduated from high school

were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have worked more than half the weeks of the school year.

Regardless of the number of school weeks they worked, however, blacks in every grade level were more

likely than whites to average more than 21 hours of work per week.

Dropouts: Intensity of Work while in High School

The working behavior during the school year of students who later drop out differs from the working

behavior of students who eventually graduate. Youths who eventually dropped out of high school were less

likely than their peers to have worked more than half of the school year prior to the one in which they dropped out. (See tables 4, 5, and 6.) For example, 52 percent of working youths who dropped out of high

school during their senior year worked more than half of the school weeks during their junior year. By

comparison, among youths who eventually graduated from high school, 70 percent of those who worked

during their junior year worked more than half the weeks of that school year.

Eventual dropouts who worked more than half of the school weeks tended to work more hours per

week than did their counterparts who eventually graduated. For example, students who dropped out as

sophomores and worked more than half the school weeks during their freshman year were nearly twice as

likely as their freshmen counterparts who eventually graduated to average 21 or more hours of work per

week. This pattern continued for youths who dropped out in later years. Among students who dropped out

as seniors and worked more than half the school weeks during their junior year, 33 percent averaged 21 or

more hours of work per week. By comparison, 29 percent of juniors who worked more than half the school

year and eventually graduated averaged 21 or more work hours per week.

The longer that students remain in high school, the less likely they are to drop out. Among students

enrolled as freshmen, 23 percent did not receive a high school diploma by age 20. (See table 7.) Sixteen

percent of students who started their sophomore year eventually dropped out, as did 10 percent of students

who started their junior year. Of students who remained in high school until the start of their senior year, just

4 percent dropped out before graduating. Students who worked during their freshman or sophomore years

of high school were somewhat more likely to drop out than were students who did not work during those

same grades. Among freshmen, 29 percent of those who worked during the school year eventually dropped

out of school, compared with 22 percent of those who did not work. Eighteen percent of sophomores who

worked eventually dropped out of high school, compared with 15 percent of sophomores who did not work.

Among students who remained in high school until their junior or senior years, those who worked were about

equally likely as those who did not work to drop out of high school.
Technical Note

The estimates in this release were obtained using data from

the first six rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of

Youth 1997 (NLSY97). The NLSY97 is the newest survey in the

National Longitudinal Surveys program. The NLSY97 collects

extensive information on youths’ labor market behavior and

educational experiences. Information about respondents’

families and communities also is obtained in the survey.

This survey is conducted by the National Opinion Research

Center at the University of Chicago and the Center for Human

Resource Research at The Ohio State University, under

the direction and sponsorship of the Bureau of Labor

Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Partial funding

support for the survey has been provided by the Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S.

Department of Justice, the Office of Vocational and Adult

Education of the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S.

Department of Defense, and the National Institute of Child

Health and Human Development of the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services.

Sample

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 is a

nationally representative sample of 8,984 young men and

women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996. This

sample is composed of two subsamples:

A cross-sectional sample designed to represent the

noninstitutionalized, civilian segment of young people

living in the U.S. in 1997 and born between January 1,

1980, and December 31, 1984.

A supplemental sample of youths designed to oversample Hispanic or Latino and black youths living in the

U.S. in 1997 and born between January 1, 1980, and

December 31, 1984.

The sixth round of annual interviews took place between

November 2002 and May 2003. For this news release, youths

born in 1984 were dropped from the sample because their high

school education history was not yet complete. All results are

weighted using the sixth-round survey weights that correct for

oversampling and nonresponse. When weighted, the data

represent all Americans living in the U.S. in 1997 and born in

the years 1980 to 1983. U.S. immigrants who were born from

1980 to 1983 and moved to the U.S. after 1997 are not represented by the survey.

Sample size varies both between and within tables. For

example, the sample in table 4 has youths who worked during

their freshman year and then dropped out as sophomores

compared with freshmen who later graduated, while the sample

for table 5 is youths who dropped out as juniors and who

worked during their sophomore school years compared with

sophomores who later graduated.

