Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-7410 USDL 09-0079 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, January 23, 2009 

AMERICA'S YOUTH AT 21: SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, TRAINING, AND 

EMPLOYMENT TRANSITIONS BETWEEN AGES 20 AND 21 

At age 21, women are more likely to be enrolled in college than men, the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Among 21-year-olds not enrolled in college, men are 

more likely than women to be employed in a civilian job or serving in the military. 

These findings are from the first 10 annual rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 

1997, which is a nationally representative survey 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 21 to 27 when interviewed for the tenth time in 2006-07. This release focuses on the school 

enrollment and employment experiences of these individuals from the October when they were age 20 to 

the October when they were age 21. Respondents were age 20 in October during the years 2000 to 2005 

and age 21 in October from 2001 to 2006. 

Highlights from the longitudinal survey include: 

• Among 21-year-olds, 36 percent of men were enrolled in college compared with 46 percent of 

women. 

• Of the 20-year-olds enrolled in college, 82 percent were still enrolled when age 21. NonHispanic blacks and Hispanics were less likely than whites to continue their college enrollment 

between ages 20 and 21. 

• Ten percent of male high school graduates who had never enrolled in college were in the Armed 

Forces during the October when they were age 21, as were 6 percent of the 21-year-old men who 

had attended college but were no longer enrolled. 

• Thirty-seven percent of high school dropouts and 19 percent of high school graduates not 

enrolled in college were neither employed nor in training during the October when they were 

age 21. 

• Among high school dropouts, 39 percent of non-Hispanic blacks were not employed in either the 

October when they were age 20 or the October when they were age 21 compared with 24 percent 

of Hispanics and 19 percent of non-Hispanic whites. 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

• High school graduates not enrolled in college were employed an average of 77 percent of the 

weeks between the October when they were age 20 and the following October. By comparison, 

those who had dropped out of high school were employed 57 percent of those weeks. 

• By age 21, about 1 in 4 young adults who had never gone to college had been employed by the 

same employer for 2 or more years since they left school. Five percent had never held a job 

since they left school. 

Educational Attainment at Age 21

Forty-one percent of young adults were enrolled in college during the October when they were age 

21 compared with 43 percent of 20-year-olds and 45 percent of 19-year-olds. Forty-three percent of 21-

year-olds had graduated from high school and were not enrolled in college and 2 percent had earned a 

General Educational Development (GED) credential and were not enrolled in college. Thirteen percent 

were high school dropouts during the October when they were age 21. (See table 1.) 

Women were more likely than men to be enrolled in college. During the October when they were 

age 21, nearly half (46 percent) of women were attending college compared with 36 percent of men. 

This difference in college-enrollment rates stems from three factors: (1) Women were more likely to 

have graduated from high school; (2) among high school graduates, women were more likely to attend 

college; and (3) once enrolled in college, women were less likely than men to leave college between 

school years. 

Blacks and Hispanics were less likely than whites to be enrolled in college during the October when 

they were age 21. Forty-four percent of whites were enrolled in college compared with 30 percent of 

blacks and 29 percent of Hispanics. 

Schooling and Training between Ages 20 and 21

The level of educational attainment when a person first left school does not always indicate his or 

her final level of educational attainment. Eight percent of individuals who were high school dropouts in 

the October they were age 20 had graduated from high school or earned a GED by the following 

October. (See table 2.) 

Some people delay their college enrollment for a year or more after high school, and others enroll in 

college and then leave before earning a degree. Twelve percent of high school graduates not enrolled in 

college during the October when they were age 20 were enrolled in college the following October. 

Eighty-two percent of individuals attending college during the October when they were age 20 were still 

attending college by the following October, while 1 percent were enrolled in a training program and 17 

percent were not enrolled in college or in a training program. 

Instead of attending school, some young adults enroll in training to further their skills. Four percent 

of those who were high school dropouts in the October when age 20 and 6 percent of high school 

graduates not enrolled in college at that age were attending some kind of training or apprenticeship 

program the October when they were age 21. 
3

Employment and Training at Age 21 of Young Adults Not Enrolled in School

At age 21, labor force status differed substantially between high school dropouts, high school 

graduates who had never attended college, and individuals who had left college. Those with more 

education were more likely to be employed in civilian jobs or in the military. In the October they were 

age 21, about 6 of 10 high school dropouts were employed in civilian jobs or in the military. At this 

same time, 72 percent of high school graduates who had never enrolled in college were employed in 

civilian jobs, and another 6 percent were serving in the Armed Forces, including 10 percent of all men. 

