Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-1021 

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ 

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, August 27, 2009 

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH—SUMMER 2009 

From April to July 2009, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 1.6 million 

to 19.3 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This 

year, however, the proportion of young people who were employed in July was 51.4 percent, the lowest 

July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948. (July is the traditional summertime peak for 

youth employment.) Unemployment among youth increased by 1.1 million between April and July 

2009, about the same as in the summer of 2008. (Because this analysis focuses on the seasonal changes 

in youth employment and unemployment that occur every spring and summer, the data are not seasonally adjusted.) 

Labor Force

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

between April and July each year. During these months, large numbers of high school and college students take or search for summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to look for or begin 

permanent employment. This summer, the youth labor force grew by 2.6 million to a total of 23.7 

million in July. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate for youth—the proportion of their population working or looking 

for work—was 63.0 percent in July 2009, down by 2.1 percentage points from July 2008 and 14.5 percentage points below its peak for that month in 1989 (77.5 percent). The youth participation rate was 

the lowest July rate since 1955 (62.8 percent). 

The July 2009 labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men, at 64.9 percent, was down 

by 3.2 percentage points from a year earlier, and the rate for women, at 61.1 percent, was little changed 

over the year. For several decades prior to 1989, young men's July labor force participation rate showed 

no clear trend, ranging from 81 to 86 percent. Since July 1989, however, their participation rate has 

trended down by about 18 percentage points. Young women's July labor force participation rate peaked 

in 1989 after a long-term upward trend; their rate has trended down by about 11 percentage points since 

then. 

The July 2009 participation rates for whites fell by 2.1 percentage points to 66.0 percent. The rates 

for blacks at 52.9 percent and Hispanics at 59.4 percent were little changed from a year earlier. For all 

three groups, labor force participation rates were significantly lower than their peak levels reached in 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

July 1989. The participation rate for Asian youth in July 2009, at 49.3 percent, was little different from 

July 2008. (See table 2.) 

Employment

In July 2009, 19.3 million 16- to 24-year-olds were employed. This summer's increase in youth 

employment was lower than last year's (1.6 million vs. 1.9 million). The employment-population ratio 

for youth—the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian noninstitutional population that was employed—was 51.4 percent in July, down 4.6 percentage points from July 2008. The ratio has fallen by 

nearly 18 percentage points since its peak in July 1989. The steep decline from July 2008 to July 2009 

reflects, in part, continued weak labor market conditions due to the recession that began in December 

2007. (See table 2.) 

The employment-population ratio for young men was 52.2 percent in July 2009, down from 57.9 

percent in July 2008. The employment-population ratios for women (50.5 percent), whites (55.2 percent), blacks (36.4 percent), Asians (41.3 percent), and Hispanics (46.5 percent) in July 2009 also were 

lower than a year earlier. 

In July 2009, 25 percent of employed youth worked in the leisure and hospitality industry (which 

includes food services). Another 20 percent worked in the retail trade industry. (See table 3.) 

Unemployment

In July 2009, 4.4 million youth were unemployed, up by nearly 1.0 million from July 2008. The 

youth unemployment rate was 18.5 percent in July 2009, the highest July rate on record for the series, 

which began in 1948. As with the decline in employment, the increase in youth unemployment in the 

summer of 2009 reflected a weak job market. The July 2009 unemployment rates for young men (19.7 

percent), women (17.3 percent), whites (16.4 percent), blacks (31.2 percent), Asians (16.3 percent), and 

Hispanics (21.7 percent) increased from a year earlier. (See table 2.)
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey 

of 60,000 households conducted monthly for the Bureau of 

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

in this release relate to the employment status of youth (16- to 

24-year-olds) during the months of April-July. This period 

was selected as being the most representative time frame in 

which to measure the full summertime transition from school 

to work. July is the peak summer month of youth employment. 

Beginning in January 2009, data reflect revised 

population controls used in the CPS. For a discussion of the 

introduction of the revised population controls and the impact 

that their introduction had on the CPS data, see "Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates in January 

2009" available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps09adj.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; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339. 

Reliability 

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 upon the particular sample selected, and this 

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. 

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

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

than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value 

because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally 

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data. 

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the 

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

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

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in this release are 

described briefly below. 

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 by their employers for the time 

off and whether or not they were seeking other jobs. 

Unemployed persons are all persons who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available for 

work, except for temporary illness, and had made specific 

efforts to find employment sometime during the 4 weeks 

preceding the survey. Persons who were waiting to be 

recalled to a job from which they had been laid off need not 

have been looking for work to be classified as unemployed. 

Civilian labor force comprises all persons classified as 

employed or unemployed. 

Unemployment rate represents the number of 

unemployed persons as a percent of the civilian labor force. 

Not in the labor force includes all persons who are not 

classified as employed or unemployed. 

