Internet address:  http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information:  (202) 606-6378  USDL 99-146

                                        For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                606-5902  Tuesday, May 25, 1999


              EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES IN 1998


   In 1998, the proportion of U.S. families with at least one employed
member was 82.6 percent, up 0.5 percentage point from 1997, the U.S.
Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.  Of the nation's
70.2 million families, 6.4 percent reported having an unemployed member, a
decline of 0.6 percentage point from the previous year.
   
   These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are
collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample
survey of about 50,000 households.  Changes in the levels and percents
shown in the text of this release reflect the effect of revised estimation
procedures and, therefore, may not agree with changes calculated directly
from data in the attached tables.  (See box note at end of text.)  For
further information about the CPS, see the Technical Note.
   
Families
   
   In an average week in 1998, 4.5 million families had at least one member
who was unemployed, a decline of 394,000 from 1997.  Of these 4.5 million
families, 70.6 percent also contained at least one employed family member.
(See table 1.)
   
   The proportion of families with an unemployed member was much higher
among blacks (11.8 percent) and Hispanics (10.6 percent) than among whites
(5.6 percent).  The proportion of families with an unemployed member that
also had at least one employed member was higher for white and Hispanic
families than for black families.  (See table 1.)
   
   Families maintained by women represented a little less than 30 percent
of all families with an unemployed member, but accounted for nearly 40
percent of the over-the-year decrease in the number of families with
unemployed members.  (See tables 1 and 3.)
   
   The proportion of black families with employed persons increased by 2.0
percentage points in 1998 to 78.8 percent, while the proportions for white
and Hispanic families (82.9 percent and 84.7 percent, respectively) only
edged up from the previous year.  Since 1994, the proportion of black
families with an employed member has increased by 5.3 percentage points,
compared with 3.5 percentage points for Hispanic families and 1.5 points
for white families.  (See table 1.)
   
   Overall, 83.9 percent of married-couple families included an employed
person in 1998, as did 85.9 percent of families maintained by men.  Both

                                  - 2 -

proportions were about unchanged over the year.  Among families maintained
by women, a smaller percentage (75.7 percent) included an employed person;
however, this proportion rose by 1.9 percentage points over the year.  (See
table 2.)
   
   Families in which only the husband worked comprised 19.2 percent of all
married-couple families in 1998, about the same proportion as the year
before.  Likewise, the proportion of married-couple families that was
comprised of "dual-worker" families--couples in which both the husband and
wife worked--remained little changed at 53.1 percent.  (See table 2.)
   
   Both parents were employed in 64.1 percent of married-couple families
with children under 18 in 1998, compared with 62.6 percent in 1994.  The
father, but not the mother, was employed in 28.9 percent of married-couple
families with children under 18, compared with 25.0 percent in 1994; the
proportion of these "traditional" families is much larger among couples
with pre-school children (under 6 years of age) than those whose youngest
child was 6 to 17 years old.  (See table 4.)
   
Mothers
   
   The unemployment rate for married mothers with children under 18 (3.3
percent in 1998) was little changed from 1997.  In contrast, the
unemployment rate of unmarried--that is, single, widowed, divorced, or
separated--mothers (9.3 percent) declined by 1.1 percentage points in 1998.
There was little over-the-year change in the rates for all mothers whose
youngest child was 6 to 17 years old (4.1 percent) or for those with pre-
school children (6.5 percent).  (See table 5.)
   
   The labor force participation rates were 71.8 percent for mothers and
94.6 percent for fathers in 1998.  The participation rate for unmarried
mothers increased over the year by 2.1 percentage points to 76.7 percent,
while the rate for married mothers edged down by 0.5 percentage point to
70.0 percent.  (See table 5.)
   
   The labor force participation rate for unmarried mothers with children
under a year old (58.8 percent) increased by 5.2 percentage points over the
year.  This participation rate has increased by 9.7 percentage points since
1996 and by 13.1 points since 1994.  The participation rate for married
mothers with children under a year old (57.6 percent) was down by 1.3
percentage points.  (See table 6.)
   
