Technical information:  (202) 691-6378         USDL 04-719
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                               For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902         Tuesday, April 20, 2004


              EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES IN 2003


   In 2003, 8.1 percent of families had an unemployed member, an increase
of 0.3 percentage point from the prior year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This was the third consecu-
tive year this measure rose; in 2000, the proportion of families with an
unemployed member was 5.7 percent.  Of the nation's 75.3 million families,
82.0 percent had at least one employed member in 2003, down by 0.4 percentage
point from 2002.
   
   These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are
collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample
survey of approximately 60,000 households nationwide.  Families include
married-couple families, as well as those maintained by a man or a woman
with no spouse present.  For further information on the CPS, see the
Technical Note.
   
Families and Unemployment
   
   In an average week in 2003, 6.1 million families had at least one unem-
ployed member, up from 5.8 million families the year before.  The proportion
of black families with an unemployed member (13.7 percent) was higher than
the proportion of white families (7.1 percent), Asian families (9.4 percent),
and Hispanic families (11.1 percent).  (See table 1.)
   
   Of the 6.1 million families with at least one unemployed member, 70.5 per-
cent also had an employed family member.  Asian families with unemployment
were most likely to have at least one member employed (82.7 percent),
followed by white families (73.6 percent), Hispanic families (70.1 percent),
and black families (57.3 percent).  The percentage of black families with
unemployment and at least one employed member fell by 2.0 percentage points
in 2003; the declines for white and Hispanic families were smaller.
(See table 1.)
   
   Among married-couple families with unemployed members, 81.5 percent had
at least one employed member in 2003, down by 0.6 percentage point from
the prior year.  There was little over-the-year change in the proportion of
families maintained by women that had unemployment and also included an
employed member (47.8 percent in 2003).  Among families maintained by men,
in contrast, the proportion rose by 2.1 percentage points to 60.8 percent.
(See table 3.)
   
Families and Employment
   
   In 2003, 82.0 percent of families had at least one employed member.
Among Asian families, 89.1 percent had at least one employed member, as
did 86.1 percent of Hispanic families and 82.3 percent of white families.
Black families were the least likely to contain an employed member
(77.9 percent).  The proportion of such black families was 1.1 percentage
points below the prior year's level.  (See table 1.)
   
                                  - 2 -

   Among married-couple families, 83.3 percent had an employed member in
2003, down by 0.2 percentage point from 2002.  This proportion has declined
each year since 1999.  Both the husband and wife worked in 50.9 percent of
married-couple families in 2003.  This proportion has declined since 1997,
when it was 53.4 percent.  The proportion of married-couple families in
which only the wife worked rose for the third straight year, to 6.8 percent
in 2003.  The proportion in which only the husband worked was about unchanged
over the year at 20 percent; however, this statistic has risen by 0.8 per-
centage point since 2000.  (See table 2.)
   
Families with Children
   
   There were 35.4 million families with children under age 18 in 2003.
Of these, 90.3 percent had at least one parent employed, down from 90.7
percent in 2002.  All of the decline was among single-parent families.
   
   Nearly 97 percent of married-couple families with children had at least
one parent who was employed in 2003, the same as a year earlier.  Both
parents were employed in 60.7 percent of two-parent families, down by 0.6
percentage point from the year before.  In 30.5 percent of two-parent
families, only the father was employed, and, in 5.5 percent, only the mother
worked.  Both proportions edged up over the year and were at their highest
levels since the two series began in 1994.  (See table 4.)
   
   In 2003, the mother was employed in 71.9 percent of single-parent families
maintained by women, while the father was employed in 83.3 percent of single-
parent families maintained by men.  Both proportions were lower than in the
prior year.  (See table 4.)
   
Mothers
   
   The labor force participation rate for mothers with children under age
18 was 71.1 percent in 2003, down by 0.7 percentage point from the prior
year.  The participation rate for married mothers declined by 0.4 percentage
point to 68.6 percent, while that for unmarried mothers--those who were never
married, widowed, divorced, or separated--fell by 1.2 percentage points to
77.7 percent.  (See table 5.)
   