Among high school graduates who had some college experience but were not enrolled in college during 

the October when they were age 21, nearly 8 of 10 were employed in civilian jobs, and 4 percent were 

serving in the Armed Forces. (See table 3.) 

Within each of these educational groups, men were more likely to be working or serving in the 

Armed Forces in the October when age 21 than women. Sixty-nine percent of male high school 

dropouts were employed in the civilian labor force or serving in the Armed Forces compared to 50 

percent of female dropouts. Among high school graduates, 82 percent of men and 72 percent of women 

who had never enrolled in college were employed or in the military, as were 85 percent of men and 79 

percent of women who had attended some college but were no longer enrolled. 

Enrollment in training also varies by educational level. Four percent of high school dropouts and 6 

percent of high school graduates who were not enrolled in college were receiving training in the October 

when they were age 21. High school graduates obtained more of their training while employed. Five 

percent of high school graduates were both employed and receiving training in the October when they 

were age 21, while only 1 percent were receiving training while not employed. Among high school 

dropouts, 2 percent of 21-year-olds were receiving training while employed and 2 percent were 

receiving training while not employed. (See table 4.) 

Employment Attachment of Young Adults Not Enrolled in School

Among individuals who were not enrolled in school during the Octobers when they were ages 20 or 

21, employment status varied considerably by level of educational attainment. Twenty-four percent of 

high school dropouts were not employed in either October, and 43 percent were employed in both 

Octobers. Among high school graduates ages 20 or 21 who were not enrolled in college, 10 percent 

were not employed in either October, and 68 percent were employed in both Octobers. (See table 5.) 

High school graduates not enrolled in college during the Octobers when they were ages 20 or 21 

were employed an average of 77 percent of the weeks between the October when they were age 20 and 

the following October. By comparison, high school dropouts were employed 57 percent of the weeks 

between the October when they were age 20 and the following October. Regardless of the level of 

educational attainment, men were employed a larger percentage of weeks than women, and whites were 

employed a larger percentage of weeks than blacks or Hispanics. Men were more likely than women to 

work 40 hours or more per week. Male high school dropouts worked 40 hours or more 47 percent of the 

weeks between the October when they were 20 and the following October compared with 28 percent of 

weeks for female dropouts. (See table 6.) 
4

Duration of Longest Job Held

Five percent of young adults who had never enrolled in college by age 21 also had not held a job 

since dropping out of or graduating from high school. Forty-one percent had held a job for 1 year or less 

since they first left school. In this report, a job is defined as an uninterrupted period of work with a 

particular employer. (See the Technical Note for additional information on the definition of a job.) 

Thirty-three percent had held a job for more than 1 year but less than 2 years, and 22 percent had held a 

job for 2 years or longer. Similar proportions of high school dropouts and high school graduates had 

never held a job since leaving school. High school dropouts were more likely than high school graduates to have held a job for 1 year or less. Dropouts were less likely than graduates to have held a job 

for 2 years or longer. (See table 7.) 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained using data 

from the first 10 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey 

of Youth 1997 (NLSY97). The NLSY97 collects extensive 

information on 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, the National Institute of Child Health 

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

and Human Services, and the National Science Foundation. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-

8339. 

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 the following groups: 

• 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. 

• Supplemental samples of Hispanic or Latino and 

black youths living in the U.S. in 1997 and born 

between January 1, 1980, and December 31, 1984. 

The tenth round of annual interviews took place 

between October 2006 and June 2007. This release examines 

the period from the October when respondents were age 20 

until the following October when respondents were age 21. 

All results except the first three age categories of table 1 are 

weighted using the survey weights from the round in which 

the respondents were age 21. The estimates of school 

enrollment status at ages 18, 19, and 20 use the survey 

weights from the round in which the respondents were those 

ages. The survey weights correct for oversampling of some 

demographic groups and nonresponse. When weighted, the 

data represent all people who were born in the years 1980 to 

1984 and living in the U.S. in 1997. Not represented by the 

survey are U.S. immigrants who were born from 1980 to 

1984 and moved to the U.S. after 1997. NLSY97 sample 

members remain eligible to be interviewed during military 

service or if they become incarcerated or institutionalized. 