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |                   Revisions in Household Survey Data                   |
 |                                                                        |
 |  Data for 1998 in this release incorporate new composite estimation    |
 |procedures and minor revisions in the population controls that were     |
 |introduced into the household survey in January 1998.  The new proced-  |
 |ures produce estimates of families and family members engaged in        |
 |labor force activity that are generally somewhat lower than would       |
 |have been the case had the procedures remained unchanged.  For example, |
 |the number of families with an employed member is reduced by 69,000.    |
 |Also, the number that are dual-worker families (families in which both  |
 |the husband and wife are employed) is lowered by 104,000, and the number|
 |of mothers in the labor force is reduced by 93,000.  Detailed infor-    |
 |mation on the effect of these changes on data from the Current Popula-  |
 |tion Survey can be found in the article, "Revisions in the Current      |
 |Population Survey Effective January 1998," in the February 1998 issue   |
 |of Employment and Earnings.                                             |
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Note


  The estimates in this release are based on annual average data from the
Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey of about 50,000
households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the
Bureau of the Census.  The information relates to the labor force status of
persons 16 years old and over in the civilian noninstitutional population
during an "average" week of the year.

  Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-606-STAT; TDD phone:
202-606-5897; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-326-2577.

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 the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of the February 1994 and subsequent issues of
Employment and Earnings.

Definitions

  The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly below.

  Family.  A family is a group of two or more persons residing together
who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.  The count of families is
for "primary" families only, that is, the householder and all other persons
related to and residing with the householder.  Families are classified
either as married-couple families or as families maintained by women or
men without spouses.

  Householder.  The householder is the family reference person.  This is the
person (or one of the persons) in whose name the housing unit is owned or
rented.  The relationship of other individuals in the household is defined
in terms of relationship to the householder.

  Married, spouse present; other marital status.  These terms denote the
marital status of individuals at the time of interview.  Married, spouse
present, refers to husbands and wives living together in the same household,
even though one may be temporarily absent on business, vacation, on a visit,
in a hospital, etc.  Other marital status includes persons who are
never-married; married, spouse absent; widowed; or divorced.  Married,
spouse absent relates to persons who are separated due to marital problems,
as well as husbands and wives who are living apart because one or the other
was employed elsewhere, on duty with the Armed Forces, or any other reasons.

  Children.  Data on children refer to own children and include sons,
daughters, adopted, and step-children of the husband, wife, or person
maintaining the family.  Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren,
other related children, and all unrelated children living in the household.


     Table 1.  Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic origin, 1997-98 annual averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                       Characteristic                                          1997              1998      
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                           TOTAL                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
     Total families....................................................................       69,714            70,218     
                                                                                                                           
         With employed member(s).......................................................       57,289            57,986     
               As percent of total families............................................         82.2              82.6     
               Some usually work full time(1)..........................................       53,226            53,945     
         With no employed member.......................................................       12,425            12,232     
               As percent of total families............................................         17.8              17.4     
                                                                                                                           
         With unemployed member(s).....................................................        4,913             4,503     
               As percent of total families............................................          7.0               6.4     
           Some member(s) employed.....................................................        3,445             3,177     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         70.1              70.6     
           Some usually work full time(1)..............................................        3,070             2,830     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         62.5              62.8     
                                                                                                                           
                                           White                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
     Total families....................................................................       58,514            58,930     
                                                                                                                           
         With employed member(s).......................................................       48,378            48,850     
               As percent of total families............................................         82.7              82.9     
               Some usually work full time(1)..........................................       45,069            45,567     
         With no employed member.......................................................       10,135            10,080     
               As percent of total families............................................         17.3              17.1     
                                                                                                                           
         With unemployed member(s).....................................................        3,566             3,299     
               As percent of total families............................................          6.1               5.6     
           Some member(s) employed.....................................................        2,632             2,463     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         73.8              74.7     
           Some usually work full time(1)..............................................        2,353             2,204     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         66.0              66.8     
                                                                                                                           
                                           Black                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
     Total families....................................................................        8,308             8,317     
                                                                                                                           
         With employed member(s).......................................................        6,409             6,554     
               As percent of total families............................................         77.1              78.8     
               Some usually work full time(1)..........................................        5,810             5,953     
         With no employed member.......................................................        1,899             1,763     
               As percent of total families............................................         22.9              21.2     
                                                                                                                           
         With unemployed member(s).....................................................        1,104               984     
               As percent of total families............................................         13.3              11.8     
           Some member(s) employed.....................................................          631               555     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         57.2              56.4     
           Some usually work full time(1)..............................................          553               485     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         50.1              49.3     
                                                                                                                           
                                      Hispanic origin                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
     Total families....................................................................        6,779             7,025     
                                                                                                                           
