For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, August 17, 2016 USDL-16-1687 

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

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

EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUTH — SUMMER 2016

From April to July 2016, the number of employed youth 16 to 24 years old increased by 1.9 million to 

20.5 million, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This year, 53.2 percent of young 

people were employed in July, little changed from a year earlier. (The month of July typically is the 

summertime peak in youth employment.) Unemployment among youth rose by 611,000 from April to 

July 2016, compared with an increase of 654,000 for the same period in 2015. (Because this analysis 

focuses on the seasonal changes in youth employment and unemployment that occur each spring and 

summer, the data are not seasonally adjusted.) 

Labor Force 

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

between April and July each year. During these months, large numbers of high school and college 

students search for or take summer jobs, and many graduates enter the labor market to look for or begin 

permanent employment. This summer, the youth labor force grew by 2.6 million, or 12.4 percent, to a 

total of 23.1 million in July. (See table 1.) 

The labor force participation rate for all youth was 60.1 percent in July, little changed from a year 

earlier. (The labor force participation rate is the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 

that is working or looking and available for work.) (See table 2.) The summer labor force participation 

rate of youth has held fairly steady since July 2010, after trending downward for the prior two decades. 

The summer youth labor force participation rate peaked at 77.5 percent in July 1989. 

The July 2016 labor force participation rate for 16- to 24-year-old men was 62.4 percent, higher than the 

rate for young women at 57.7 percent. The rates for men and women were little changed from last July.

Whites had the highest youth labor force participation rate in July 2016 at 62.7 percent. The rate was 

53.8 percent for Blacks, 43.1 percent for Asians, and 56.2 percent for Hispanics. The rate for Blacks 

declined by 2.6 percentage points from last July, while the rates for Whites, Asians, and Hispanics 

showed little or no change. 

Employment

In July 2016, there were 20.5 million employed 16- to 24-year-olds, little changed from the summer 

before. Between April and July 2016, the number of employed youth rose by 1.9 million. The 

employment-population ratio for youth in July 2016—the proportion of the 16- to 24-year-old civilian 
- 2 -

noninstitutional population with a job—was 53.2 percent, little changed from the year before. (See 

tables 1 and 2.) 

The July 2016 employment-population ratios for young men (54.9 percent), women (51.5 percent), 

Whites (56.5 percent), Blacks (42.7 percent), Asians (38.8 percent), and Hispanics (49.8 percent) 

showed little or no change from last July. 

In July 2016, the largest percentage of employed youth worked in the leisure and hospitality industry (25 

percent), which includes food services. An additional 18 percent of employed youth worked in the retail 

trade industry, and 13 percent worked in education and health services. (See table 3.)

Unemployment

The youth unemployment rate (11.5 percent) and the number of unemployed youth (2.6 million) in July 

2016 were little changed from a year earlier. Of those 2.6 million unemployed 16- to 24-year-olds, 1.9 

million were looking for full-time work in July 2016, down 222,000 from July 2015. (See tables 1 

and 2.) 

The July 2016 unemployment rates for young men (12.0 percent), women (10.8 percent), Whites (9.9 

percent), Blacks (20.6 percent), Asians (10.0 percent), and Hispanics (11.3 percent) also showed little or 

no change from last July. (See table 2.)
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey 

of about 60,000 eligible households conducted monthly for 

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

Bureau. The data in this release relate to the employment 

status of youth (16- to 24-year-olds) during the months of 

April-July. This period was selected as being the most 

representative time frame in which to measure the full 

summertime transition from school to work. July is the peak 

summer month of youth employment. 

Beginning in January of each year, data reflect revised 

population controls used in the CPS. Additional information 

about population controls is available on the BLS website at 

www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339. 

Reliability of the estimates 

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both 

sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than 

the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the 

sample estimates may differ from the true population values 

they represent. The component of this difference that occurs 

because samples differ by chance is known as sampling 

error, and its variability is measured by the standard error of 

the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of 

confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by 

no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population 

value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally 

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including 

the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, 

inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data. 

