For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, August 18, 2015 USDL-15-1590 

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 2015

From April to July 2015, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 2.1 million to 

20.3 million, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This year, 52.7 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.) Unemployment among youth rose by 654,000 from April to 

July 2015, compared with an increase of 913,000 for the same period in 2014. (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 2.7 million, or 13.5 percent, to a 

total of 23.2 million in July. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate for all youth was 60.0 percent in July, little changed 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.) The summer labor force participation rate of youth 

has held fairly steady since July 2010, after generally trending downward for many years. The summer 

youth labor force participation rate peaked at 77.5 percent in July 1989. (See table 2.) 

The July 2015 labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men was 61.8 percent, higher than the 

rate for young women at 58.2 percent. The rate for men declined from last July, while the rate for 

women was little changed. 

The youth labor force participation rate was highest for whites, at 62.3 percent in July 2015. The rate 

was 56.4 percent for blacks, 44.6 percent for Asians, and 56.2 percent for Hispanics. The rate for blacks 

rose by 3.5 percentage points from the previous July, while the rates for whites, Asians, and Hispanics 

showed little or no change. 

Employment

In July 2015, there were 20.3 million employed 16- to 24-year-olds, not much different from the 

summer before. Between April and July 2015, the number of employed youth rose by 2.1 million, in line 
- 2 - 

with the increase for the prior 3 summers. The employment-population ratio for youth in July 2015—the 

proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional population with a job—was 52.7 percent, 

little changed from the year before. (See tables 1 and 2.) 

The employment-population ratios for young women (51.4 percent), blacks (44.7 percent), and 

Hispanics (49.1 percent) were higher in July 2015 than a year earlier. The ratios for young men (53.9 

percent), whites (55.8 percent), and Asians (39.8 percent) showed little change from last July. 

In July 2015, 27 percent of employed youth worked in the leisure and hospitality industry (which 

includes food services), 20 percent worked in the retail trade industry, and another 11 percent worked in 

education and health services. (See table 3.)

Unemployment

The number of unemployed youth was 2.8 million in July 2015, down from 3.4 million a year earlier. 

The youth unemployment rate was 12.2 percent in July 2015, 2.1 percentage points less than a year 

before. Among the major demographic groups, July unemployment rates were lower than the prior year 

for young men (12.7 percent), women (11.7 percent), whites (10.3 percent), blacks (20.7 percent), and 

Hispanics (12.7 percent). The youth jobless rate changed little for Asians (10.7 percent). (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 2015

[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................................... 38,654 38,630 38,609 38,589 -65 -0.2

Civilian labor force.................................................. 20,416 21,342 22,926 23,162 2,746 13.5

Participation rate.................................................. 52.8 55.2 59.4 60.0 7.2 13.6

Employed.......................................................... 18,241 18,709 19,789 20,333 2,092 11.5

Employment-population ratio................................. 47.2 48.4 51.3 52.7 5.5 11.7

Unemployed....................................................... 2,175 2,633 3,138 2,829 654 30.1

Looking for full-time work..................................... 1,527 1,969 2,309 2,134 607 39.8

Looking for part-time work.................................... 648 664 829 695 47 7.3

Unemployment rate.............................................. 10.7 12.3 13.7 12.2 1.5 14.0

Not in labor force.................................................... 18,238 17,288 15,682 15,426 -2,812 -15.4

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 19,473 19,462 19,451 19,442 -31 -0.2

Civilian labor force.................................................. 10,508 11,069 11,766 12,011 1,503 14.3

Participation rate.................................................. 54.0 56.9 60.5 61.8 7.8 14.4

Employed.......................................................... 9,298 9,569 10,005 10,488 1,190 12.8

Employment-population ratio................................. 47.7 49.2 51.4 53.9 6.2 13.0

Unemployed....................................................... 1,210 1,501 1,761 1,523 313 25.9

Looking for full-time work..................................... 865 1,155 1,320 1,195 330 38.2

Looking for part-time work.................................... 346 345 441 328 -18 -5.2

Unemployment rate.............................................. 11.5 13.6 15.0 12.7 1.2 10.4

Not in labor force.................................................... 8,966 8,392 7,686 7,431 -1,535 -17.1

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 19,180 19,168 19,157 19,147 -33 -0.2

Civilian labor force.................................................. 9,908 10,272 11,161 11,151 1,243 12.5

Participation rate.................................................. 51.7 53.6 58.3 58.2 6.5 12.6

Employed.......................................................... 8,943 9,140 9,784 9,846 903 10.1

Employment-population ratio................................. 46.6 47.7 51.1 51.4 4.8 10.3

Unemployed....................................................... 965 1,132 1,377 1,306 341 35.3

Looking for full-time work..................................... 662 814 989 939 277 41.8

Looking for part-time work.................................... 303 318 388 367 64 21.1