         With employed member(s).......................................................        5,701             5,947     
               As percent of total families............................................         84.1              84.7     
               Some usually work full time(1)..........................................        5,285             5,545     
         With no employed member.......................................................        1,078             1,078     
               As percent of total families............................................         15.9              15.3     
                                                                                                                           
         With unemployed member(s).....................................................          789               744     
               As percent of total families............................................         11.6              10.6     
           Some member(s) employed.....................................................          532               522     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         67.4              70.2     
           Some usually work full time(1)..............................................          473               467     
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s).....................         59.9              62.8     

       1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
         NOTE:  Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum  to totals because data for the "other
     races" group are not presented and Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.  Data for
     1998 are not strictly comparable with data for 1997 and earlier years because of the introduction of new composite
     estimation procedures and revised population controls in the household survey in January 1998.  Detail may not sum to
     totals due to rounding.



     Table 2.  Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type, 1997-98 annual averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                Number             Percent distribution  
                              Characteristic                                                                             
                                                                                                                         
                                                                          1997         1998         1997         1998    
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
                         MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
         Total.......................................................    53,248       53,689        100.0        100.0   
                                                                                                                         
     Member(s) employed, total.......................................    44,641       45,061         83.8         83.9   
       Husband only..................................................     9,959       10,285         18.7         19.2   
       Wife only.....................................................     2,839        2,843          5.3          5.3   
       Husband and wife..............................................    28,422       28,531         53.4         53.1   
       Other employment combinations.................................     3,421        3,402          6.4          6.3   
     No member(s) employed...........................................     8,607        8,628         16.2         16.1   
                                                                                                                         
                     FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN(1)                                                                     
                                                                                                                         
         Total.......................................................    12,524       12,447        100.0        100.0   
                                                                                                                         
     Members(s) employed, total......................................     9,263        9,417         74.0         75.7   
       Householder only..............................................     5,282        5,322         42.2         42.8   
       Householder and other member(s)...............................     2,484        2,582         19.8         20.7   
       Other member(s), not householder..............................     1,497        1,513         12.0         12.2   
     No member(s) employed...........................................     3,261        3,029         26.0         24.3   
                                                                                                                         
                      FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN(1)                                                                      
                                                                                                                         
         Total.......................................................     3,942        4,083        100.0        100.0   
                                                                                                                         
     Members(s) employed, total......................................     3,385        3,509         85.9         85.9   
       Householder only..............................................     1,703        1,746         43.2         42.8   
       Householder and other member(s)...............................     1,228        1,283         31.2         31.4   
       Other member(s), not householder..............................       455          480         11.5         11.8   
     No member(s) employed...........................................       557          574         14.1         14.1   

       1 No spouse present.
         NOTE:  Data for 1998 are not strictly comparable with data for 1997 and earlier years because of the
     introduction of new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls in the household survey in
     January 1998.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.



     Table 3.  Unemployment in families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type, 1997-98 annual
     averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                Number             Percent distribution  
                              Characteristic                                                                             
                                                                                                                         
                                                                          1997         1998         1997         1998    
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
                         MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
     With unemployed member(s), total................................     3,056        2,815        100.0        100.0   
       No member employed............................................       530          471         17.3         16.7   
       Some member(s) employed.......................................     2,526        2,343         82.7         83.2   
         Husband unemployed..........................................     1,048          948         34.3         33.7   
           Wife employed.............................................       651          594         21.3         21.1   
         Wife unemployed.............................................       906          844         29.6         30.0   
           Husband employed..........................................       787          745         25.8         26.5   
         Other family member unemployed..............................     1,102        1,023         36.1         36.3   
                                                                                                                         
                     FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN(1)                                                                     
                                                                                                                         
     With unemployed member(s), total................................     1,456        1,301        100.0        100.0   
       No member employed............................................       782          696         53.7         53.5   
       Some member(s) employed.......................................       674          605         46.3         46.5   
         Householder unemployed......................................       694          612         47.7         47.0   
           Other member(s) employed..................................       122           99          8.4          7.6   
         Other member(s) unemployed..................................       572          512         39.3         39.4   
                                                                                                                         
                      FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN(1)                                                                      
                                                                                                                         
     With unemployed member(s), total................................       400          388        100.0        100.0   
       No member employed............................................       156          158         39.0         40.7   
       Some member(s) employed.......................................       244          229         61.0         59.0   
         Householder unemployed......................................       197          186         49.2         47.9   
           Other member(s) employed..................................        77           69         19.2         17.8   
         Other member(s) unemployed..................................       204          202         51.0         52.1   

       1 No spouse present.
         NOTE:  Data for 1998 are not strictly comparable with data for 1997 and earlier years because of the
     introduction of new composite estimation procedures and revised population controls in the household survey in
     January 1998.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.