Interaction between time and age in a longitudinal

survey

Because the NLSY97 is a longitudinal survey, meaning the

same people are surveyed over time, the ages of the

respondents change with each survey round. It is important

to keep in mind this inherent link between the calendar years

and the ages of the respondents. For example, table 1 reports

employment by grade in school. The majority of the youngest

respondents in the sample (birth year 1983) were enrolled in

high school during 1998-2002, whereas the oldest respondents

(birth year 1980) were enrolled in high school from 1994-1998.

Some respondents may not be used in all tables if information

about their work history is incomplete.

Definitions

Employment. Respondents are classified as employed if

they did any work as paid employees at “employee jobs.” This

excludes youths who worked in “freelance jobs,” either in their

own businesses (self-employed), or as unpaid workers in a

business owned by a member of their family. An employee job

is one in which the youth has an ongoing relationship with a

particular employer, such as working in a supermarket or

restaurant. A freelance job involves doing one or a few tasks

without a specific “boss,” like babysitting or mowing lawns or

working for oneself.

School year and following summer. The school term is

defined as the period from September through May. The

summer is composed of June, July, and August.

Determining dropout date. To determine if an individual

has dropped out of school, enrollment status is determined at

two points in time: in either September or October and then

again in either April or May. Dropouts are shown in the tables

based on the last school year that they completed.

Race and ethnic groups. In this release, the findings are

reported for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and

Hispanics or Latinos. These groups are mutually exclusive

but not exhaustive. Other groups, which are included in the

overall totals, are not shown separately because their

representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to

provide statistically reliable estimates. In other BLS

publications, estimates are published for whites, blacks, and

Hispanics or Latinos, but these groups usually are not mutually

exclusive. The term “Hispanic or Latino” is considered to be

an ethnic group and can be of any race. Most other BLS

publications include estimates for Hispanics or Latinos in the

white and black race groups in addition to the Hispanic or Latino

ethnic group.

Information in this release will be made available to sensoryimpaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-

5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.

•

•
Percent who worked during school year

Total

Worked during 

school year and 

summer

 Total, freshmen ................................... 40.6 22.6 18.2 4.2 18.0

Male ..................................................... 45.5 26.1 21.0 4.9 19.3

Female ....................................... 35.4 18.7 15.1 3.5 16.7

White non-Hispanic .................................................................................... 44.1 25.3 20.7 4.5 18.7

Black non-Hispanic .................... 34.2 14.6 11.0 3.4 19.5

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 32.2 18.9 14.5 4.4 13.4

Eventually graduated ................. 36.6 18.7 15.7 2.8 17.8

Eventually dropped out ................. 41.5 25.3 17.1 7.8 16.3

 Total, sophomores ................................... 65.4 44.9 39.1 5.5 20.4

Male ..................................................... 68.4 48.4 41.9 6.1 19.9

Female ....................................... 62.0 41.1 36.0 4.9 20.9

White non-Hispanic ................................................................................... 70.8 49.6 44.1 5.2 21.1

Black non-Hispanic .................... 54.0 33.3 27.8 5.1 20.5

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 55.6 38.4 30.8 7.3 17.0

Eventually graduated ................. 62.4 40.4 35.6 4.4 22.0

Eventually dropped out ................. 62.1 45.0 34.6 9.9 17.0

 Total, juniors ...................................78.6 64.6 56.8 7.7 13.8

Male ..................................................... 79.9 65.3 57.3 8.0 14.5

Female ....................................... 77.2 63.9 56.3 7.4 13.2

White non-Hispanic .......................... 82.5 69.3 62.9 6.3 13.2

Black non-Hispanic .................... 70.0 55.5 43.9 11.3 14.3

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 70.7 55.0 44.8 10.2 15.6

Eventually graduated ................. 76.8 61.8 54.6 7.1 14.9

Eventually dropped out ................. 70.5 59.0 44.9 13.9 11.3

 Total, seniors ...................................86.7 74.5 66.3 7.9 11.8

Male ..................................................... 86.4 73.6 65.3 8.0 12.6

Female ....................................... 86.9 75.5 67.4 7.7 11.1

White non-Hispanic ................................89.7 78.3 71.2 6.7 11.1

Black non-Hispanic .................... 79.5 66.6 54.9 11.4 12.7

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 80.6 67.0 55.8 11.1 13.3

Table 1. Percent of enrolled youths with an employee job during the school year and the following summer by 

grade in school, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, dropout status, and timing of employment

 NOTE: Totals may be greater than the sum of their parts because in some cases it is possible to determine if a youth 

worked during the school year without being able to determine if they also worked during the summer. The National 

Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996. 

Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are 

included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not 

sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. The school year is defined as September through May, 

excluding the last full week of December and the first week of January. Summer is defined as June, July, and August.

Grade level, characteristic, and 

age at the start of the grade

Percent of students 

who ever worked 

during the school 

year or following 

summer

Percent who 

worked during 

summer only

Worked during 

school year only
Worked during school 

year and summer

Worked during summer 

only

 Total, freshmen .................................................................... 45.0 10.5 44.5

Male ................................................................ 46.5 10.9 42.7

Female ............................................................. 42.9 9.9 47.2

White non-Hispanic ................................................................................... 47.1 10.2 42.7

Black non-Hispanic ..................................................... 32.5 10.0 57.5

Hispanic or Latino .......................................................... 44.9 13.6 41.5

Eventually graduated ..................................... 43.2 7.8 49.0

Eventually dropped out ..................................... 41.5 19.0 39.4

 Total, sophomores ..................................................... 60.1 8.5 31.4

Male ................................................................ 61.7 9.0 29.4

Female ............................................................. 58.2 7.9 33.8

White non-Hispanic ................................................................................... 62.6 7.4 29.9

Black non-Hispanic ..................................................... 52.1 9.5 38.3

Hispanic or Latino ...................................................... 559 13.3 30.8

Eventually graduated ................................. 59.6 6.8 33.6

Eventually dropped out ............................... 62.6 12.8 24.6

 Total, juniors ............................................................ 72.5 9.9 17.7

Male ................................................................ 71.8 10.0 18.2

Female ............................................................. 73.2 9.7 17.1

White non-Hispanic ................................................................................... 76.4 7.7 16.0

Black non-Hispanic ..................................................... 63.1 16.2 20.7

Hispanic or Latino ...................................................... 634 14.4 22.1

Eventually graduated ....................................... 57.5 7.1 35.4

Eventually dropped out ...........................................56.3 16.1 27.6

 Total, seniors ................................................................ 77.1 9.2 13.8

Male ................................................................ 76.0 9.4 14.6

Female ............................................................. 78.2 9.0 12.9

White non-Hispanic ................................................................................... 80.0 7.6 12.5

Black non-Hispanic ..................................................... 69.4 14.4 16.1

Hispanic or Latino ...................................................... 695 13.9 16.6

 NOTE: The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12 to 

16 on December 31, 1996. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. 

Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in 

the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. The school year is defined as 

September through May, excluding the last full week of December and the first week of January. Summer is defined 

as June, July, and August.

Table 2. Distribution of employed high school students by grade, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 

dropout status, and timing of employment

Grade level, characteristic, and age 

at start of the grade

Percent employed during either 

the school year or summer

Worked during school 

year only
Freshmen ...................................46.2 19.2 14.8 6.1 6.1 51.8 26.4 13.7 6.2 5.5

 Male .............................. 45.5 17.7 15.6 6.1 6.0 52.2 25.5 12.9 6.8 7.0

 Female ................................. 47.1 21.2 13.5 6.1 6.2 51.2 27.7 14.8 5.3 3.4

 White non-Hispanic ...................................... 44.7 19.6 13.7 5.4 6.0 54.0 27.9 14.7 6.5 4.9

 Black non-Hispanic ............................. 59.5 17.5 19.6 11.7 10.8 37.9 13.3 11.0 9.2 4.5

 Hispanic or Latino ............................. 46.8 17.1 18.5 8.1 3.1 47.0 26.5 6.6 2.1 11.8

Sophomores ......................... 44.8 11.5 18.2 9.0 6.2 54.0 14.1 22.0 11.7 6.2