Unemployment rate.............................................. 9.7 11.0 12.3 11.7 2.0 20.6

Not in labor force.................................................... 9,272 8,896 7,997 7,996 -1,276 -13.8

White

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 28,551 28,529 28,508 28,488 -63 -0.2

Civilian labor force.................................................. 15,591 16,291 17,605 17,735 2,144 13.8

Participation rate.................................................. 54.6 57.1 61.8 62.3 7.7 14.1

Employed.......................................................... 14,110 14,576 15,542 15,903 1,793 12.7

Employment-population ratio................................. 49.4 51.1 54.5 55.8 6.4 13.0

Unemployed....................................................... 1,481 1,715 2,064 1,832 351 23.7

Looking for full-time work..................................... 1,024 1,238 1,447 1,308 284 27.7

Looking for part-time work.................................... 457 477 617 524 67 14.7

Unemployment rate.............................................. 9.5 10.5 11.7 10.3 0.8 8.4

Not in labor force.................................................... 12,961 12,238 10,903 10,754 -2,207 -17.0

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 5,935 5,928 5,922 5,916 -19 -0.3

Civilian labor force.................................................. 2,939 3,099 3,260 3,337 398 13.5

Participation rate.................................................. 49.5 52.3 55.1 56.4 6.9 13.9

Employed.......................................................... 2,476 2,457 2,497 2,645 169 6.8

Employment-population ratio................................. 41.7 41.4 42.2 44.7 3.0 7.2

Unemployed....................................................... 463 642 763 691 228 49.2

Looking for full-time work..................................... 359 525 615 604 245 68.2

Looking for part-time work.................................... 105 117 148 87 -18 -17.1

Unemployment rate.............................................. 15.8 20.7 23.4 20.7 4.9 31.0

Not in labor force.................................................... 2,996 2,829 2,662 2,580 -416 -13.9
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 2015 — 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................................... 2,140 2,170 2,170 2,148 8 0.4

Civilian labor force.................................................. 841 883 951 957 116 13.8

Participation rate.................................................. 39.3 40.7 43.8 44.6 5.3 13.5

Employed.......................................................... 758 772 832 855 97 12.8

Employment-population ratio................................. 35.4 35.6 38.4 39.8 4.4 12.4

Unemployed....................................................... 83 111 119 102 19 22.9

Looking for full-time work..................................... 54 70 97 68 14 25.9

Looking for part-time work.................................... 30 41 22 34 4 13.3

Unemployment rate.............................................. 9.9 12.5 12.5 10.7 0.8 8.1

Not in labor force.................................................... 1,300 1,287 1,219 1,191 -109 -8.4

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 8,386 8,392 8,399 8,406 20 0.2

Civilian labor force.................................................. 4,397 4,448 4,710 4,728 331 7.5

Participation rate.................................................. 52.4 53.0 56.1 56.2 3.8 7.3

Employed.......................................................... 3,921 3,910 4,003 4,127 206 5.3

Employment-population ratio................................. 46.8 46.6 47.7 49.1 2.3 4.9

Unemployed....................................................... 475 538 707 601 126 26.5

Looking for full-time work..................................... 370 425 533 458 88 23.8

Looking for part-time work.................................... 105 112 174 143 38 36.2

Unemployment rate.............................................. 10.8 12.1 15.0 12.7 1.9 17.6

Not in labor force.................................................... 3,989 3,944 3,690 3,679 -310 -7.8

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 2012-2015

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

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

July

2012

July

2013

July

2014

July

2015

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 38,799 38,861 38,735 38,589

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 23,472 23,506 23,437 23,162

Participation rate..................................................................... 60.5 60.5 60.5 60.0

Employed............................................................................. 19,461 19,684 20,085 20,333

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 50.2 50.7 51.9 52.7

Unemployed.......................................................................... 4,011 3,821 3,353 2,829

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 3,074 2,819 2,460 2,134

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 937 1,002 893 695

Unemployment rate................................................................. 17.1 16.3 14.3 12.2

Not in labor force....................................................................... 15,327 15,355 15,298 15,426

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 19,554 19,587 19,527 19,442

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 12,355 12,283 12,335 12,011

Participation rate..................................................................... 63.2 62.7 63.2 61.8

Employed............................................................................. 10,140 10,127 10,470 10,488

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 51.9 51.7 53.6 53.9

Unemployed.......................................................................... 2,215 2,156 1,865 1,523

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 1,785 1,665 1,437 1,195

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 430 491 428 328

Unemployment rate................................................................. 17.9 17.6 15.1 12.7

Not in labor force....................................................................... 7,199 7,303 7,191 7,431

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 19,245 19,274 19,208 19,147

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 11,117 11,223 11,102 11,151

Participation rate..................................................................... 57.8 58.2 57.8 58.2