     Table 4.  Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and family type, 1997-98
     annual averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                Number             Percent distribution  
                              Characteristic                                                                             
                                                                                                                         
                                                                          1997         1998         1997         1998    
                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                         
                     WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                    
                                                                                                                         
         Total.......................................................    34,129       34,232        100.0        100.0   
       Parent(s) employed............................................    30,761       31,100         90.1         90.9   
       No parent employed............................................     3,369        3,130          9.9          9.1   
                                                                                                                         
       Married-couple families.......................................    24,762       24,820        100.0        100.0   
         Parent(s) employed..........................................    23,987       24,088         96.9         97.1   
           Mother employed...........................................    17,013       16,911         68.7         68.1   
             Both parents employed...................................    15,964       15,906         64.5         64.1   
             Mother employed, not father.............................     1,049        1,005          4.2          4.0   
           Father employed, not mother...............................     6,974        7,178         28.2         28.9   
         Neither parent employed.....................................       775          731          3.1          2.9   
                                                                                                                         
       Families maintained by women(1)...............................     7,623        7,573        100.0        100.0   
         Mother employed.............................................     5,276        5,440         69.2         71.8   
         Mother not employed.........................................     2,347        2,133         30.8         28.2   
                                                                                                                         
       Families maintained by men(1).................................     1,745        1,839        100.0        100.0   
         Father employed.............................................     1,498        1,572         85.8         85.5   
         Father not employed.........................................       247          266         14.2         14.5   
                                                                                                                         
                     WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS,                                                                    
                               NONE YOUNGER                                                                              
                                                                                                                         
         Total.......................................................    18,989       19,209        100.0        100.0   
       Parent(s) employed............................................    17,274       17,551         91.0         91.4   
       No parent employed............................................     1,714        1,658          9.0          8.6   
                                                                                                                         
       Married-couple families.......................................    13,442       13,496        100.0        100.0   
         Parent(s) employed..........................................    13,000       13,065         96.7         96.8   
           Mother employed...........................................    10,061        9,991         74.8         74.0   
             Both parents employed...................................     9,379        9,338         69.8         69.2   
             Mother employed, not father.............................       682          653          5.1          4.8   
           Father employed, not mother...............................     2,939        3,074         21.9         22.8   
         Neither parent employed.....................................       442          431          3.3          3.2   
                                                                                                                         
       Families maintained by women(1)...............................     4,531        4,638        100.0        100.0   
         Mother employed.............................................     3,393        3,573         74.9         77.0   
         Mother not employed.........................................     1,138        1,065         25.1         23.0   
                                                                                                                         
       Families maintained by men(1).................................     1,015        1,075        100.0        100.0   
         Father employed.............................................       881          913         86.8         84.9   
         Father not employed.........................................       134          162         13.2         15.1   
                                                                                                                         
                       WITH CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                                       
                                                                                                                         
         Total.......................................................    15,141       15,023        100.0        100.0   
       Parent(s) employed............................................    13,487       13,550         89.1         90.2   
       No parent employed............................................     1,654        1,473         10.9          9.8   
                                                                                                                         
       Married-couple families.......................................    11,320       11,324        100.0        100.0   
         Parent(s) employed..........................................    10,988       11,023         97.1         97.3   
           Mother employed...........................................     6,952        6,920         61.4         61.1   
             Both parents employed...................................     6,585        6,567         58.2         58.0   
             Mother employed, not father.............................       368          352          3.3          3.1   
           Father employed, not mother...............................     4,034        4,103         35.6         36.2   
         Neither parent employed.....................................       333          301          2.9          2.7   
                                                                                                                         
       Families maintained by women(1)...............................     3,092        2,936        100.0        100.0   
         Mother employed.............................................     1,882        1,867         60.9         63.6   
         Mother not employed.........................................     1,209        1,068         39.1         36.4   
                                                                                                                         
       Families maintained by men(1).................................       729          763        100.0        100.0   
         Father employed.............................................       617          660         84.6         86.5   
         Father not employed.........................................       112          104         15.4         13.6   

       1 No spouse present.
         NOTE:  Own children include sons, daughters, step-children and adopted children.  Not included are nieces,
     nephews, grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children.  Data for 1998 are not strictly comparable with
     data for 1997 and earlier years because of the introduction of new composite estimation procedures and revised
     population controls in the household survey in January 1998.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.