   The labor force participation rate for mothers of children younger than
a year old fell by 2.4 percentage points to 53.7 percent in 2003.  This
rate has fallen almost every year since 1998, when it was 57.9 percent.
For married mothers with children under age 1, the participation rate
continued its downward trend, falling by 1.8 percentage points in 2003 to
52.9 percent.  The participation rate for unmarried mothers with children
under age 1 fell by 4.7 percentage points to 56.2 percent.  (See table 6.)
   
   The unemployment rate for unmarried mothers with children under age 18
rose to 10.2 percent in 2003, from 9.5 percent in 2002.  There was little
change in the jobless rate for married mothers, at 4.0 percent in 2003.
(See table 5.)
   
   The jobless rate of unmarried mothers of children under age 1 rose from
19.6 percent in 2002 to 20.5 percent in 2003.  In contrast, the unemployment
rate for married mothers of children under age 1 fell from 6.0 percent to
5.1 percent.  (See table 6.)




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 60,000
households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S.
Census Bureau.  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.


   The data for 2003 presented in this release reflect revised CPS popula-
tion controls introduced in January 2003 and are not strictly comparable with
data for 2002 and earlier years.  For a discussion of the revised population
controls and the impact that their introduction had on CPS data, see "Revi-
sions to the Current Population Survey Effective in January 2003" in the
February 2003 issue of Employment and Earnings and available at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf on the BLS Web site.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request:  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

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 de-
pending 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 Employment and Earnings.

Definitions

   The principal definitions used in this release are described 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.  The race or ethnicity of the
family is determined by that of 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, on
vacation, on a visit, in a hospital, or for other reasons.  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, stepchildren, and adopted children, of the husband, wife, or
person maintaining the family.  Not included are nieces, nephews, grand-
children, other related children, and all unrelated children living in
the household.

   Employed.  Employed persons are (a) all those who, during the survey
reference week, did any work at all as paid employees, worked in their own
business, profession, or on their own farm, or who worked 15 hours or more
as unpaid workers in a family-operated enterprise; and (b) all those who
did not work but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily
absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, child-care problems, labor
disputes, or personal reasons, whether or not they were paid for the time
off and whether or not they were seeking other jobs.

   Unemployed.  The unemployed are persons who had no employment during the
reference week, were available for work at that time, and had made specific
efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with
the reference week.  Persons who were waiting to be recalled to a job from
which they had been laid off need not be looking for work to be classified
as unemployed.

   Civilian labor force.  The civilian labor force comprises all persons
classified as employed or unemployed.

   Unemployment rate.  The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a
percent of the civilian labor force.

   Labor force participation rate.  The labor force participation rate is
the labor force as a percent of the population.





      
     Table 1.  Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic or Latino
     ethnicity, 2002-03 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                          
                                                                                          
                              Characteristic                              2002      2003  
                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                   TOTAL                                                  
                                                                                          
     Total families...................................................   74,169    75,301 
                                                                                          
         With employed member(s)......................................   61,121    61,761 
               As percent of total families...........................     82.4      82.0 
                  Some usually work full time (1).....................   56,742    57,229 
         With no employed member......................................   13,048    13,540 
               As percent of total families...........................     17.6      18.0 
                                                                                          
         With unemployed member(s)....................................    5,809     6,079 
               As percent of total families...........................      7.8       8.1 
           Some member(s) employed....................................    4,126     4,285 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)....     71.0      70.5 
             Some usually work full time (1)..........................    3,668     3,790 
                     As percent of families with unemployed member(s).     63.1      62.3 
                                                                                          
                                 White (2)                                                
                                                                                          
     Total families...................................................   61,494    61,995 
                                                                                          
         With employed member(s)......................................   50,785    51,002 
               As percent of total families...........................     82.6      82.3 
                  Some usually work full time (1).....................   47,193    47,356 
         With no employed member......................................   10,709    10,993 
               As percent of total families...........................     17.4      17.7 
                                                                                          