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. The youngest respondents in 

the sample (birth year 1984) turned 20 during calendar year 

2004, whereas the oldest respondents (birth year 1980) turned 

20 during calendar year 2000. Some respondents may not be 

used in all tables if information about their work history is 

incomplete. 

Definitions 

School enrollment status. If a respondent was enrolled 

in high school or college at any point during the month of 

October, he or she is counted as enrolled. If a respondent 

reported no school enrollment during October and also had 

not earned a high school diploma or General Educational 

Development (GED) credential, he or she is counted as a high 

school dropout. 

Training. The NLSY97 obtains information on formal 

training experiences outside of regular schooling. The 

training questions explore what kinds of training respondents 

obtain, where and when they are trained, how the training is 

paid for, and what skills are acquired. Training programs 

include: Business or secretarial training; vocational, 

technical, or trade training; vocational rehabilitation centers; 

licensed practical nursing or registered nursing programs; 

apprenticeship programs; adult basic education and GED 

programs; correspondence courses; formal company training 

or seminars; and government training. 

Employed. The NLSY97 collects employment histories 

for civilian jobs and military service. Respondents are 

classified as employed if they did any work during the 

specified time period as paid employees, as self-employed 

proprietors of their own businesses, or as unpaid workers in a 

business owned by a member of their family, or if they were 

serving in the Armed Forces. 

Unemployed. Respondents are classified as unemployed if they did not work during the specified time period but 

reported that they looked for work or were on layoff from a 

job. No probing for intensity of job search is done. 

Not in the labor force. Respondents are classified as not in 

the labor force if they did not work or look for work during 

the specified time period. 

Job. A job is defined as an uninterrupted period of 

work with a particular employer. Jobs are therefore employer-based, not position-based. If a respondent indicates 
that he or she left a job but in a subsequent survey returned to 

the same job, it would be counted as a new job. For example, 

if an individual worked in a retail establishment, quit, and 

then resumed working for the same employer at a later date, 

this sequence would count as two jobs, rather than one. For 

self-employed workers, each “new” job is defined by the 

individuals themselves. 

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 usually are published for whites, blacks, and 

Hispanics or Latinos, but these groups are not mutually 

exclusive. “Hispanic or Latino” is considered to be an ethnic 

group, and people in that group 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. 
(Percent distribution)

Total High school 

dropouts

Enrolled in 

high school

High school 

graduates, not 

enrolled in 

college

General 

Educational 

Development 

(GED) 

recipients, not 

enrolled in 

college

Enrolled in 

college

Total, October when age 18 ............. 100.0 15.3 28.2 21.4 0.6 34.5

Men .............................................. 100.0 16.7 32.5 21.5 .6 28.7

Women ........................................ 100.0 13.8 23.8 21.3 .6 40.5

White, non-Hispanic .................... 100.0 13.8 26.9 20.3 .6 38.5

Black, non-Hispanic ..................... 100.0 20.3 33.3 20.4 .8 25.2

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 100.0 18.9 31.0 28.3 .7 21.1

Total, October when age 19.............. 100.0 16.7 4.1 32.9 1.6 44.7

Men .............................................. 100.0 19.2 4.7 35.3 1.5 39.3

Women ........................................ 100.0 14.1 3.5 30.2 1.7 50.5

White, non-Hispanic .................... 100.0 14.7 2.7 32.0 1.6 49.0

Black, non-Hispanic ..................... 100.0 23.3 7.7 34.9 1.7 32.5

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 100.0 21.4 7.4 37.8 1.5 31.8

Total, October when age 20 ............. 100.0 15.4 1.2 38.9 2.1 42.5

Men .............................................. 100.0 17.7 1.3 41.3 2.0 37.7

Women ........................................ 100.0 13.1 1.0 36.2 2.2 47.5

White, non-Hispanic .................... 100.0 13.1 .8 38.0 2.0 46.1

Black, non-Hispanic ..................... 100.0 23.3 2.1 41.5 2.4 30.7

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 100.0 20.2 1.7 44.5 2.2 31.3

Total, October when age 21 ............. 100.0 13.1 .5 43.3 2.3 40.8

Men .............................................. 100.0 14.9 .5 46.3 2.4 35.9

Women ........................................ 100.0 11.3 .4 40.3 2.2 45.8

White, non-Hispanic .................... 100.0 11.2 .2 41.9 2.2 44.4

Black, non-Hispanic ..................... 100.0 19.8 1.0 46.5 2.9 29.7

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 100.0 17.3 1.2 49.9 2.2 29.3

 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. 

