For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday, December 8, 2010 USDL-10-1688 

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

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

WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION – 2009 

A total of 153.9 million persons worked at some point during 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

reported today. The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in 2009 was 64.0 percent, 

down from 65.6 percent in 2008. The number of persons who experienced some unemployment during 

2009 increased by 4.9 million to 26.1 million. The sharp increase reflects the continuing weak labor 

market conditions experienced throughout 2009. 

These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) 

to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey conducted by the U.S. Census 

Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ASEC collects information on employment and 

unemployment experienced during the prior calendar year. Additional information about the CPS and 

the ASEC, including concepts and definitions, is provided in the Technical Note. Highlights from the 

2009 data include: 

 The proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over who worked at some 

time during 2009 was 64.9 percent, down from 67.0 percent in 2008. (See table 1.) 

 The "work-experience unemployment rate"—defined as the number of persons unemployed at 

some time during the year as a proportion of the number of persons who worked or looked for 

work during the year—was 16.4 percent in 2009, up from 13.2 percent in 2008. (See table 3.) 

 The number of individuals who looked for a job but did not work at all during 2009 increased 

by 2.7 million over the year to 5.8 million. (See table 3.) 

Persons with Employment 

The percent of men who worked during 2009 was 70.6 percent, down from 73.1 percent in 2008. The 

proportion of women who worked at some point during 2009 was 59.6 percent, down from 61.3 percent 

in the prior year. (See table 1.) 

The proportions of whites (65.8 percent), blacks (58.8 percent), Asians (65.2 percent), and Hispanics 

(65.0 percent) who worked at some time during the year fell in 2009. (See table 2.) 

Among those with work experience during 2009, 75.3 percent were employed year round (working 50 to 

52 weeks, either full or part time), down from 76.1 percent in 2008. The percentage of women working 

year round rose by 0.8 percentage point to 75.1 percent in 2009, and the percentage of men employed 

year round fell by 2.2 percentage points to 75.5 percent. (See table 1.) 
- 2 - 

Of those employed at some time during 2009, 78.3 percent usually worked full time, down from 79.5 

percent in 2008. Men were more likely to work full time during the year (84.4 percent) than were 

women (71.5 percent). In 2009, the proportions of employed men and women working full time declined 

by 1.6 and 0.7 percentage points, respectively. 

Persons with Unemployment 

About 159.8 million persons worked or looked for work at some time in 2009. Of those, 26.1 million 

experienced some unemployment during the year, up from 21.2 million in 2008. Men accounted for the 

majority of the over-the-year increase in unemployment. (See table 3.) 

At 16.4 percent in 2009, the "work-experience unemployment rate" (those looking for work during the 

year as a percent of those who worked or looked for work during the year) was 3.2 percentage points 

higher than in 2008. The 2009 rate was the highest since 1985. The rates for whites (15.5 percent), 

blacks (22.4 percent), Hispanics (20.9 percent), and Asians (12.6 percent) rose in 2009. (See tables 3 

and 4.) 

Overall, men continued to have higher "work-experience unemployment rates" in 2009 than women, 

18.8 versus 13.6 percent. Among whites, the rate for men (18.1 percent) was higher than that for women 

(12.6 percent). This also was the case for men and women among blacks (26.1 and 19.1 percent, respectively) and Hispanics (23.7 and 16.9 percent, respectively.) The rates for Asian men (12.4 percent) and 

Asian women (12.8 percent) were little different. 

Among those who experienced unemployment in 2009, the median number of weeks spent looking for 

work was 19.7, up from 15.2 in 2008. The number of individuals who looked for a job but did not work 

at all increased by 2.7 million to about 5.8 million individuals in 2009. Of the 20.3 million persons who 

worked during 2009 and also experienced unemployment, 20.5 percent had 2 or more spells of joblessness, down from 22.1 percent in 2008. 
Technical Note 

The data presented in this release were collected in the 

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current 

Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample 

survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data from the CPS are used to 

obtain the monthly estimates of the nation's employment and 

unemployment levels. The supplement, conducted in the 

months of February through April, includes questions about 

work activity during the prior calendar year. For instance, 

data collected in 2010 refer to the 2009 calendar year. 

Because the reference period is a full year, the number of persons with some employment or unemployment greatly exceeds the average levels for any given month, which are 

based on a 1-week reference period, and the corresponding 

annual average of the monthly estimates. As shown below, 

for example, the number experiencing any unemployment 

during 2009 was over twice the number unemployed in an 

average month during the year. 

 Employed Unemployed 

 2009 estimates (in thousands) 

 Annual average of 

 monthly estimates 139,877 14,265 

 Annual supplement data 153,929 26,135 

In addition, estimates from the supplement differ from 

those obtained in the basic CPS because the questions used to 

classify workers as either employed or unemployed are different. More important, perhaps, is that fewer questions by 

which to categorize respondents are asked in the supplement. 