         With unemployed member(s)....................................    4,275     4,411 
               As percent of total families...........................      7.0       7.1 
           Some member(s) employed....................................    3,164     3,245 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)....     74.0      73.6 
             Some usually work full time (1)..........................    2,808     2,873 
                     As percent of families with unemployed member(s).     65.7      65.1 
                                                                                          
                       Black or African American (2)                                      
                                                                                          
     Total families...................................................    8,845     8,869 
                                                                                          
         With employed member(s)......................................    6,987     6,906 
               As percent of total families...........................     79.0      77.9 
                  Some usually work full time (1).....................    6,390     6,270 
         With no employed member......................................    1,858     1,963 
               As percent of total families...........................     21.0      22.1 
                                                                                          
         With unemployed member(s)....................................    1,162     1,213 
               As percent of total families...........................     13.1      13.7 
           Some member(s) employed....................................      689       695 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)....     59.3      57.3 
             Some usually work full time (1)..........................      611       612 
                     As percent of families with unemployed member(s).     52.6      50.5 
                                                                                          
                                 Asian (2)                                                
                                                                                          
     Total families...................................................    3,032     2,880 
                                                                                          
         With employed member(s)......................................    2,707     2,566 
               As percent of total families...........................     89.3      89.1 
                  Some usually work full time (1).....................    2,562     2,424 
         With no employed member......................................      325       315 
               As percent of total families...........................     10.7      10.9 
                                                                                          
         With unemployed member(s)....................................      272       271 
               As percent of total families...........................      9.0       9.4 
           Some member(s) employed....................................      213       224 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)....     78.3      82.7 
             Some usually work full time (1)..........................      194       197 
                     As percent of families with unemployed member(s).     71.3      72.7 
                                                                                          
                       Hispanic or Latino ethnicity                                       
                                                                                          
     Total families...................................................    8,650     9,185 
                                                                                          
         With employed member(s)......................................    7,485     7,907 
               As percent of total families...........................     86.5      86.1 
                  Some usually work full time (1).....................    6,989     7,383 
         With no employed member......................................    1,165     1,277 
               As percent of total families...........................     13.5      13.9 
                                                                                          
         With unemployed member(s)....................................      965     1,020 
               As percent of total families...........................     11.2      11.1 
           Some member(s) employed....................................      686       715 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)....     71.1      70.1 
             Some usually work full time (1)..........................      615       640 
                     As percent of families with unemployed member(s).     63.7      62.7 

       1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       2 Beginning in 2003, families where the householder selected this race group only;
     families where the householder selected more than one race group are excluded.  Prior
     to 2003, families where the householder selected more than one race group were
     included in the group that the householder identified as their main race.  Also
     beginning in 2003, data for Asians exclude Pacific Islanders.
       NOTE:  The race or ethnicity of the family is determined by that of the
     householder.  Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American,
     and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races.  In
     addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any
     race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race.  Detail may not
     sum to totals due to rounding.  Data for 2003 reflect revised population controls used
     in the Current Population Survey.






     Table 2.  Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type,        
     2002-03 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
                                                                            Number         Percent    
                                                                                         distribution 
                              Characteristic                                                          
                                                                                                      
                                                                         2002    2003    2002    2003 
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                          MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES                                                     
                                                                                                      
         Total........................................................  56,280  57,074  100.0   100.0 
                                                                                                      
     Member(s) employed, total........................................  46,976  47,535   83.5    83.3 
       Husband only...................................................  11,174  11,403   19.9    20.0 
       Wife only......................................................   3,613   3,863    6.4     6.8 
       Husband and wife...............................................  28,873  29,077   51.3    50.9 
       Other employment combinations..................................   3,317   3,193    5.9     5.6 
     No member(s) employed............................................   9,303   9,539   16.5    16.7 
                                                                                                      
                     FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN (1)                                                 
                                                                                                      
         Total........................................................  13,215  13,450  100.0   100.0 
                                                                                                      