Employed............................................................................. 9,321 9,557 9,614 9,846

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 48.4 49.6 50.1 51.4

Unemployed.......................................................................... 1,796 1,665 1,488 1,306

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 1,289 1,154 1,023 939

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 507 511 465 367

Unemployment rate................................................................. 16.2 14.8 13.4 11.7

Not in labor force....................................................................... 8,128 8,052 8,106 7,996

White

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 28,956 28,866 28,718 28,488

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 18,213 18,205 18,137 17,735

Participation rate..................................................................... 62.9 63.1 63.2 62.3

Employed............................................................................. 15,498 15,679 15,917 15,903

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 53.5 54.3 55.4 55.8

Unemployed.......................................................................... 2,715 2,525 2,220 1,832

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 2,019 1,814 1,612 1,308

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 696 711 607 524

Unemployment rate................................................................. 14.9 13.9 12.2 10.3

Not in labor force....................................................................... 10,743 10,661 10,581 10,754

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 5,971 5,997 5,973 5,916

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 3,256 3,225 3,160 3,337

Participation rate..................................................................... 54.5 53.8 52.9 56.4

Employed............................................................................. 2,323 2,315 2,376 2,645

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 38.9 38.6 39.8 44.7

Unemployed.......................................................................... 933 910 784 691

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 783 771 591 604

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 150 139 192 87

Unemployment rate................................................................. 28.6 28.2 24.8 20.7

Not in labor force....................................................................... 2,715 2,772 2,813 2,580
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2012-2015 — Continued

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

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

July

2012

July

2013

July

2014

July

2015

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 1,922 2,028 2,044 2,148

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 839 934 936 957

Participation rate..................................................................... 43.7 46.1 45.8 44.6

Employed............................................................................. 718 794 834 855

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 37.4 39.2 40.8 39.8

Unemployed.......................................................................... 121 140 102 102

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 83 81 70 68

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 38 59 32 34

Unemployment rate................................................................. 14.4 15.0 10.9 10.7

Not in labor force....................................................................... 1,083 1,094 1,109 1,191

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 8,164 8,229 8,313 8,406

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 4,658 4,756 4,675 4,728

Participation rate..................................................................... 57.1 57.8 56.2 56.2

Employed............................................................................. 3,799 3,897 3,903 4,127

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 46.5 47.4 47.0 49.1

Unemployed.......................................................................... 860 859 772 601

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 698 622 560 458

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 162 238 212 143

Unemployment rate................................................................. 18.5 18.1 16.5 12.7

Not in labor force....................................................................... 3,506 3,473 3,637 3,679

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 2014-2015

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

Industry and class of worker

Total White Black or African

American Asian Hispanic or Latinoethnicity

July

2014

July

2015

July

2014

July

2015

July

2014

July

2015

July

2014

July

2015

July

2014

July

2015

Total employed.................................. 20,085 20,333 15,917 15,903 2,376 2,645 834 855 3,903 4,127

Agriculture and related industries.......... 353 309 340 294 7 7 0 1 86 47

Nonagricultural industries................... 19,732 20,024 15,577 15,609 2,369 2,638 834 853 3,817 4,079

Private wage and salary workers1

....... 18,052 18,223 14,207 14,169 2,175 2,418 774 791 3,551 3,790

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas

extraction.............................. 126 75 118 68 4 0 4 3 28 9

Construction............................. 879 883 768 799 39 36 19 1 269 267

Manufacturing........................... 1,328 1,385 1,094 1,133 120 162 69 46 277 322

Durable goods........................ 813 882 692 726 51 104 42 33 140 173

Nondurable goods.................... 516 504 402 406 69 58 27 14 137 149

Wholesale trade......................... 338 277 287 228 22 24 20 12 82 94

Retail trade.............................. 3,843 4,005 2,872 2,902 577 680 175 206 763 785

Transportation and utilities............. 516 447 376 337 100 73 11 13 120 133

Information............................... 341 288 278 221 25 30 16 30 74 52

Financial activities...................... 760 725 617 571 73 93 35 39 134 180

Professional and business services... 1,632 1,547 1,329 1,228 151 158 97 75 347 332

Education and health services........ 2,142 2,236 1,611 1,664 312 331 142 137 383 368

Leisure and hospitality................. 5,078 5,437 3,976 4,234 635 762 161 196 902 1,098

Other services........................... 1,068 918 883 784 116 68 26 33 174 150

Government wage and salary

workers................................... 1,310 1,403 1,056 1,091 165 195 42 47 185 189

Federal................................... 131 114 78 82 43 14 6 9 21 3

State...................................... 535 541 447 414 42 77 23 19 76 80

Local...................................... 644 748 532 595 80 103 13 18 88 106

Self-employed, unincorporated, and

unpaid family workers.................. 369 398 314 349 30 26 18 16 81 100

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.