For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, August 16, 2018 USDL-18-1316 

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

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

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH — SUMMER 2018 

From April to July 2018, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 2.0 million to

20.9 million, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This year, 55.0 percent of young people 

were employed in July, little changed from a year earlier. (The month of July typically is the 

summertime peak in youth employment.) The unemployment rate for youth was 9.2 percent in July, also 

little changed from July 2017. (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes in youth 

employment and unemployment that occur each spring and summer, the data are not seasonally 

adjusted.) 

Labor Force 

The youth labor force—16- to 24-year-olds working or actively looking for work—grows sharply 

between April and July each year. During these months, large numbers of high school and college 

students search for or take summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to look for or begin 

permanent employment. This summer, the youth labor force grew by 2.6 million, or 12.7 percent, to a 

total of 23.0 million in July. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate for all youth was 60.6 percent in July, unchanged from a year earlier. 

(The labor force participation rate is the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population that is 

working or looking and available for work.) (See table 2.) The summer labor force participation rate of 

youth has held fairly steady since July 2010, after trending downward for the prior two decades. 

The summer youth labor force participation rate peaked at 77.5 percent in July 1989. 

The July 2018 labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men, at 61.1 percent, was down 1.2 

percentage points over the year. The rate for young women, at 60.0 percent, rose 1.2 percentage points 

during the same period, reducing the gap in labor force participation between young men and women. 

Whites had the highest youth labor force participation rate in July 2018, at 62.8 percent. The rate was 

56.5 percent for Blacks, 43.3 percent for Asians, and 58.0 percent for Hispanics. Over the year, the labor 

force participation rate rose for Hispanics (+1.4 percentage points) and declined for Asians (-4.1 points). 

The decline among Asians offset a similar increase (+4.3 percentage points) between July 2016 and 

2017. Labor force participation rates in July 2018 for Whites and Blacks were essentially unchanged 

from a year earlier. 
- 2 - 

Employment

In July 2018, there were 20.9 million employed 16- to 24-year-olds, about the same number as the 

summer before. Between April and July 2018, the number of employed youth rose by 2.0 million, in line 

with the change between April and July 2017. The employment-population ratio for youth—the 

proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional population with a job—was 55.0 percent in 

July 2018, little changed from the prior year. (See tables 1 and 2.) 

Employment-population ratios in July 2018 were higher than a year earlier for young women (54.8 

percent), Whites (58.0 percent), and Hispanics (51.7 percent). The ratios declined for young men (55.2 

percent) and Asians (39.7 percent). The ratio for Blacks, at 47.2 percent in July, was about unchanged 

from the summer before.

In July 2018, the largest percentage of employed youth worked in the leisure and hospitality industry 

(26 percent), which includes food services. An additional 18 percent of employed youth worked in the 

retail trade industry, and 11 percent worked in education and health services. (See table 3.) 

Unemployment

Unemployment among youth rose by 567,000 from April to July 2018, compared with an increase of 

458,000 for the same period in 2017. 

The youth unemployment rate, at 9.2 percent in July 2018, was little changed from July 2017. This 

represents the lowest summer youth unemployment rate since July 1966. The number of unemployed 

youth was 2.1 million in July 2018, little different from a year earlier. Of the 2.1 million unemployed 

16- to 24-year-olds, 1.5 million were looking for full-time work in July 2018, also little changed from 

July 2017. (See tables 1 and 2.) 

In July 2018, the unemployment rates for both young men (9.8 percent) and women (8.6 percent) were 

little changed from the summer before. The July 2018 rate for young Asians (8.4 percent) declined over 

the year, while the rates for young Whites (7.6 percent), Blacks (16.5 percent), and Hispanics (10.8 

percent) showed little change over the year. (See table 2.) 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey 

of about 60,000 eligible households conducted monthly for 

the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census 

Bureau. The data in this release relate to the employment 

status of youth (16- to 24-year-olds) during the months of 

April-July. This period was selected as being the most 

representative time frame in which to measure the full 

summertime transition from school to work. July is the peak 

summer month of youth employment. 

Beginning in January of each year, data reflect revised 

population controls used in the CPS. Additional information 

about population controls is available on the BLS website at 

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

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

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

Reliability of the estimates 

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both 

sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than 

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

sample estimates may differ from the true population values 

they represent. The component of this difference that occurs 

because samples differ by chance is known as sampling 

error, and its 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. 

More information on the reliability of data from the 

CPS and estimating standard errors is available online at 

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

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in this release are 

described briefly below. 