     Members(s) employed, total.......................................  10,169  10,187   77.0    75.7 
       Householder only...............................................   5,944   5,987   45.0    44.5 
       Householder and other member(s)................................   2,559   2,539   19.4    18.9 
       Other member(s), not householder...............................   1,666   1,660   12.6    12.3 
     No member(s) employed............................................   3,047   3,263   23.1    24.3 
                                                                                                      
                      FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN (1)                                                  
                                                                                                      
         Total........................................................   4,674   4,777  100.0   100.0 
                                                                                                      
     Members(s) employed, total.......................................   3,976   4,039   85.1    84.6 
       Householder only...............................................   1,939   1,954   41.5    40.9 
       Householder and other member(s)................................   1,440   1,427   30.8    29.9 
       Other member(s), not householder...............................     598     658   12.8    13.8 
     No member(s) employed............................................     698     739   14.9    15.5 

       1 No spouse present.
       NOTE:  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Data for 2003 reflect revised
     population controls used in the Current Population Survey.





      
     Table 3.  Unemployment in families by presence and relationship of employed members and family
     type, 2002-03 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
                                                                            Number         Percent    
                                                                                         distribution 
                              Characteristic                                                          
                                                                                                      
                                                                         2002    2003    2002    2003 
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                          MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES                                                     
                                                                                                      
     With unemployed member(s), total.................................   3,772   3,857  100.0   100.0 
       No member employed.............................................     676     713   17.9    18.5 
       Some member(s) employed........................................   3,096   3,144   82.1    81.5 
         Husband unemployed...........................................   1,523   1,600   40.4    41.5 
           Wife employed..............................................     993   1,023   26.3    26.5 
         Wife unemployed..............................................   1,117   1,129   29.6    29.3 
           Husband employed...........................................     969     991   25.7    25.7 
         Other family member unemployed...............................   1,133   1,129   30.0    29.3 
                                                                                                      
                     FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN (1)                                                 
                                                                                                      
     With unemployed member(s), total.................................   1,504   1,612  100.0   100.0 
       No member employed.............................................     787     842   52.3    52.2 
       Some member(s) employed........................................     717     770   47.7    47.8 
         Householder unemployed.......................................     737     791   49.0    49.1 
           Other member(s) employed...................................     147     162    9.8    10.0 
         Other member(s) unemployed...................................     767     821   51.0    50.9 
                                                                                                      
                      FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN (1)                                                  
                                                                                                      
     With unemployed member(s), total.................................     533     610  100.0   100.0 
       No member employed.............................................     220     239   41.3    39.2 
       Some member(s) employed........................................     313     371   58.7    60.8 
         Householder unemployed.......................................     303     340   56.8    55.7 
           Other member(s) employed...................................     129     158   24.2    25.9 
         Other member(s) unemployed...................................     230     270   43.2    44.3 

       1 No spouse present.
       NOTE:  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Data for 2003 reflect revised
     population controls used in the Current Population Survey.





      
     Table 4.  Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child and
     family type, 2002-03 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
                                                                            Number         Percent    
                                                                                         distribution 
                              Characteristic                                                          
                                                                                                      
                                                                         2002    2003    2002    2003 
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                     WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                 
                                                                                                      
         Total........................................................  35,240  35,428  100.0   100.0 
       Parent(s) employed.............................................  31,955  32,002   90.7    90.3 
       No parent employed.............................................   3,285   3,426    9.3     9.7 
                                                                                                      
       Married-couple families........................................  25,191  25,383  100.0   100.0 
         Parent(s) employed...........................................  24,372  24,553   96.7    96.7 
           Mother employed............................................  16,773  16,820   66.6    66.3 
             Both parents employed....................................  15,439  15,420   61.3    60.7 
             Mother employed, not father..............................   1,334   1,400    5.3     5.5 
           Father employed, not mother................................   7,599   7,733   30.2    30.5 
         Neither parent employed......................................     819     830    3.3     3.3 
                                                                                                      