More information on the reliability of data from the 

CPS and estimating standard errors is available online at 

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

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in this release are 

described briefly below. 

Employed. Employed persons are all those who, during 

the survey reference week (which is generally the week 

including the 12th day of the month), (a) did any work at all 

as paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, 

profession, or on their own farm; (c) worked 15 hours or 

more as unpaid workers in a family member’s business. 

Persons who were temporarily absent from their jobs 

because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or 

another reason also are counted as employed. 

Unemployed. The unemployed are those who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available for 

work at that time, and had made specific efforts to find 

employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with 

the reference week. Persons who were waiting to be recalled 

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

been looking for work to be classified as unemployed. 

Looking for full-time work refers to 35 hours or more per 

week; part-time work refers to fewer than 35 hours per 

week. 

Civilian labor force. This group comprises all persons 

classified as employed or unemployed. 

Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the 

number of unemployed persons as a percent of the civilian 

labor force. 

Labor force participation rate. The labor force 

participation rate is the labor force as a percent of the 

population. 

Employment-population ratio. The employmentpopulation ratio is the employed as a percent of the 

population. 

Not in the labor force. Included in this group are all 

persons in the civilian noninstitutional population who are 

neither employed nor unemployed. 

Industry and class of worker. This information applies 

to the job held during the reference week. Persons with two 

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

the greatest number of hours. Persons are classified using the 

2012 Census industry classification system. The class-ofworker breakdown assigns workers to the following 

categories: Private and government wage and salary workers, 

unincorporated self-employed workers, and unpaid family 

workers. 

Wage and salary workers. Included in this group are 

persons who receive wages, salary, commissions, tips, or 

pay in kind from a private employer or from a government 

entity. 

Self-employed workers. Included in this group are those 

who work for profit or fees in their own unincorporated 

business, profession, trade, or farm. Only unincorporated 

self-employed are included in the self-employed category. 

Self-employed persons whose businesses are incorporated 

are included with private wage and salary workers. 

Unpaid family workers. Included in this group are 

persons working without pay for 15 hours a week or more on 

a farm or in a business operated by a family member in their 

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

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, April-July 2016

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

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes

Number Percent

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 38,480 38,468 38,459 38,450 -30 -0.1

Civilian labor force.................................................. 20,548 21,102 22,755 23,104 2,556 12.4

Participation rate.................................................. 53.4 54.9 59.2 60.1 6.7 12.5

Employed.......................................................... 18,511 18,875 19,967 20,456 1,945 10.5

Employment-population ratio................................. 48.1 49.1 51.9 53.2 5.1 10.6

Unemployed....................................................... 2,037 2,227 2,789 2,648 611 30.0

Looking for full-time work..................................... 1,392 1,529 2,031 1,912 520 37.4

Looking for part-time work.................................... 645 699 757 736 91 14.1

Unemployment rate.............................................. 9.9 10.6 12.3 11.5 1.6 16.2

Not in labor force.................................................... 17,932 17,366 15,703 15,346 -2,586 -14.4

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 19,395 19,389 19,385 19,380 -15 -0.1

Civilian labor force.................................................. 10,527 10,800 11,869 12,094 1,567 14.9

Participation rate.................................................. 54.3 55.7 61.2 62.4 8.1 14.9

Employed.......................................................... 9,442 9,637 10,314 10,638 1,196 12.7

Employment-population ratio................................. 48.7 49.7 53.2 54.9 6.2 12.7

Unemployed....................................................... 1,085 1,163 1,555 1,455 370 34.1

Looking for full-time work..................................... 771 852 1,223 1,169 398 51.6

Looking for part-time work.................................... 314 311 332 286 -28 -8.9

Unemployment rate.............................................. 10.3 10.8 13.1 12.0 1.7 16.5

Not in labor force.................................................... 8,868 8,590 7,516 7,287 -1,581 -17.8

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 19,085 19,079 19,074 19,069 -16 -0.1

Civilian labor force.................................................. 10,021 10,302 10,886 11,010 989 9.9