 Male .............................. 44.8 12.3 16.3 9.2 7.1 54.1 13.1 21.1 12.0 7.8

 Female ................................. 44.7 10.5 20.4 8.7 5.1 53.9 15.3 23.0 11.4 4.3

 White non-Hispanic ...................................... 42.3 12.4 17.1 8.1 4.7 56.7 15.2 24.2 11.9 5.5

 Black non-Hispanic ............................. 53.4 8.3 19.8 13.5 11.8 45.9 6.8 14.0 15.0 10.1

 Hispanic or Latino ............................. 52.1 11.1 19.4 10.1 11.5 44.7 14.0 17.0 7.4 6.3

Juniors ......................................28.9 5.0 12.5 6.4 5.0 69.6 11.3 29.2 19.4 9.6

 Male .............................. 29.9 4.9 13.0 6.6 5.4 68.1 9.3 26.7 20.0 12.1

 Female ................................. 27.9 5.2 12.0 6.2 4.5 71.0 13.4 31.8 18.8 7.1

 White non-Hispanic ...................................... 26.9 5.4 11.9 5.3 4.3 71.7 12.1 30.6 19.6 9.4

 Black non-Hispanic ............................. 36.0 2.7 14.4 9.9 9.1 62.4 4.9 26.3 18.9 12.3

 Hispanic or Latino ............................. 35.5 4.2 16.4 9.9 5.0 61.6 9.3 22.8 19.9 9.6

Seniors ..................................... 23.4 3.2 8.5 5.8 5.9 75.2 6.3 24.5 24.5 19.9

 Male .............................. 24.2 2.9 8.3 5.9 7.1 74.3 5.8 21.0 24.8 22.7

 Female ................................. 22.7 3.4 8.7 5.8 4.8 76.1 6.8 27.8 24.3 17.1

 White non-Hispanic ...................................... 20.9 2.9 7.9 5.1 4.9 77.9 7.2 26.2 25.1 19.5

 Black non-Hispanic ............................. 34.7 3.1 11.7 10.1 9.8 63.9 3.0 19.9 23.6 17.4

 Hispanic or Latino ............................. 25.6 2.5 8.0 6.2 8.8 71.5 4.2 19.4 25.4 22.4

Worked 51 percent or more of school weeks

 NOTE: Totals do not add to 100 percent because the exact number of weeks or hours of employment could not be calculated for a small number of employed 

youth. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996. Race and Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because 

their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. The school year is defined as September through May, 

excluding the last full week of December and the first week of January. Summer is defined as June, July, and August.

Characteristic

Percent of those employed during the school year

Total Total

Average hours worked per week

 31 hours or 

more

 21 to 30 

hours

10 hours 

or less

10 hours 

or less

 21 to 30 

hours

Table 3. Distribution of employed high school students who eventually graduated by year in school, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, percent of school 

weeks worked, and average hours worked per week

Worked 50 percent or fewer of school weeks

Average hours worked per week

 31 hours 

or more

11 to 20 

hours

11 to 20

 hours
 11 to 20

hours

Freshmen who dropped out

 as sophomores ........................... 46.7 12.5 19.1 11.3 3.8 49.1 4.6 25.0 8.5 11.0

 Male ........................................ 40.2 9.2 17.8 11.7 1.5 55.2 6.3 29.4 8.0 11.6

 Female ....................................63.6 21.2 22.5 10.2 9.7 33.0 13.8 9.8 9.4

 White non-Hispanic ............................... 44.6 16.9 11.6 12.2 3.9 51.8 5.3 27.3 8.0 11.2

 Black non-Hispanic ......................... 35.5 6.9 21.3 7.3 57.5 6.8 20.9 22.0 7.9

 Hispanic or Latino ........................ 56.4 36.7 12.7 7.0 37.8 23.2 14.7

Freshmen who eventually

 graduated ..............................46.2 19.2 14.8 6.1 6.1 51.8 26.4 13.7 6.2 5.5

 Male ........................................ 45.5 17.7 15.6 6.1 6.0 52.2 25.5 12.9 6.8 7.0

 Female ....................................47.1 21.2 13.5 6.1 6.2 51.2 27.7 14.8 5.3 3.4