       Families maintained by women (1)...............................   8,053   8,069  100.0   100.0 
         Mother employed..............................................   5,910   5,804   73.4    71.9 
         Mother not employed..........................................   2,143   2,265   26.6    28.1 
                                                                                                      
       Families maintained by men (1).................................   1,995   1,975  100.0   100.0 
         Father employed..............................................   1,673   1,645   83.9    83.3 
         Father not employed..........................................     323     331   16.2    16.8 
                                                                                                      
                     WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS,                                                 
                               NONE YOUNGER                                                           
                                                                                                      
         Total........................................................  20,042  20,125  100.0   100.0 
       Parent(s) employed.............................................  18,313  18,309   91.4    91.0 
       No parent employed.............................................   1,728   1,814    8.6     9.0 
                                                                                                      
       Married-couple families........................................  13,891  13,917  100.0   100.0 
         Parent(s) employed...........................................  13,459  13,473   96.9    96.8 
           Mother employed............................................  10,230  10,214   73.6    73.4 
             Both parents employed....................................   9,386   9,323   67.6    67.0 
             Mother employed, not father..............................     844     890    6.1     6.4 
           Father employed, not mother................................   3,229   3,261   23.2    23.4 
         Neither parent employed......................................     432     443    3.1     3.2 
                                                                                                      
       Families maintained by women (1)...............................   4,959   5,009  100.0   100.0 
         Mother employed..............................................   3,856   3,851   77.8    76.9 
         Mother not employed..........................................   1,102   1,157   22.2    23.1 
                                                                                                      
       Families maintained by men (1).................................   1,193   1,199  100.0   100.0 
         Father employed..............................................     998     985   83.7    82.2 
         Father not employed..........................................     194     214   16.3    17.8 
                                                                                                      
                      WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                 
                                                                                                      
         Total........................................................  15,197  15,302  100.0   100.0 
       Parent(s) employed.............................................  13,641  13,692   89.8    89.5 
       No parent employed.............................................   1,557   1,608   10.2    10.5 
                                                                                                      
       Married-couple families........................................  11,300  11,466  100.0   100.0 
         Parent(s) employed...........................................  10,913  11,080   96.6    96.6 
           Mother employed............................................   6,543   6,607   57.9    57.6 
             Both parents employed....................................   6,053   6,097   53.6    53.2 
             Mother employed, not father..............................     490     510    4.3     4.4 
           Father employed, not mother................................   4,370   4,474   38.7    39.0 
         Neither parent employed......................................     388     385    3.4     3.4 
                                                                                                      
       Families maintained by women (1)...............................   3,094   3,061  100.0   100.0 
         Mother employed..............................................   2,054   1,953   66.4    63.8 
         Mother not employed..........................................   1,040   1,107   33.6    36.2 
                                                                                                      
       Families maintained by men (1).................................     803     776  100.0   100.0 
         Father employed..............................................     674     659   83.9    84.9 
         Father not employed..........................................     129     116   16.1    14.9 

       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.  Detail
     may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Data for 2003 reflect revised population controls used in
     the Current Population Survey.





     Table 5.  Employment status of the population by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own
     children under 18, 2002-03 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                          
                                                                                                          
                                                           2002                           2003            
                  Characteristic                                                                          
                                                                                                          
                                                 Total      Men      Women     Total      Men      Women  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
         WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                 
                                                                                                          
       Civilian noninstitutional                                                                        
          population.........................   64,399     28,137    36,263    64,932    28,402    36,530 
         Civilian labor force................   52,566     26,529    26,036    52,727    26,739    25,988 
             Participation rate..............     81.6       94.3      71.8      81.2      94.1      71.1 
           Employed..........................   50,022     25,474    24,549    50,103    25,638    24,466 
               Employment-population ratio...     77.7       90.5      67.7      77.2      90.3      67.0                                                                    
             Full-time workers (1)...........   42,884     24,644    18,240    42,880    24,762    18,118 
             Part-time workers (2)...........    7,138        829     6,308     7,223       876     6,347 
           Unemployed........................    2,543      1,056     1,488     2,624     1,101     1,523 
             Unemployment rate...............      4.8        4.0       5.7       5.0       4.1       5.9 
                                                                                                          