Employed. Employed persons are all those who, during 

the survey reference week (which is generally the week 

including the 12th day of the month), (a) did any work at all 

as paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, 

profession, or on their own farm; (c) worked 15 hours or 

more as unpaid workers in a family member’s business. 

Persons who were temporarily absent from their jobs 

because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or 

another reason also are counted as employed. 

Unemployed. The unemployed are those 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 have 

been looking for work to be classified as unemployed. 

Looking for full-time work refers to 35 hours or more per 

week; part-time work refers to fewer than 35 hours per 

week. 

Civilian labor force. This group comprises all persons 

classified as employed or unemployed. 

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the 

number of unemployed persons as a percent of the civilian 

labor force. 

Labor force participation rate. The labor force 

participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the 

population. 

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

population. 

Not in the labor force. Included in this group are all 

persons in the civilian noninstitutional population who are 

neither employed nor unemployed. 

Industry and class of worker. This information applies 

to the job held during the reference week. Persons with two 

or more jobs are classified in the job at which they worked 

the greatest number of hours. Persons are classified using the 

2012 Census industry classification system. The class-ofworker breakdown assigns workers to the following 

categories: Private and government wage and salary workers, 

unincorporated self-employed workers, and unpaid family 

workers. 

Wage and salary workers. Included in this group are 

persons who receive wages, salary, commissions, tips, or 

pay in kind from a private employer or from a government 

entity. 

Self-employed workers. Included in this group are those 

who work for profit or fees in their own unincorporated 

business, profession, trade, or farm. Only unincorporated 

self-employed are included in the self-employed category. 

Self-employed persons whose businesses are incorporated 

are included with private wage and salary workers. 

Unpaid family workers. Included in this group are 

persons working without pay for 15 hours a week or more on 

a farm or in a business operated by a family member in their 

household. 
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, April-July 2018

[Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.]

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes

Number Percent

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 38,039 38,023 38,009 37,997 -42 -0.1

Civilian labor force.................................................. 20,425 20,779 22,640 23,016 2,591 12.7

Participation rate.................................................. 53.7 54.6 59.6 60.6 6.9 12.8

Employed.......................................................... 18,873 18,984 20,332 20,897 2,024 10.7

Employment-population ratio................................. 49.6 49.9 53.5 55.0 5.4 10.9

Unemployed....................................................... 1,552 1,795 2,309 2,119 567 36.5

Looking for full-time work..................................... 1,028 1,285 1,695 1,458 430 41.8

Looking for part-time work.................................... 523 510 614 660 137 26.2

Unemployment rate.............................................. 7.6 8.6 10.2 9.2 1.6 21.1

Not in labor force.................................................... 17,614 17,245 15,369 14,981 -2,633 -14.9

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 19,153 19,144 19,135 19,128 -25 -0.1

Civilian labor force.................................................. 10,489 10,659 11,639 11,695 1,206 11.5

Participation rate.................................................. 54.8 55.7 60.8 61.1 6.3 11.5

Employed.......................................................... 9,572 9,613 10,328 10,550 978 10.2

Employment-population ratio................................. 50.0 50.2 54.0 55.2 5.2 10.4

Unemployed....................................................... 916 1,045 1,312 1,145 229 25.0

Looking for full-time work..................................... 631 764 1,008 828 197 31.2

Looking for part-time work.................................... 285 281 303 317 32 11.2

Unemployment rate.............................................. 8.7 9.8 11.3 9.8 1.1 12.6

Not in labor force.................................................... 8,664 8,485 7,496 7,433 -1,231 -14.2

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 18,886 18,880 18,874 18,869 -17 -0.1

Civilian labor force.................................................. 9,936 10,120 11,001 11,321 1,385 13.9

Participation rate.................................................. 52.6 53.6 58.3 60.0 7.4 14.1

Employed.......................................................... 9,301 9,371 10,004 10,347 1,046 11.2

Employment-population ratio................................. 49.2 49.6 53.0 54.8 5.6 11.4

Unemployed....................................................... 635 749 997 974 339 53.4

Looking for full-time work..................................... 397 520 686 630 233 58.7

Looking for part-time work.................................... 238 229 311 344 106 44.5

Unemployment rate.............................................. 6.4 7.4 9.1 8.6 2.2 34.4

Not in labor force.................................................... 8,950 8,759 7,873 7,548 -1,402 -15.7

White

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 27,910 27,894 27,879 27,866 -44 -0.2

Civilian labor force.................................................. 15,574 15,876 17,227 17,509 1,935 12.4

Participation rate.................................................. 55.8 56.9 61.8 62.8 7.0 12.5

Employed.......................................................... 14,535 14,680 15,692 16,174 1,639 11.3