In regard to unemployment in particular, the supplement has 

no questions on the type of job search activity or on the 

respondent's availability to work Also, individuals can be 

counted as both employed and unemployed in the work 

experience data, whereas, for a specific reference week, each 

person is only counted in one category and employment 

activity takes precedence over job search activity. 

Work experience data for 2009, which were collected in 

the 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the 

CPS, are not strictly comparable with data for 2008 and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2010 of 

revised population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the 

revised population controls on the work experience estimates 

is unknown. However, the effect of the new January 2010 

controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the 

December 2009 employment level by 243,000 and the unemployment level by 5,000. Additional information is available 

on the Internet 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 exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. 

There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, 

that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more 

than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the 

data. 

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the 

CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see "Reliability of estimates from the CPS," available on the Internet 

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

Concepts and definitions 

Persons who worked. In the 2010 supplement, persons 

are considered to have worked if they responded "yes" to 

either the question "Did you work at a job or business at any 

time during 2009?" or "Did you do any temporary, part-time, 

or seasonal work even for a few days during 2009?" 

Unemployed persons. Persons who worked during the 

year but not in every week are counted as unemployed if they 

also reported looking for work or being on layoff from a job 

during the year. Those who reported no work activity during 

the year are considered unemployed if they responded "yes" 

to the question "Even though you did not work in 2009, did 

you spend any time trying to find a job or on layoff?" 

Labor force participants. Persons who either worked or 

were unemployed during the year. 

Usual full- and part-time employment. These data refer 

to the number of hours a worker typically works during most 

weeks of the year. Workers are classified as full time if they 

usually worked 35 hours or more in a week; part-time employment refers to workers whose typical workweek was 

between 1 and 34 hours. 

Year-round and part-year employment. Workers are 

classified as year round if they worked 50 to 52 weeks. Partyear employment refers to workers who worked fewer than 

50 weeks. 
Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2008-09

Extent of employment

Total Men Women

2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009

Numbers (in thousands)

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................................................................... 235,086 237,158 113,758 114,820 121,328 122,339

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 160,658 159,776 84,781 84,396 75,878 75,380

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 68.3 67.4 74.5 73.5 62.5 61.6

Total who worked during the year 1 .................................................................. 157,472 153,929 83,109 81,073 74,363 72,855

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 67.0 64.9 73.1 70.6 61.3 59.6

Full time 2 ..................................................................................................... 125,116 120,538 71,443 68,436 53,673 52,101

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 103,265 98,519 59,163 55,341 44,101 43,178

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,221 1,903 1,353 1,172 868 731

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 6,177 5,428 3,403 3,153 2,774 2,275

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,981 5,006 2,854 3,002 2,127 2,004

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 5,071 5,717 2,792 3,378 2,279 2,339

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 3,402 3,964 1,878 2,389 1,524 1,574

Part time 3 ..................................................................................................... 32,356 33,391 11,665 12,637 20,690 20,754

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 16,553 17,405 5,419 5,904 11,134 11,502

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 875 811 301 253 575 558

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,791 2,706 939 1,023 1,852 1,682

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,954 3,153 1,209 1,246 1,744 1,907

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,519 4,627 1,900 2,042 2,620 2,585

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 4,662 4,689 1,897 2,169 2,765 2,520

Percent distribution

Total who worked during the year 1 ...................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ......................................................................................................... 79.5 78.3 86.0 84.4 72.2 71.5

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 65.6 64.0 71.2 68.3 59.3 59.3

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.9 3.5 4.1 3.9 3.7 3.1

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.7 2.9 2.8

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.2 3.7 3.4 4.2 3.1 3.2

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 2.2 2.6 2.3 2.9 2.0 2.2

Part time 3 ......................................................................................................... 20.5 21.7 14.0 15.6 27.8 28.5

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 10.5 11.3 6.5 7.3 15.0 15.8

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.8 0.8

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.8 1.8 1.1 1.3 2.5 2.3

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.9 2.0 1.5 1.5 2.3 2.6

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 2.9 3.0 2.3 2.5 3.5 3.5

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 3.0 3.0 2.3 2.7 3.7 3.5

1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave. 2 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week. 3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Data for 2009, which

were collected in the 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the

Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 2008

and earlier years because of the introduction of updated population

controls, which are introduced annually with the release of January data. 