             Married, spouse present                                                                      
                                                                                                          
       Civilian noninstitutional                                                                        
          population.........................   51,947     25,781    26,166    52,476    26,049    26,427 
         Civilian labor force................   42,492     24,425    18,067    42,776    24,638    18,138 
             Participation rate..............     81.8       94.7      69.0      81.5      94.6      68.6 
           Employed..........................   40,867     23,533    17,334    41,128    23,712    17,416 
               Employment-population ratio...     78.7       91.3      66.2      78.4      91.0      65.9                                                                    
             Full-time workers (1)...........   35,180     22,825    12,356    35,315    22,954    12,360 
             Part-time workers (2)...........    5,687        708     4,979     5,813       757     5,056 
           Unemployed........................    1,625        893       733     1,648       926       722 
             Unemployment rate...............      3.8        3.7       4.1       3.9       3.8       4.0 
                                                                                                          
             Other marital status (3)                                                                     
                                                                                                          
       Civilian noninstitutional                                                                        
          population.........................   12,452      2,355    10,096    12,455     2,354    10,102 
         Civilian labor force................   10,073      2,103     7,970     9,950     2,100     7,850 
             Participation rate..............     80.9       89.3      78.9      79.9      89.2      77.7 
           Employed..........................    9,155      1,941     7,215     8,975     1,926     7,050 
               Emplomment-population ratio...     73.5       82.4      71.5      72.1      81.8      69.8                                                                   
             Full-time workers (1)...........    7,704      1,820     5,885     7,566     1,807     5,759 
             Part-time workers (2)...........    1,451        122     1,329     1,411       118     1,291 
           Unemployed........................      918        163       755       976       175       800 
             Unemployment rate...............      9.1        7.8       9.5       9.8       8.3      10.2 
                                                                                                          
         WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS,                                                                 
                   NONE YOUNGER                                                                           
                                                                                                          
       Civilian noninstitutional                                                                          
          population.........................   35,829     15,580    20,250    35,943    15,653    20,290 
         Civilian labor force................   30,371     14,541    15,830    30,362    14,572    15,790 
             Participation rate..............     84.8       93.3      78.2      84.5      93.1      77.8 
           Employed..........................   29,122     14,023    15,099    29,040    14,008    15,032 
               Employment-population ratio...     81.3       90.0      74.6      80.8      89.5      74.1 
             Full-time workers (1)...........   25,225     13,586    11,638    25,116    13,558    11,557 
             Part-time workers (2)...........    3,898        437     3,461     3,925       450     3,475 
           Unemployed........................    1,249        518       731     1,322       564       758 
             Unemployment rate...............      4.1        3.6       4.6       4.4       3.9       4.8 
                                                                                                          
         WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                                  
                                                                                                          
       Civilian noninstitutional                                                                          
          population.........................   28,570     12,557    16,013    28,988    12,749    16,240 
         Civilian labor force................   22,194     11,988    10,206    22,365    12,167    10,198 
             Participation rate..............     77.7       95.5      63.7      77.2      95.4      62.8 
           Employed..........................   20,900     11,450     9,450    21,063    11,630     9,433 
               Employment-population ratio...     73.2       91.2      59.0      72.7      91.2      58.1 
             Full-time workers (1)...........   17,660     11,058     6,602    17,764    11,203     6,561 
             Part-time workers (2)...........    3,240        392     2,848     3,299       426     2,872 
           Unemployed........................    1,294        538       757     1,302       538       765 
             Unemployment rate...............      5.8        4.5       7.4       5.8       4.4       7.5 
                                                                                                          