 White non-Hispanic ............................... 44.7 19.6 13.7 5.4 6.0 54.0 27.9 14.7 6.5 4.9

 Black non-Hispanic ......................... 59.5 17.5 19.6 11.7 10.8 37.9 13.3 11.0 9.2 4.5

 Hispanic or Latino ........................ 46.8 17.1 18.5 8.1 3.1 46.5 26.5 6.1 2.1 11.8

-- --

--

--

--

10 hours 

or less

11 to 20 

hours

 21 to 30 

hours

 NOTE: Totals do not add to 100 percent because the exact number of weeks or hours of employment could not be calculated for a small number of 

employed youth. A dash indicates that no cases were found in the survey sample. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young 

men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not 

exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not 

sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. The school year is defined as September through May, excluding the last full week of 

December and the first week of January. Summer is defined as June, July, and August.

Total Total

Average hours worked per week

10 hours 

or less 

Worked 50 percent or fewer of school weeks

Table 4. Distribution of employed high school freshmen who dropped out as sophomores and those who eventually graduated by sex, 

race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, percent of school weeks worked, and average hours worked per week

Worked 51 percent or more of school weeks

Percent of those employed during the school year

Characteristic

31 hours 

or more

 21 to 30 

hours

 31 hours 

or more

Average hours worked per week
Sophomores who dropped

 out as juniors .......................... 46.9 4.4 14.3 13.2 15.0 50.8 7.8 17.5 12.4 13.1

 Male ........................................ 47.1 1.8 19.1 15.7 10.5 50.0 3.5 14.9 13.5 18.1

 Female ....................................46.5 9.4 4.9 8.4 23.8 52.3 16.3 22.4 10.1 3.5

 White non-Hispanic ............................... 40.3 3.6 10.8 11.3 14.7 57.8 10.6 21.7 10.8 14.7

 Black non-Hispanic ......................... 59.7 9.8 15.2 20.8 13.9 34.3 3.0 5.5 14.5 11.3

 Hispanic or Latino ........................(1) (1)

Sophomores who eventually

 graduated .............................44.8 11.5 18.2 9.0 6.2 54.0 14.1 22.0 11.7 6.2

 Male ........................................ 44.8 12.3 16.3 9.2 7.1 54.1 13.1 21.1 12.0 7.8

 Female ....................................44.7 10.5 20.4 8.7 5.1 53.9 15.3 23.0 11.4 4.3

 White non-Hispanic ............................... 42.3 12.4 17.1 8.1 4.7 56.7 15.2 24.2 11.9 5.5

 Black non-Hispanic ......................... 53.4 8.3 19.8 13.5 11.8 45.9 6.8 14.0 15.0 10.1

 Hispanic or Latino ........................ 52.1 11.1 19.4 10.1 11.5 44.7 14.0 17.0 7.4 6.3

 21 to 30 

hours

31 hours 

or more

(1) (1)

10 hours 

or less

(1)

11 to 20 

hours

(1) (1) (1) (1)

 31 hours 

or more

(1)

 NOTE: Totals do not add to 100 percent because for a very small sample of employed youth, the exact weeks or hours of employment could not be 

calculated. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996. Race 

and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not 

shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. The school year is 

defined as September through May, excluding the last full week of December and the first week of January. Summer is defined as June, July, and 

August.

 1 Data not shown where cell size is less than 50.

Characteristic

10 hours 

or less 

Table 5. Distribution of employed high school sophomores who dropped out as juniors and those who eventually graduated by sex, race, 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, percent of school weeks worked, and average hours worked per week

Worked 50 percent or fewer of school weeks Worked 51 percent or more of school weeks

Average hours worked per week

Total

Percent of those employed during the school year

Total

Average hours worked per week

 11 to 20 

hours

 21 to 30 

hours
11 to 20 

hours

 21 to 30 

hours

Juniors who dropped out

 as seniors ................................47.6 2.1 20.6 14.7 10.1 52.4 6.7 12.5 16.6 16.6

 Male ................................... 49.8 1.8 20.8 16.3 10.9 50.2 11.2 13.2 11.1 14.6