Industry and class of worker for the employed relate to 

the job held in the survey reference week. Persons with two 

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

the greatest number of hours. In terms of class-of-worker 

categories, wage and salary workers are those who receive 

wages, salaries, commissions, tips, or pay-in-kind from a 

private employer or from a government unit; self-employed 

persons are those who work for profit or fees in their own 

business, profession, or trade, or operate a farm; and unpaid 

family workers are persons working without pay for 15 hours 

a week or more in an enterprise operated by a member of 

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

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, April-July 2009

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes1

Number Percent

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 37,536 37,549 37,566 37,586 50 0.1 

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 21,060 21,439 23,379 23,691 2,631 12.5

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 56.1 57.1 62.2 63.0 6.9 12.3

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 17,739 17,588 18,726 19,304 1,566 8.8

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 47.3 46.8 49.8 51.4 4.1 8.7

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 3,321 3,851 4,653 4,387 1,066 32.1

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 2,449 2,975 3,676 3,430 981 40.1

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 872 876 977 957 85 9.7

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 15.8 18.0 19.9 18.5 2.7 17.4

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 16,476 16,111 14,188 13,895 -2,582 -15.7

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,913 18,919 18,926 18,935 22 .1

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 10,972 11,228 12,154 12,298 1,326 12.1

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 58.0 59.4 64.2 64.9 6.9 12.0

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 8,915 8,896 9,564 9,880 966 10.8

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 47.1 47.0 50.5 52.2 5.0 10.7

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 2,057 2,333 2,590 2,418 360 17.5

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,584 1,869 2,121 1,973 389 24.6

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 473 464 469 444 -29 -6.1

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 18.8 20.8 21.3 19.7 .9 4.8

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 7,941 7,690 6,772 6,637 -1,304 -16.4

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,623 18,631 18,640 18,650 27 .1

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 10,088 10,211 11,225 11,393 1,305 12.9

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 54.2 54.8 60.2 61.1 6.9 12.8

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 8,824 8,692 9,162 9,424 600 6.8

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 47.4 46.7 49.2 50.5 3.1 6.6

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,264 1,519 2,063 1,969 705 55.8

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 865 1,106 1,556 1,456 592 68.5

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 399 412 507 513 113 28.4

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 12.5 14.9 18.4 17.3 4.8 38.0

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 8,536 8,420 7,415 7,257 -1,278 -15.0

White

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 28,989 28,993 29,001 29,010 21 .1

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 16,966 17,434 18,914 19,147 2,181 12.9

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 58.5 60.1 65.2 66.0 7.5 12.8

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 14,630 14,619 15,512 16,000 1,370 9.4

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 50.5 50.4 53.5 55.2 4.7 9.3

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 2,336 2,815 3,403 3,147 811 34.7

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,669 2,152 2,644 2,403 734 44.0

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 667 663 758 744 77 11.5

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 13.8 16.1 18.0 16.4 2.7 19.4

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 12,023 11,559 10,087 9,863 -2,160 -18.0

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 5,645 5,650 5,656 5,662 18 .3

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 2,721 2,611 2,947 2,995 274 10.1

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 48.2 46.2 52.1 52.9 4.7 9.7

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 1,991 1,848 2,034 2,060 69 3.5

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 35.3 32.7 36.0 36.4 1.1 3.2

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 731 763 913 935 205 28.0

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 597 620 774 772 175 29.3

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 134 143 139 163 29 21.9

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 26.9 29.2 31.0 31.2 4.4 16.3

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 2,923 3,039 2,709 2,667 -256 -8.8

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, April-July 2009 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes1

Number Percent

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 1,506 1,507 1,508 1,500 -6 -.4

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 616 633 719 740 124 20.1

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 40.9 42.0 47.7 49.3 8.4 20.6

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 537 526 585 619 82 15.2

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 35.7 34.9 38.8 41.3 5.6 15.7

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 79 107 134 121 42 53.0

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 56 73 94 96 40 71.4

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 23 34 41 24 2 7.5

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 12.8 16.9 18.7 16.3 3.5 27.4

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 889 875 789 760 -130 -14.6

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 6,707 6,722 6,737 6,752 45 .7

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 3,694 3,704 3,892 4,014 319 8.6

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 55.1 55.1 57.8 59.4 4.4 7.9

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 3,060 2,942 3,096 3,143 83 2.7

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 45.6 43.8 46.0 46.5 .9 2.0

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 634 763 796 871 237 37.3

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 485 585 639 693 208 43.0

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 150 178 156 178 28 19.0

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 17.2 20.6 20.5 21.7 4.5 26.4

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 3,013 3,017 2,845 2,738 -275 -9.1

1 Changes are calculated using unrounded data.

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

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for

all races. 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. Data reflect revised population controls introduced with January 2009

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

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2006-2009

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 20061 20071 20081 20091

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 36,989 37,443 37,506 37,586

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 24,664 24,339 24,429 23,691

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 66.7 65.0 65.1 63.0

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 21,914 21,717 21,021 19,304

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 59.2 58.0 56.0 51.4

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 2,750 2,622 3,408 4,387

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 2,028 1,892 2,552 3,430

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 722 730 856 957

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 11.2 10.8 14.0 18.5

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 12,324 13,104 13,076 13,895

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,675 18,926 18,919 18,935

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 13,024 12,845 12,882 12,298