       WITH NO OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                
                                                                                                          
       Civilian noninstitutional                                                                          
          population.........................  151,715     74,993    76,722   154,714    76,510    78,204 
         Civilian labor force................   90,971     49,644    41,327    92,319    50,036    42,284 
             Participation rate..............     60.0       66.2      53.9      59.7      65.4      54.1 
           Employed..........................   85,187     46,154    39,034    86,233    46,294    39,939 
               Employment-population ratio...     56.1       61.5      50.9      55.7      60.5      51.1 
             Full-time workers (1)...........   68,574     39,319    29,254    69,073    39,245    29,827 
             Part-time workers (2)...........   16,614      6,834     9,779    17,160     7,049    10,111 
           Unemployed........................    5,784      3,491     2,293     6,087     3,741     2,345 
             Unemployment rate...............      6.4        7.0       5.5       6.6       7.5       5.5 

       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.






     Table 6.  Employment status of mothers with own children under 3 years old by single year of age of youngest child and marital status,
     2002-03 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                Civilian labor force                             
                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                 
                                                      Civilian                                        Employed                     Unemployed    
                    Characteristic                  noninstitu-              Percent                                                             
                                                      tional                    of                                                               
                                                     population     Total    popula-             Percent  Full-time Part-time            Percent 
                                                                              tion      Total       of     workers   workers    Number   of labor
                                                                                                 popula-     (1)       (2)                force  
                                                                                                  tion                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
                         2002                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                 
                     TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                 
         With own children under 3 years old......      9,350        5,632      60.2     5,181      55.4     3,513     1,667       451       8.0 
           2 years................................      2,949        1,895      64.3     1,758      59.6     1,234       524       137       7.2 
           1 year.................................      3,310        2,003      60.5     1,852      56.0     1,241       610       151       7.5 
           Under 1 year...........................      3,091        1,734      56.1     1,571      50.8     1,038       533       163       9.4 
                                                                                                                                                 
                Married, spouse present                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                 
         With own children under 3 years old......      7,073        4,071      57.6     3,869      54.7     2,572     1,297       203       5.0 
           2 years................................      2,201        1,333      60.6     1,274      57.9       870       404        59       4.4 
           1 year.................................      2,509        1,446      57.6     1,379      55.0       902       477        67       4.6 
           Under 1 year...........................      2,363        1,292      54.7     1,216      51.5       800       416        77       6.0 
                                                                                                                                                 
               Other marital status (3)                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                 
         With own children under 3 years old......      2,278        1,562      68.6     1,313      57.6       941       372       248      15.9 
           2 years................................        748          562      75.1       484      64.7       364       120        77      13.7 
           1 year.................................        802          557      69.5       473      59.0       340       134        84      15.1 
           Under 1 year...........................        728          443      60.9       356      48.9       237       118        87      19.6 
                                                                                                                                                 
                         2003                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                 
                     TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                 
         With own children under 3 years old......      9,450        5,563      58.9     5,115      54.1     3,430     1,685       446       8.0 
           2 years................................      2,987        1,896      63.5     1,752      58.7     1,205       547       143       7.5 
           1 year.................................      3,353        1,997      59.6     1,842      54.9     1,223       619       154       7.7 
           Under 1 year...........................      3,110        1,670      53.7     1,521      48.9     1,002       519       149       8.9 
                                                                                                                                                 
                Married, spouse present                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                 
         With own children under 3 years old......      7,165        4,068      56.8     3,872      54.0     2,529     1,342       197       4.8 
           2 years................................      2,243        1,350      60.2     1,281      57.1       853       428        69       5.1 
           1 year.................................      2,541        1,458      57.4     1,395      54.9       906       488        64       4.4 
           Under 1 year...........................      2,381        1,260      52.9     1,196      50.2       770       426        64       5.1 
                                                                                                                                                 
               Other marital status (3)                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                 
         With own children under 3 years old......      2,287        1,495      65.4     1,244      54.4       902       341       250      16.7 
           2 years................................        744          546      73.4       471      63.3       352       118        75      13.7 
           1 year.................................        813          539      66.3       448      55.1       317       131        91      16.9 
           Under 1 year...........................        730          410      56.2       325      44.5       233        92        84      20.5 

       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.