     Table 5.  Employment status of the population by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own children
     under 18, 1997-98 annual averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                  
                                                               1997                             1998              
                   Characteristic                                                                                 
                                                                                                                  
                                                    Total       Men       Women      Total       Men       Women  
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                  
          WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                        
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   62,787     27,349     35,438     62,912     27,489     35,423  
           Civilian labor force.................   51,343     25,877     25,466     51,462     26,018     25,443  
               Participation rate...............     81.8       94.6       71.9       81.8       94.6       71.8  
             Employed...........................   49,178     25,111     24,067     49,480     25,333     24,147  
                 Employment-population ratio....     78.3       91.8       67.9       78.6       92.2       68.2  
               Full-time workers(1).............   41,934     24,306     17,628     42,372     24,562     17,811  
               Part-time workers(2).............    7,244        806      6,439      7,108        771      6,337  
             Unemployed.........................    2,165        766      1,399      1,981        686      1,296  
               Unemployment rate................      4.2        3.0        5.5        3.8        2.6        5.1  
                                                                                                                  
               Married, spouse present                                                                            
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   50,995     25,292     25,704     51,061     25,325     25,737  
           Civilian labor force.................   42,192     24,027     18,165     42,088     24,080     18,009  
               Participation rate...............     82.7       95.0       70.7       82.4       95.1       70.0  
             Employed...........................   40,918     23,383     17,535     40,914     23,506     17,408  
                 Employment-population ratio....     80.2       92.5       68.2       80.1       92.8       67.6  
               Full-time workers(1).............   35,042     22,685     12,357     35,197     22,839     12,357  
               Part-time workers(2).............    5,877        698      5,179      5,718        667      5,051  
             Unemployed.........................    1,273        644        630      1,174        573        601  
               Unemployment rate................      3.0        2.7        3.5        2.8        2.4        3.3  
                                                                                                                  
               Other marital status(3)                                                                            
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   11,791      2,057      9,734     11,851      2,166      9,686  
           Civilian labor force.................    9,151      1,850      7,301      9,374      1,939      7,434  
               Participation rate...............     77.6       89.9       75.0       79.1       89.5       76.7  
             Employed...........................    8,259      1,728      6,531      8,565      1,826      6,739  
                 Employment-population ratio....     70.0       84.0       67.1       72.3       84.3       69.6  
               Full-time workers(1).............    6,893      1,621      5,272      7,177      1,724      5,453  
               Part-time workers(2).............    1,367        107      1,261      1,391        104      1,286  
             Unemployed.........................      891        123        770        807        113        695  
               Unemployment rate................      9.7        6.6       10.5        8.6        5.8        9.3  
                                                                                                                  
          WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS,                                                                        
                    NONE YOUNGER                                                                                  
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   33,997     14,822     19,175     34,329     14,947     19,383  
           Civilian labor force.................   28,812     13,877     14,935     29,003     13,969     15,033  
               Participation rate...............     84.7       93.6       77.9       84.5       93.5       77.6  
             Employed...........................   27,752     13,480     14,273     28,046     13,629     14,417  
                 Employment-population ratio....     81.6       90.9       74.4       81.7       91.2       74.4  
               Full-time workers(1).............   23,885     13,071     10,814     24,286     13,238     11,048  
               Part-time workers(2).............    3,868        409      3,459      3,760        391      3,369  
             Unemployed.........................    1,060        397        662        957        340        617  
               Unemployment rate................      3.7        2.9        4.4        3.3        2.4        4.1  
                                                                                                                  
             WITH CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                                          
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   28,789     12,526     16,263     28,583     12,543     16,040  
           Civilian labor force.................   22,530     12,000     10,531     22,459     12,049     10,410  
               Participation rate...............     78.3       95.8       64.8       78.6       96.1       64.9  
             Employed...........................   21,426     11,632      9,794     21,434     11,703      9,731  
                 Employment-population ratio....     74.4       92.9       60.2       75.0       93.3       60.7  
               Full-time workers(1).............   18,049     11,235      6,814     18,086     11,323      6,763  
               Part-time workers(2).............    3,376        397      2,980      3,348        380      2,968  
             Unemployed.........................    1,105        368        737      1,025        346        679  
               Unemployment rate................      4.9        3.1        7.0        4.6        2.9        6.5  
                                                                                                                  