Employment-population ratio................................. 52.1 52.6 56.3 58.0 5.9 11.3

Unemployed....................................................... 1,039 1,195 1,535 1,335 296 28.5

Looking for full-time work..................................... 656 818 1,106 863 207 31.6

Looking for part-time work.................................... 383 378 429 471 88 23.0

Unemployment rate.............................................. 6.7 7.5 8.9 7.6 0.9 13.4

Not in labor force.................................................... 12,336 12,019 10,652 10,357 -1,979 -16.0

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 5,688 5,681 5,674 5,668 -20 -0.4

Civilian labor force.................................................. 2,795 2,866 3,152 3,203 408 14.6

Participation rate.................................................. 49.1 50.5 55.5 56.5 7.4 15.1

Employed.......................................................... 2,441 2,494 2,651 2,675 234 9.6

Employment-population ratio................................. 42.9 43.9 46.7 47.2 4.3 10.0

Unemployed....................................................... 354 372 501 528 174 49.2

Looking for full-time work..................................... 267 301 406 438 171 64.0

Looking for part-time work.................................... 86 71 95 90 4 4.7

Unemployment rate.............................................. 12.7 13.0 15.9 16.5 3.8 29.9

Not in labor force.................................................... 2,893 2,815 2,523 2,465 -428 -14.8
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, April-July 2018 — Continued

[Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.]

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes

Number Percent

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 2,294 2,264 2,308 2,302 8 0.3

Civilian labor force.................................................. 895 811 950 997 102 11.4

Participation rate.................................................. 39.0 35.8 41.1 43.3 4.3 11.0

Employed.......................................................... 845 755 847 913 68 8.0

Employment-population ratio................................. 36.9 33.3 36.7 39.7 2.8 7.6

Unemployed....................................................... 49 56 102 84 35 71.4

Looking for full-time work..................................... 32 42 73 59 27 84.4

Looking for part-time work.................................... 17 14 29 25 8 47.1

Unemployment rate.............................................. 5.5 6.9 10.7 8.4 2.9 52.7

Not in labor force.................................................... 1,399 1,453 1,358 1,305 -94 -6.7

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 8,659 8,668 8,677 8,687 28 0.3

Civilian labor force.................................................. 4,592 4,676 4,784 5,035 443 9.6

Participation rate.................................................. 53.0 53.9 55.1 58.0 5.0 9.4

Employed.......................................................... 4,227 4,259 4,302 4,492 265 6.3

Employment-population ratio................................. 48.8 49.1 49.6 51.7 2.9 5.9

Unemployed....................................................... 365 417 482 543 178 48.8

Looking for full-time work..................................... 242 279 359 362 120 49.6

Looking for part-time work.................................... 123 137 123 181 58 47.2

Unemployment rate.............................................. 7.9 8.9 10.1 10.8 2.9 36.7

Not in labor force.................................................... 4,067 3,992 3,894 3,652 -415 -10.2

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2015-2018

[Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.]

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

July

2015

July

2016

July

2017

July

2018

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 38,589 38,450 38,152 37,997

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 23,162 23,104 23,107 23,016

Participation rate..................................................................... 60.0 60.1 60.6 60.6

Employed............................................................................. 20,333 20,456 20,890 20,897

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 52.7 53.2 54.8 55.0

Unemployed.......................................................................... 2,829 2,648 2,217 2,119

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 2,134 1,912 1,607 1,458

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 695 736 610 660

Unemployment rate................................................................. 12.2 11.5 9.6 9.2

Not in labor force....................................................................... 15,426 15,346 15,045 14,981

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 19,442 19,380 19,219 19,128

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 12,011 12,094 11,983 11,695

Participation rate..................................................................... 61.8 62.4 62.3 61.1

Employed............................................................................. 10,488 10,638 10,773 10,550

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 53.9 54.9 56.1 55.2

Unemployed.......................................................................... 1,523 1,455 1,210 1,145

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 1,195 1,169 944 828

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 328 286 266 317

Unemployment rate................................................................. 12.7 12.0 10.1 9.8

Not in labor force....................................................................... 7,431 7,287 7,236 7,433

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 19,147 19,069 18,932 18,869

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 11,151 11,010 11,124 11,321

Participation rate..................................................................... 58.2 57.7 58.8 60.0

Employed............................................................................. 9,846 9,818 10,117 10,347

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 51.4 51.5 53.4 54.8

Unemployed.......................................................................... 1,306 1,193 1,007 974

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 939 743 663 630

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 367 450 344 344

Unemployment rate................................................................. 11.7 10.8 9.1 8.6