 Characteristic

Table 1. School enrollment status of young adults during the October when ages 18 to 21 in 1998-2006 by sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 

School enrollment status
(Percent distribution)

Have not graduated from high 

school Have graduated from high school 1

Not 

enrolled in 

high 

school or 

training 

program

Enrolled in 

high 

school 2

Enrolled in 

training 

program 3

Not 

enrolled in 

college or 

training 

program

Enrolled in 

college 2

Enrolled in 

training 

program 3 

High school dropouts ........................ 100.0 86.9 1.4 3.5 6.1 1.8 0.1

Men ............................................... 100.0 86.0 1.5 3.7 6.5 2.1 .2

Women ......................................... 100.0 88.2 1.4 3.4 5.6 1.4 .1

White, non-Hispanic ...................... 100.0 88.4 1.0 3.1 5.7 1.8 (

4

)

Men ............................................ 100.0 88.5 1.3 2.3 5.5 2.4 (

4

)

Women ....................................... 100.0 88.3 .6 4.1 5.9 1.1 (

4

)

Black, non-Hispanic ....................... 100.0 83.7 2.2 4.1 8.0 1.5 .5

Men ............................................ 100.0 79.2 2.1 5.2 10.7 2.0 .7

Women ....................................... 100.0 91.9 2.4 2.1 3.0 .6 (

4

)

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 100.0 87.3 2.0 3.4 5.4 1.6 .2

Men ............................................ 100.0 90.2 1.1 3.8 3.0 1.8 (

4

)

Women ....................................... 100.0 83.0 3.3 2.8 8.9 1.4 .6

High school graduates, 

not enrolled in college ................. 100.0 - - - 82.8 11.6 5.6

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 83.7 10.5 5.8

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 81.7 12.9 5.4

White, non-Hispanic ...................... 100.0 - - - 82.4 11.4 6.2

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 82.3 10.8 6.9

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 82.7 12.1 5.2

Black, non-Hispanic ....................... 100.0 - - - 83.7 11.0 5.3

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 89.1 6.6 4.3

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 78.0 15.6 6.4

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 100.0 - - - 84.5 11.6 3.9

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 85.4 11.5 3.0

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 83.3 11.7 5.0

Table 2. School or training enrollment status during the October when age 21 in 2001-2006 by school 

enrollment status during the October when age 20, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

School enrollment status during

the October when age 20

School enrollment status during the October when age 21

Total
(Percent distribution)

Have not graduated from high 

school Have graduated from high school 1

Not 

enrolled in 

high 

school or 

training 

program

Enrolled in 

high 

school 2

Enrolled in 

training 

program 3

Not 

enrolled in 

college or 

training 

program

Enrolled in 

college 2

Enrolled in 

training 

program 3 

Enrolled in college ............................ 100.0 - - - 16.9 82.1 1.0

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 18.5 80.4 1.1

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 15.6 83.5 1.0

White, non-Hispanic ...................... 100.0 - - - 14.7 84.4 .9

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 16.2 82.8 .9

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 13.4 85.7 .9

Black, non-Hispanic ....................... 100.0 - - - 23.1 76.2 .8

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 25.1 74.6 .3

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 21.7 77.2 1.1

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 100.0 - - - 25.0 73.4 1.6

Men ............................................ 100.0 - - - 25.6 72.3 2.1

Women ....................................... 100.0 - - - 24.5 74.4 1.1

Table 2. School or training enrollment status during the October when age 21 in 2001-2006 by school 

enrollment status during the October when age 20, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity―Continued

School enrollment status during

the October when age 20

School enrollment status during the October when age 21

Total

 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. 

1 Respondents who have received a General Educational Development (GED) credential are counted as high school 

graduates.

3 Training includes any courses, training programs, or apprenticeships designed to help people find a job, improve their 

job skills, or learn a new job. Training also may include a GED preparation course.

2 A small percent of respondents were enrolled in both formal schooling (that is, high school or college) and training. 

They are counted in the formal schooling categories only.