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 69.7 67.9 68.1 64.9

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 11,568 11,421 10,946 9,880

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 61.9 60.3 57.9 52.2

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,456 1,424 1,935 2,418

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,152 1,059 1,483 1,973

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 303 365 453 444

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 11.2 11.1 15.0 19.7

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 5,651 6,081 6,037 6,637

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 18,314 18,517 18,587 18,650

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 11,641 11,494 11,547 11,393

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 63.6 62.1 62.1 61.1

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 10,346 10,296 10,075 9,424

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 56.5 55.6 54.2 50.5

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,295 1,198 1,473 1,969

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 876 833 1,070 1,456

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 419 365 403 513

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 11.1 10.4 12.8 17.3

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 6,673 7,023 7,039 7,257

White

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 28,736 29,012 29,012 29,010

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 20,002 19,734 19,760 19,147

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 69.6 68.0 68.1 66.0

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 18,193 17,899 17,323 16,000

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 63.3 61.7 59.7 55.2

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 1,808 1,835 2,437 3,147

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 1,289 1,304 1,759 2,403

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 520 531 678 744

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 9.0 9.3 12.3 16.4

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 8,735 9,278 9,252 9,863

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 5,426 5,539 5,595 5,662

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 3,133 2,998 3,062 2,995

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 57.7 54.1 54.7 52.9

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 2,361 2,382 2,302 2,060

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 43.5 43.0 41.2 36.4

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 772 616 760 935

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 617 488 647 772

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 155 128 112 163

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 24.7 20.5 24.8 31.2

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 2,293 2,541 2,533 2,667

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2006-2009 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Employment status, sex, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity 20061 20071 20081 20091

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 1,474 1,511 1,516 1,500

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 687 747 767 740

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 46.6 49.4 50.6 49.3

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 631 689 703 619

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 42.8 45.6 46.4 41.3

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 56 58 64 121

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 33 32 38 96

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 23 26 26 24

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 8.2 7.7 8.4 16.3

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 787 764 748 760

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population ......................................................................... 6,406 6,597 6,669 6,752

 Civilian labor force ................................................................................................ 3,943 3,928 4,007 4,014

 Participation rate ............................................................................................. 61.5 59.5 60.1 59.4

 Employed ............................................................................................................ 3,534 3,465 3,367 3,143

 Employment-population ratio .......................................................................... 55.2 52.5 50.5 46.5

 Unemployed ....................................................................................................... 409 464 639 871

 Looking for full-time work ................................................................................ 287 341 487 693

 Looking for part-time work .............................................................................. 122 123 153 178

 Unemployment rate ........................................................................................ 10.4 11.8 16.0 21.7

 Not in labor force .................................................................................................. 2,463 2,669 2,662 2,738

1 Data not comparable with prior years due to revisions in the

population controls.

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

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not

presented for all races. 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.
Table 3. Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2008-2009

(Numbers in thousands. Data are not seasonally adjusted.)

Industry and class of worker

Total White Black or African

American Asian Hispanic or Latinoethnicity

20081 20091 20081 20091 20081 20091 20081 20091 20081 20091

Total employed ..................................................... 21,021 19,304 17,323 16,000 2,302 2,060 703 619 3,367 3,143

 Agriculture and related industries ....................... 418 381 412 361 1 7 1 – 68 72

 Nonagricultural industries ................................... 20,604 18,923 16,911 15,639 2,301 2,053 702 619 3,299 3,071

 Private wage and salary workers ...................... 18,601 16,986 15,246 14,061 2,089 1,831 643 569 3,033 2,825

 Mining ............................................................. 107 44 95 44 4 – 3 – 3 3

 Construction ................................................... 1,217 871 1,122 806 42 35 9 14 364 251

 Manufacturing ................................................. 1,390 1,068 1,171 882 106 88 63 57 296 252

 Durable goods .............................................. 820 580 714 498 50 29 33 32 165 117

 Nondurable goods ........................................ 571 488 457 385 56 59 31 25 131 135

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 371 321 315 273 32 29 7 5 66 57

 Retail trade ..................................................... 3,880 3,851 3,119 3,061 495 513 148 172 566 577

 Transportation and utilities ............................. 464 413 335 322 89 66 10 8 96 95

 Information ...................................................... 369 317 301 237 32 54 19 21 57 45

 Financial activities .......................................... 979 823 806 702 106 74 50 31 179 140

 Professional and business services ............... 1,659 1,350 1,355 1,097 172 145 83 49 281 233

 Education and health services ........................ 2,175 2,141 1,645 1,705 388 306 78 61 227 307

 Leisure and hospitality .................................... 4,926 4,799 4,063 4,053 550 461 127 122 691 745

 Other services ................................................ 1,064 988 918 879 74 62 46 30 206 119

 Government ...................................................... 1,538 1,588 1,247 1,297 197 175 50 47 169 188

 Federal ........................................................... 182 201 148 133 20 35 2 12 25 28

 State ............................................................... 505 516 385 419 72 70 27 10 56 57

 Local ............................................................... 852 871 714 745 105 71 22 25 88 103

 Self-employed and unpaid family workers ........ 464 350 418 282 15 46 9 4 96 58

1 Data not comparable with prior years due to revisions in the population

controls. – Dash represents or rounds to zero.

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

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for

all races. 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.