Participation rate.................................................. 52.5 54.0 57.1 57.7 5.2 9.9

Employed.......................................................... 9,069 9,237 9,653 9,818 749 8.3

Employment-population ratio................................. 47.5 48.4 50.6 51.5 4.0 8.4

Unemployed....................................................... 952 1,065 1,234 1,193 241 25.3

Looking for full-time work..................................... 621 677 809 743 122 19.6

Looking for part-time work.................................... 331 388 425 450 119 36.0

Unemployment rate.............................................. 9.5 10.3 11.3 10.8 1.3 13.7

Not in labor force.................................................... 9,064 8,777 8,188 8,059 -1,005 -11.1

White

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 28,335 28,321 28,309 28,297 -38 -0.1

Civilian labor force.................................................. 15,652 16,116 17,402 17,734 2,082 13.3

Participation rate.................................................. 55.2 56.9 61.5 62.7 7.5 13.6

Employed.......................................................... 14,352 14,653 15,552 15,981 1,629 11.4

Employment-population ratio................................. 50.7 51.7 54.9 56.5 5.8 11.4

Unemployed....................................................... 1,300 1,463 1,850 1,754 454 34.9

Looking for full-time work..................................... 894 962 1,296 1,222 328 36.7

Looking for part-time work.................................... 406 502 554 532 126 31.0

Unemployment rate.............................................. 8.3 9.1 10.6 9.9 1.6 19.3

Not in labor force.................................................... 12,684 12,205 10,907 10,562 -2,122 -16.7

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 5,865 5,860 5,855 5,850 -15 -0.3

Civilian labor force.................................................. 2,929 2,993 3,171 3,149 220 7.5

Participation rate.................................................. 49.9 51.1 54.2 53.8 3.9 7.8

Employed.......................................................... 2,408 2,434 2,461 2,499 91 3.8

Employment-population ratio................................. 41.1 41.5 42.0 42.7 1.6 3.9

Unemployed....................................................... 522 559 710 650 128 24.5

Looking for full-time work..................................... 365 439 569 533 168 46.0

Looking for part-time work.................................... 157 121 141 117 -40 -25.5

Unemployment rate.............................................. 17.8 18.7 22.4 20.6 2.8 15.7

Not in labor force.................................................... 2,936 2,867 2,684 2,701 -235 -8.0
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 2016 — Continued

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

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity April May June July

April-July changes

Number Percent

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 2,157 2,158 2,179 2,212 55 2.5

Civilian labor force.................................................. 831 844 956 954 123 14.8

Participation rate.................................................. 38.5 39.1 43.9 43.1 4.6 11.9

Employed.......................................................... 765 775 874 859 94 12.3

Employment-population ratio................................. 35.5 35.9 40.1 38.8 3.3 9.3

Unemployed....................................................... 66 69 83 95 29 43.9

Looking for full-time work..................................... 48 47 61 65 17 35.4

Looking for part-time work.................................... 17 22 22 30 13 76.5

Unemployment rate.............................................. 7.9 8.2 8.6 10.0 2.1 26.6

Not in labor force.................................................... 1,326 1,313 1,222 1,258 -68 -5.1

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population................................... 8,469 8,478 8,488 8,497 28 0.3

Civilian labor force.................................................. 4,458 4,615 4,750 4,776 318 7.1

Participation rate.................................................. 52.6 54.4 56.0 56.2 3.6 6.8

Employed.......................................................... 4,017 4,144 4,167 4,235 218 5.4

Employment-population ratio................................. 47.4 48.9 49.1 49.8 2.4 5.1

Unemployed....................................................... 441 472 583 540 99 22.4

Looking for full-time work..................................... 329 323 443 385 56 17.0

Looking for part-time work.................................... 112 149 140 155 43 38.4

Unemployment rate.............................................. 9.9 10.2 12.3 11.3 1.4 14.1

Not in labor force.................................................... 4,011 3,863 3,738 3,721 -290 -7.2

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

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

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2013-2016

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

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

July

2013

July

2014

July

2015

July

2016

TOTAL

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 38,861 38,735 38,589 38,450