4 Less than .05 percent.
(Percent distribution)

Total Employed 

civilian

Serving in 

Armed 

Forces

Unemployed Not in the 

labor force

High school dropouts .................................................. 100.0 60.6 0.3 8.6 30.5

Men .......................................................................... 100.0 68.4 .4 8.6 22.6

Women .................................................................... 100.0 49.8 .1 8.7 41.4

White, non-Hispanic ................................................ 100.0 66.7 .2 7.1 25.9

Black, non-Hispanic ................................................ 100.0 45.9 .5 10.3 43.4

Hispanic or Latino ................................................... 100.0 59.2 .4 11.2 29.3

High school graduates, never enrolled in college1 ...... 100.0 71.5 6.4 6.0 16.0

Men .......................................................................... 100.0 72.0 10.0 6.2 11.8

Women .................................................................... 100.0 70.8 1.4 5.7 22.0

White, non-Hispanic ................................................ 100.0 76.6 5.6 4.7 13.0

Black, non-Hispanic ................................................ 100.0 57.7 7.4 11.3 23.6

Hispanic or Latino ................................................... 100.0 68.4 7.7 4.9 18.9

Some college, no longer enrolled ................................ 100.0 77.9 3.8 4.7 13.6

Men .......................................................................... 100.0 78.7 5.9 5.0 10.4

Women .................................................................... 100.0 77.1 1.8 4.4 16.7

White, non-Hispanic ................................................ 100.0 80.1 4.3 3.1 12.5

Black, non-Hispanic ................................................ 100.0 72.9 2.8 9.5 14.7

Hispanic or Latino ................................................... 100.0 74.4 3.8 4.7 17.1

 1

 Respondents who have received a General Educational Development (GED) credential are counted as high school 

graduates.

 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. 

Table 3. Employment status of young adults not enrolled in school during the October when age 21 in 2001-

2006 by high school graduation status, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

High school graduation status

during the October when age 21

Employment status during the October when age 21
(Percent distribution)

Enrolled in 

training 3

Not enrolled 

in training

Enrolled in 

training 3

Not enrolled 

in training

High school dropouts ................................................. 100.0 2.0 59.2 1.9 36.8

Men ......................................................................... 100.0 2.3 66.3 1.9 29.6

Women .................................................................. 100.0 1.7 49.6 2.0 46.7

White, non-Hispanic .............................................. 100.0 1.7 65.4 1.7 31.3

Black, non-Hispanic ............................................... 100.0 1.8 45.8 3.1 49.4

Hispanic or Latino .................................................. 100.0 2.2 57.4 1.7 38.7

High school graduates, not enrolled in college 4 ....... 100.0 4.8 75.3 1.3 18.6

Men ......................................................................... 100.0 5.1 78.5 1.1 15.3

Women .................................................................. 100.0 4.4 71.6 1.6 22.4

White, non-Hispanic .............................................. 100.0 5.6 78.1 1.0 15.3

Black, non-Hispanic ............................................... 100.0 2.7 67.3 2.7 27.3

Hispanic or Latino .................................................. 100.0 3.4 74.2 1.2 21.2

2 The employed category includes both civilian employment and service in the Armed Forces. 

3 Training includes any courses, training programs, or apprenticeships designed to help people find a job, improve their 

job skills, or learn a new job. Training also may include a General Educational Development (GED) preparation course.

4 Respondents who have received a GED credential are counted as high school graduates.

 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. 

1 Training enrollment status was unknown for a small number of survey participants, who were therefore excluded from 

the estimates in this table.

Table 4. Employment and training status of young adults not enrolled in school during the October when age 21 

in 2001-2006 by high school graduation status, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

High school graduation status

during the October when age 21

Employment and training status during the October when age 21 1

Total

Employed 2 Not employed
(Percent distribution)

Total

Not 

employed

 in either 

October

Employed at 

age 20, but 

not age 21

Employed at 

age 21, but 

not age 20

Employed 

both 

Octobers

High school dropouts ............................................... 100.0 24.3 14.8 18.3 42.6

Men ....................................................................... 100.0 20.2 11.5 19.4 49.0

Women ................................................................ 100.0 29.7 19.2 16.9 34.2

White, non-Hispanic ............................................ 100.0 18.5 14.4 18.2 48.9

Black, non-Hispanic ............................................. 100.0 39.2 13.6 19.3 28.0

Hispanic or Latino ................................................ 100.0 24.0 17.5 18.8 39.7

High school graduates, not enrolled in college 2 ....... 100.0 9.5 9.8 12.7 68.0

Men ....................................................................... 100.0 7.4 8.4 11.6 72.7

Women ................................................................ 100.0 12.0 11.6 14.1 62.3

White, non-Hispanic ............................................ 100.0 7.4 8.3 11.4 72.9

Black, non-Hispanic ............................................. 100.0 16.3 14.7 17.1 51.9

Hispanic or Latino ................................................ 100.0 11.2 11.1 13.7 64.0

 1 The employed category includes both civilian employment and service in the Armed Forces.

 2

 Respondents who have received a General Educational Development (GED) credential are counted as high school 

graduates.