Not in labor force....................................................................... 7,996 8,059 7,808 7,548

White

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 28,488 28,297 28,038 27,866

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 17,735 17,734 17,423 17,509

Participation rate..................................................................... 62.3 62.7 62.1 62.8

Employed............................................................................. 15,903 15,981 16,031 16,174

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 55.8 56.5 57.2 58.0

Unemployed.......................................................................... 1,832 1,754 1,392 1,335

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 1,308 1,222 974 863

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 524 532 418 471

Unemployment rate................................................................. 10.3 9.9 8.0 7.6

Not in labor force....................................................................... 10,754 10,562 10,615 10,357

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 5,916 5,850 5,749 5,668

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 3,337 3,149 3,214 3,203

Participation rate..................................................................... 56.4 53.8 55.9 56.5

Employed............................................................................. 2,645 2,499 2,694 2,675

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 44.7 42.7 46.9 47.2

Unemployed.......................................................................... 691 650 520 528

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 604 533 412 438

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 87 117 108 90

Unemployment rate................................................................. 20.7 20.6 16.2 16.5

Not in labor force....................................................................... 2,580 2,701 2,535 2,465
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2015-2018 — Continued

[Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.]

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

July

2015

July

2016

July

2017

July

2018

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 2,148 2,212 2,208 2,302

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 957 954 1,047 997

Participation rate..................................................................... 44.6 43.1 47.4 43.3

Employed............................................................................. 855 859 944 913

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 39.8 38.8 42.7 39.7

Unemployed.......................................................................... 102 95 103 84

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 68 65 70 59

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 34 30 33 25

Unemployment rate................................................................. 10.7 10.0 9.9 8.4

Not in labor force....................................................................... 1,191 1,258 1,162 1,305

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 8,406 8,497 8,535 8,687

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 4,728 4,776 4,835 5,035

Participation rate..................................................................... 56.2 56.2 56.6 58.0

Employed............................................................................. 4,127 4,235 4,347 4,492

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 49.1 49.8 50.9 51.7

Unemployed.......................................................................... 601 540 488 543

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 458 385 353 362

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 143 155 135 181

Unemployment rate................................................................. 12.7 11.3 10.1 10.8

Not in labor force....................................................................... 3,679 3,721 3,700 3,652

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.
Table 3. Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, race, and Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, July 2017-2018

[Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.]

Industry and class of worker

Total White Black or African

American Asian Hispanic or Latinoethnicity

July

2017

July

2018

July

2017

July

2018

July

2017

July

2018

July

2017

July

2018

July

2017

July

2018

Total employed.................................. 20,890 20,897 16,031 16,174 2,694 2,675 944 913 4,347 4,492

Agriculture and related industries.......... 336 391 306 360 14 8 3 0 105 103

Nonagricultural industries................... 20,555 20,506 15,724 15,814 2,680 2,667 940 913 4,242 4,389

Private wage and salary workers1

....... 18,794 18,720 14,395 14,468 2,449 2,414 862 833 3,992 4,125

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas

extraction.............................. 32 77 26 75 0 0 0 0 3 23

Construction............................. 1,061 1,000 965 888 44 44 9 13 368 283

Manufacturing........................... 1,361 1,409 1,062 1,124 161 141 72 72 273 306

Durable goods........................ 820 815 683 684 83 66 37 35 140 147

Nondurable goods.................... 540 595 380 439 79 74 35 37 134 159

Wholesale trade......................... 290 304 236 234 28 52 15 13 70 77

Retail trade.............................. 3,978 3,682 2,996 2,800 570 574 190 164 907 840

Transportation and utilities............. 595 577 380 447 157 73 17 16 144 184

Information............................... 305 276 199 212 46 25 31 23 57 49

Financial activities...................... 721 797 556 621 89 99 36 30 115 176

Professional and business services... 1,724 1,738 1,328 1,322 217 232 96 108 317 389

Education and health services........ 2,466 2,383 1,848 1,778 379 404 108 83 442 469

Leisure and hospitality................. 5,403 5,463 4,107 4,158 680 666 242 270 1,141 1,125

Other services........................... 858 1,014 691 812 78 104 46 41 155 204

Government wage and salary

workers................................... 1,491 1,398 1,096 1,064 210 190 72 66 213 176

Federal................................... 194 177 107 100 45 48 20 9 24 18

State...................................... 541 465 392 375 67 47 31 30 71 44

Local...................................... 756 757 597 589 98 96 20 28 118 114

Self-employed, unincorporated, and

unpaid family workers.................. 270 388 233 282 21 62 6 14 37 88

1

Includes self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated.

NOTE: 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.