 Female ....................................... 44.3 2.5 20.3 12.5 9.0 55.7 11.4 24.9 19.5

 White non-Hispanic ...................... 45.3 23.2 15.6 6.5 54.7 9.9 11.0 17.8 16.1

 Black non-Hispanic ........................... 47.8 17.4 8.3 8.8 13.3 52.2 -- 22.1 30.1

 Hispanic or Latino .......................... (1) (1) (1) (1)

Juniors who eventually

 graduated ........................... 28.9 5.0 12.5 6.4 5.0 69.6 11.3 29.2 19.4 9.6

 Male ................................... 29.9 4.9 13.0 6.6 5.4 68.1 9.3 26.7 20.0 12.1

 Female ....................................... 27.9 5.2 12.0 6.2 4.5 71.0 13.4 31.8 18.8 7.1

 White non-Hispanic ...................... 26.9 5.4 11.9 5.3 4.3 71.7 12.1 30.6 19.6 9.4

 Black non-Hispanic ........................... 36.0 2.7 14.4 9.9 9.1 62.4 4.9 26.3 18.9 12.3

 Hispanic or Latino .......................... 35.5 4.2 16.4 9.9 5.0 61.6 9.3 22.8 19.9 9.6

10 hours 

or less 

(1)

--

 NOTE: Totals do not add to 100 percent because the exact number of weeks or hours of employment could not be calculated for a small number of 

employed youth. A dash indicates that no cases were found in the survey sample. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men 

and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other 

race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to 

provide statistically reliable estimates. The school year is defined as September through May, excluding the last full week of December and the first week of 

January. Summer is defined as June, July, and August.

 1 Data not shown where cell size is less than 50.

Characteristic

 21 to 30 

hours

 31 hours 

or more

31 hours 

or more

(1) (1)

Table 6. Distribution of employed high school juniors who dropped out as seniors and those who eventually graduated by sex, race, Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity, percent of school weeks worked, and average hours worked per week

Worked 50 percent or fewer of school weeks Worked 51 percent or more of school weeks

Average hours worked per week Average hours worked per week

Percent of those employed during the school year

Total Total

--

--

 11 to 20 

hours

(1)

10 hours 

or less

(1) (1)
Freshmen ..............................................................23.3 29.0 21.6

 Male ............................................................ 25.5 28.8 24.3

 Female ............................................................21.0 29.4 18.9

 White non-Hispanic ........................................... 20.7 26.4 17.9

 Black non-Hispanic .............................................33.0 31.1 43.1

 Hispanic or Latino .......................................... 27.9 36.4 25.8

Sophomores ................................................... 16.3 18.0 15.0

 Male ............................................................ 19.0 20.4 17.7

 Female ............................................................13.4 14.9 12.4

 White non-Hispanic ........................................... 14.1 16.2 12.2

 Black non-Hispanic .............................................23.5 24.4 23.0

 Hispanic or Latino .......................................... 20.9 24.9 18.5

Juniors .................................................................9.9 9.9 10.0

 Male ............................................................ 11.1 11.2 10.8

 Female ............................................................ 8.7 8.4 9.1

 White non-Hispanic ........................................... 8.2 8.5 7.6

 Black non-Hispanic .............................................15.1 13.6 16.9

 Hispanic or Latino .......................................... 13.6 14.3 12.9

Seniors ........................................................... 4.4 4.2 4.5

 Male ............................................................ 5.2 5.4 4.6

 Female ............................................................ 3.7 3.7 3.6

 White non-Hispanic ........................................... 3.7 3.9 2.9

 Black non-Hispanic ............................................. 6.5 6.6 6.3

 Hispanic or Latino .......................................... 7.1 6.8 7.6

Table 7. Percent of high school students who did not receive a diploma by age 20 by grade, sex, 

race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and employment status during the school year 

 NOTE: The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 

on December 31, 1996. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other 

race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. The school year is defined as September 

through May, excluding the last full week of December and the first week of January. Summer is defined as June, July, 

and August.

Employment status during

Characteristic Total the school year

Worked Did not work