 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. 

Table 5. Employment status during the October when ages 20 and 21 in 2001-2006 of young adults not enrolled 

in school at age 20 or 21 by high school graduation status, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

High school graduation status

during the October when age 21

Percent of youths 1
(Percent distribution)

Total 1 to 29 

hours

30 to 39 

hours

40 hours

or more

High school dropouts ................................................ 100.0 57.1 5.2 11.7 38.9 42.3

Men ........................................................................ 100.0 63.5 4.7 10.0 46.8 36.3

Women ................................................................. 100.0 48.8 5.9 13.9 28.4 50.2

White, non-Hispanic ............................................. 100.0 64.4 6.0 13.5 43.5 35.0

Black, non-Hispanic .............................................. 100.0 38.9 5.6 9.0 22.6 60.3

Hispanic or Latino ................................................. 100.0 56.8 2.1 10.3 43.9 42.8

High school graduates, not enrolled in college 2 ....... 100.0 76.6 6.2 12.4 56.5 22.7

Men ........................................................................ 100.0 81.4 4.8 10.0 65.1 18.2

Women ................................................................. 100.0 70.7 7.9 15.3 46.0 28.3

White, non-Hispanic ............................................. 100.0 80.0 6.3 13.1 59.1 19.3

Black, non-Hispanic .............................................. 100.0 66.2 6.4 11.3 46.4 33.3

Hispanic or Latino ................................................. 100.0 73.5 4.9 10.1 57.0 26.1

 2

 Respondents who have received a General Educational Development (GED) credential are counted as high school 

graduates.

 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. Some categories do not sum to the 

totals because employment status or work hours could not be determined for some respondents during some weeks. 

 1

 The employed category includes both civilian employment and service in the Armed Forces. All weeks when 

serving in the Armed Forces are included in the "40 hours or more" category.

Table 6. Percent of weeks employed or not employed between the October when ages 20 and 21 for young 

adults not enrolled in school during October at ages 20 and 21 by high school graduation status, sex, race, 

and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 

High school graduation status

during the October when age 21

Percent of weeks between October when ages 20 and 21

Total

Employed 1

Not 

employed
(Percent distribution)

No job 1 year or less

More than 1 

year but less 

than 2 years

2 years or more

Total, never enrolled in college ......................... 6.3 45.1 32.6 16.0

 Less than a high school diploma ..................... 7.7 51.4 29.3 11.6

 High school graduates, no college .................. 5.7 42.1 34.1 18.1

Men ................................................................... 5.6 44.8 33.4 16.1

 Less than a high school diploma ..................... 6.2 51.2 30.1 12.4

 High school graduates, no college .................. 5.3 41.9 34.9 17.8

Women .............................................................. 7.3 45.5 31.3 15.8

 Less than a high school diploma ..................... 9.6 51.7 28.1 10.5

 High school graduates, no college .................. 6.2 42.5 32.9 18.4

White non-Hispanic ........................................... 3.6 42.2 35.5 18.7

 Less than a high school diploma ..................... 3.2 49.8 33.8 13.1

 High school graduates, no college .................. 3.8 39.0 36.2 21.0

Black non-Hispanic............................................ 14.0 53.4 23.9 8.7

 Less than a high school diploma ..................... 20.6 53.7 18.8 7.0

 High school graduates, no college .................. 9.9 53.2 27.2 9.7

Hispanic or Latino ............................................. 7.5 45.8 33.3 13.4

 Less than a high school diploma ..................... 6.0 54.2 28.1 11.7

 High school graduates, no college .................. 8.2 41.4 36.1 14.3

Table 7. Duration of longest job held with a single employer from the time a person left high school to age 

21 by educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Characteristic

Duration of longest job held

 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.