For additional information, see the technical note and "Adjustments to

Household Survey Population Estimates in January 2010" available on the

Internet at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps10adj.pdf.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2008-09

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009

WHITE 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 190,503 191,727 93,246 93,927 97,257 97,800

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 131,102 130,189 70,346 70,042 60,756 60,147

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.8 67.9 75.4 74.6 62.5 61.5

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 128,882 126,236 69,192 67,731 59,690 58,504

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 67.7 65.8 74.2 72.1 61.4 59.8

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 79.1 77.8 86.1 84.4 70.8 70.3

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 65.3 63.7 71.5 68.3 58.1 58.4

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.6 8.1 9.3 9.2 7.7 6.8

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.2 6.1 5.3 7.0 5.0 5.1

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 20.9 22.2 13.9 15.6 29.2 29.7

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 10.8 11.6 6.5 7.3 15.8 16.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 4.3 4.5 3.0 3.2 5.9 6.0

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.8 6.1 4.4 5.1 7.4 7.2

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 28,117 28,590 12,644 12,879 15,474 15,711

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 18,296 18,250 8,489 8,421 9,807 9,829

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 65.1 63.8 67.1 65.4 63.4 62.6

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 17,577 16,804 8,096 7,641 9,481 9,163

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 62.5 58.8 64.0 59.3 61.3 58.3

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 81.5 80.5 84.2 83.4 79.1 78.0

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 66.2 65.1 67.5 66.3 65.0 64.1

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.5 7.9 8.5 8.7 8.4 7.3

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.8 7.5 8.1 8.4 5.7 6.7

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 18.5 19.5 15.8 16.6 20.9 22.0

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.1 9.9 6.9 7.4 10.9 12.0

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.3 3.4 2.6 2.9 3.9 3.8

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.0 6.1

ASIAN 

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 10,589 11,033 4,976 5,192 5,613 5,841

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 7,270 7,430 3,840 3,935 3,430 3,495

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.7 67.3 77.2 75.8 61.1 59.8

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 7,138 7,194 3,783 3,822 3,356 3,372

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 67.4 65.2 76.0 73.6 59.8 57.7

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 83.0 82.7 88.7 87.7 76.6 77.1

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 72.0 70.8 77.6 75.8 65.7 65.0

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 6.2 6.0 6.2 5.9 6.1 6.2

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.8 5.9 4.8 6.0 4.8 5.9

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 17.0 17.3 11.3 12.3 23.4 22.9

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.6 9.8 5.9 7.0 11.7 13.0

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.8 3.2 1.9 1.9 5.9 4.8

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.6 4.2 3.6 3.4 5.7 5.2

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2008-09 —

Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 32,585 33,413 16,736 17,200 15,849 16,213

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 22,546 22,668 13,189 13,268 9,358 9,400

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.2 67.8 78.8 77.1 59.0 58.0

Total who worked during the year 1 .............................................................. 22,049 21,723 12,929 12,724 9,120 9,000

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 67.7 65.0 77.3 74.0 57.5 55.5

Percent who worked during the year 1 ......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time 2 ................................................................................................. 81.5 78.5 87.4 83.5 73.2 71.5

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 64.8 61.2 70.0 63.8 57.3 57.6

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 10.4 9.6 11.5 11.2 8.9 7.3

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.4 7.6 5.9 8.4 7.1 6.5

Part time 3 ................................................................................................. 18.5 21.5 12.6 16.5 26.8 28.5

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.6 11.7 6.2 8.3 14.6 16.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.9 4.3 3.0 3.7 5.2 5.1

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 4.9 5.6 3.4 4.6 7.0 7.0

1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave. 2 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week. 3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in table 1 because data

are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Also, see Note, table 1.
Table 3. Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 2008-09

Extent of unemployment

Total Men Women

2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009

Numbers (in thousands)

Total who worked or looked for work .................................................................... 160,658 159,776 84,781 84,396 75,878 75,380

Percent with unemployment ............................................................................. 13.2 16.4 14.5 18.8 11.7 13.6

Total with unemployment .................................................................................. 21,205 26,135 12,306 15,864 8,899 10,271

Did not work but looked for work .................................................................. 3,187 5,847 1,672 3,323 1,514 2,525

1 to 14 weeks ........................................................................................... 1,124 1,231 479 572 645 658

15 weeks or more ..................................................................................... 2,062 4,617 1,193 2,750 869 1,866

Worked during the year ................................................................................ 18,018 20,288 10,633 12,542 7,385 7,746

Year-round workers 1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ...................... 763 693 484 458 279 235

Part-year workers 2 with unemployment ................................................... 17,255 19,595 10,149 12,083 7,106 7,512

1 to 4 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,786 2,526 1,516 1,466 1,270 1,060

5 to 10 weeks ....................................................................................... 2,941 2,560 1,698 1,592 1,243 968

11 to 14 weeks ..................................................................................... 2,435 2,414 1,464 1,557 971 857

15 to 26 weeks ..................................................................................... 4,855 5,693 3,032 3,559 1,823 2,134

27 weeks or more ................................................................................. 4,238 6,402 2,439 3,908 1,799 2,494

 Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ....................................... 15.2 19.7 15.7 19.7 14.7 19.5

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ................................................... 3,989 4,149 2,621 2,862 1,368 1,287