           WITH NO CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                        
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...  138,365     68,385     69,980    140,436     69,396     71,040  
           Civilian labor force.................   83,524     45,847     37,677     84,735     46,464     38,271  
               Participation rate...............     60.4       67.0       53.8       60.3       67.0       53.9  
             Employed...........................   78,917     43,045     35,873     80,545     43,922     36,623  
                 Employment-population ratio....     57.0       62.9       51.3       57.4       63.3       51.6  
               Full-time workers(1).............   62,902     36,452     26,449     64,429     37,226     27,203  
               Part-time workers(2).............   16,016      6,592      9,424     16,116      6,696      9,420  
             Unemployed.........................    4,606      2,802      1,804      4,190      2,542      1,648  
               Unemployment rate................      5.5        6.1        4.8        4.9        5.5        4.3  

       1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       2 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       3 Includes never-married, divorced, separated and widowed persons.
         NOTE:  See NOTE, table 4.






     Table 6.  Employment status of mothers with own children under 3 years old by single year of age of youngest child, and marital
     status, 1997-98 annual averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                              Civilian labor force                                                                         
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                     Employed                  Unemployed                                                           
                                             Civilian                                                                                                     
                  Characteristic             noninsti-         Percent                                                         
                                             tutional             of                     Full-     Part-             Percent
                                            population  Total   popu-          Percent   time      time                 of    
                                                                lation  Total  of popu-  work-     work-    Number    labor
                                                                               lation    ers(1)    ers(2)             force
                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                 
                       1997                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                                 
                  TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                 
         With children under 3 years old..    9,347     5,738    61.4   5,306    56.8    3,560     1,746      432      7.5  
           2 years........................    2,871     1,890    65.8   1,763    61.4    1,208       555      127      6.7  
           1 year.........................    3,306     2,012    60.9   1,851    56.0    1,205       646      161      8.0  
           Under 1 year...................    3,170     1,836    57.9   1,692    53.4    1,147       545      144      7.8  
                                                                                                                                                                 
             Married, spouse present                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                 
         With children under 3 years old..    7,049     4,296    60.9   4,105    58.2    2,718     1,387      191      4.4  
           2 years........................    2,142     1,380    64.4   1,327    62.0      883       444       53      3.8  
           1 year.........................    2,459     1,468    59.7   1,399    56.9      890       509       69      4.7  
           Under 1 year...................    2,448     1,448    59.2   1,379    56.3      945       434       69      4.8  
                                                                                                                                                                 
         Other marital status(3)                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                 
         With children under 3 years old..    2,297     1,445    62.9   1,201    52.3      842       361      241     16.7  
           2 years........................      729       511    70.1     436    59.8      325       112       74     14.5  
           1 year.........................      847       545    64.3     452    53.4      315       138       92     16.9  
           Under 1 year...................      721       389    54.0     313    43.4      202       111       75     19.3  
                                                                                                                                                                 
                       1998                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                                 
                  TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                 
         With children under 3 years old..    9,333     5,779    61.9   5,384    57.7    3,626     1,758      395      6.8  
           2 years........................    2,772     1,786    64.4   1,673    60.4    1,149       524      113      6.3  
           1 year.........................    3,213     2,055    64.0   1,917    59.7    1,281       636      138      6.7  
           Under 1 year...................    3,348     1,938    57.9   1,794    53.6    1,196       598      144      7.4  
                                                                                                                                                                 
             Married, spouse present                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                 
         With children under 3 years old..    7,110     4,316    60.7   4,145    58.3    2,765     1,380      171      4.0  
           2 years........................    2,073     1,291    62.3   1,244    60.0      831       413       47      3.6  
           1 year.........................    2,493     1,560    62.6   1,497    60.0      989       508       63      4.0  
           Under 1 year...................    2,544     1,465    57.6   1,404    55.2      945       459       61      4.2  
                                                                                                                                                                 
             Other marital status(3)                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                 
         With children under 3 years old..    2,225     1,463    65.8   1,238    55.6      860       379      223     15.2  
           2 years........................      700       495    70.7     429    61.3      318       111       65     13.1  
           1 year.........................      721       495    68.7     420    58.3      292       129       75     15.2  
           Under 1 year...................      804       473    58.8     389    48.4      250       139       83     17.5  

       1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       2 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       3 Includes never-married, divorced, separated and widowed persons.
         NOTE:  See NOTE, table 4.