 2 spells ................................................................................................. 1,985 1,915 1,232 1,297 753 619

 3 spells or more .................................................................................... 2,004 2,234 1,389 1,565 616 668

Percent distribution

Did not work but looked for work .......................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

1 to 14 weeks ................................................................................................... 35.3 21.0 28.7 17.2 42.6 26.1

15 weeks or more ............................................................................................. 64.7 79.0 71.3 82.8 57.4 73.9

Worked during the year ........................................................................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .............................. 4.2 3.4 4.6 3.7 3.8 3.0

Part-year workers 2 with unemployment ........................................................... 95.8 96.6 95.4 96.3 96.2 97.0

1 to 4 weeks ................................................................................................. 15.5 12.5 14.3 11.7 17.2 13.7

5 to 10 weeks ............................................................................................... 16.3 12.6 16.0 12.7 16.8 12.5

11 to 14 weeks ............................................................................................. 13.5 11.9 13.8 12.4 13.1 11.1

15 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 26.9 28.1 28.5 28.4 24.7 27.5

27 weeks or more ......................................................................................... 23.5 31.6 22.9 31.2 24.4 32.2

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ............................................... 22.1 20.5 24.7 22.8 18.5 16.6

 2 spells ............................................................................................. 11.0 9.4 11.6 10.3 10.2 8.0

 3 spells or more ................................................................................ 11.1 11.0 13.1 12.5 8.3 8.6

1 Worked 50 or 51 weeks. 2 Worked less than 50 weeks.

 NOTE: See Note, table 1.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2008-09

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009

WHITE 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 131,102 130,189 70,346 70,042 60,756 60,147

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 12.6 15.5 13.9 18.1 11.1 12.6

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 16,512 20,231 9,759 12,669 6,753 7,562

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 2,220 3,954 1,154 2,311 1,066 1,643

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 14,291 16,277 8,605 10,358 5,687 5,920

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 14.7 19.1 14.8 19.2 14.3 19.0

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 4.6 3.4 4.9 3.6 4.1 3.0

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 95.4 96.6 95.1 96.4 95.9 97.0

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 15.7 12.8 14.7 11.8 17.3 14.5

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 31.0 25.3 31.0 26.0 30.8 24.0

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 48.8 58.6 49.5 58.6 47.8 58.5

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 22.7 21.5 25.3 23.9 18.7 17.3

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 18,296 18,250 8,489 8,421 9,807 9,829

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 17.7 22.4 20.5 26.1 15.3 19.1

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 3,243 4,082 1,739 2,201 1,503 1,881

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 719 1,446 393 780 326 666

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 2,524 2,636 1,346 1,421 1,177 1,215

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 19.8 22.8 21.6 23.6 18.0 22.1

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 2.7 3.3 2.7 3.8 2.7 2.7

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 97.3 96.7 97.3 96.2 97.3 97.3

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 13.8 9.9 12.6 11.1 15.2 8.5

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 24.1 19.9 22.6 18.8 25.9 21.2

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 59.3 66.9 62.1 66.3 56.1 67.6

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 20.4 14.7 22.0 16.8 18.6 12.1

ASIAN 

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 7,270 7,430 3,840 3,935 3,430 3,495

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 10.0 12.6 9.5 12.4 10.5 12.8

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 725 937 364 489 361 448

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 132 236 57 114 74 123

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 593 701 307 376 287 325

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 16.2 19.9 17.3 21.3 14.3 18.9

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 3.6 7.0 4.8 8.0 2.3 5.8

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 96.4 93.0 95.2 92.0 97.7 94.2

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 17.6 13.6 12.9 10.9 22.6 16.7

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 26.4 22.8 26.5 24.6 26.3 20.7

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 52.4 56.6 55.8 56.5 48.8 56.8

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 15.3 15.3 15.9 15.3 14.7 15.2

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2008-09 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 22,546 22,668 13,189 13,268 9,358 9,400

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 17.5 20.9 18.7 23.7 15.8 16.9

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 3,938 4,729 2,460 3,140 1,478 1,589

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 497 944 260 544 238 400

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 3,441 3,784 2,200 2,595 1,240 1,189

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 16.6 20.0 16.6 19.4 16.6 21.6

Percent who worked during the year 1 ..................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers 2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .................. 3.6 1.5 3.8 1.4 3.2 1.7

Part-year workers 3 with unemployment ............................................... 96.4 98.5 96.2 98.6 96.8 98.3

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 13.3 12.4 12.2 12.3 15.2 12.6

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 29.1 25.5 29.6 26.8 28.2 22.6

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 54.0 60.6 54.4 59.5 53.3 63.1

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 26.1 24.1 30.2 27.7 18.7 16.2

1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave. 2 Worked 50 or 51 weeks. 3 Worked less than 50 weeks.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in table 3 because data

are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Also, see Note, table 1.