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 23,506 23,437 23,162 23,104

Participation rate..................................................................... 60.5 60.5 60.0 60.1

Employed............................................................................. 19,684 20,085 20,333 20,456

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 50.7 51.9 52.7 53.2

Unemployed.......................................................................... 3,821 3,353 2,829 2,648

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 2,819 2,460 2,134 1,912

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 1,002 893 695 736

Unemployment rate................................................................. 16.3 14.3 12.2 11.5

Not in labor force....................................................................... 15,355 15,298 15,426 15,346

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 19,587 19,527 19,442 19,380

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 12,283 12,335 12,011 12,094

Participation rate..................................................................... 62.7 63.2 61.8 62.4

Employed............................................................................. 10,127 10,470 10,488 10,638

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 51.7 53.6 53.9 54.9

Unemployed.......................................................................... 2,156 1,865 1,523 1,455

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 1,665 1,437 1,195 1,169

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 491 428 328 286

Unemployment rate................................................................. 17.6 15.1 12.7 12.0

Not in labor force....................................................................... 7,303 7,191 7,431 7,287

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 19,274 19,208 19,147 19,069

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 11,223 11,102 11,151 11,010

Participation rate..................................................................... 58.2 57.8 58.2 57.7

Employed............................................................................. 9,557 9,614 9,846 9,818

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 49.6 50.1 51.4 51.5

Unemployed.......................................................................... 1,665 1,488 1,306 1,193

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 1,154 1,023 939 743

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 511 465 367 450

Unemployment rate................................................................. 14.8 13.4 11.7 10.8

Not in labor force....................................................................... 8,052 8,106 7,996 8,059

White

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 28,866 28,718 28,488 28,297

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 18,205 18,137 17,735 17,734

Participation rate..................................................................... 63.1 63.2 62.3 62.7

Employed............................................................................. 15,679 15,917 15,903 15,981

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 54.3 55.4 55.8 56.5

Unemployed.......................................................................... 2,525 2,220 1,832 1,754

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 1,814 1,612 1,308 1,222

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 711 607 524 532

Unemployment rate................................................................. 13.9 12.2 10.3 9.9

Not in labor force....................................................................... 10,661 10,581 10,754 10,562

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 5,997 5,973 5,916 5,850

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 3,225 3,160 3,337 3,149

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

Employed............................................................................. 2,315 2,376 2,645 2,499

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 38.6 39.8 44.7 42.7

Unemployed.......................................................................... 910 784 691 650

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 771 591 604 533

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 139 192 87 117

Unemployment rate................................................................. 28.2 24.8 20.7 20.6

Not in labor force....................................................................... 2,772 2,813 2,580 2,701
Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 to 24 years of age by sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, July 2013-2016 — Continued

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

Employment status, sex, race, and

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

July

2013

July

2014

July

2015

July

2016

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 2,028 2,044 2,148 2,212

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 934 936 957 954

Participation rate..................................................................... 46.1 45.8 44.6 43.1

Employed............................................................................. 794 834 855 859

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 39.2 40.8 39.8 38.8

Unemployed.......................................................................... 140 102 102 95

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 81 70 68 65

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 59 32 34 30

Unemployment rate................................................................. 15.0 10.9 10.7 10.0

Not in labor force....................................................................... 1,094 1,109 1,191 1,258

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population...................................................... 8,229 8,313 8,406 8,497

Civilian labor force..................................................................... 4,756 4,675 4,728 4,776

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

Employed............................................................................. 3,897 3,903 4,127 4,235

Employment-population ratio.................................................... 47.4 47.0 49.1 49.8

Unemployed.......................................................................... 859 772 601 540

Looking for full-time work........................................................ 622 560 458 385

Looking for part-time work....................................................... 238 212 143 155

Unemployment rate................................................................. 18.1 16.5 12.7 11.3

Not in labor force....................................................................... 3,473 3,637 3,679 3,721

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.
Table 3. Employed persons 16 to 24 years of age by industry, class of worker, race, and Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity, July 2015-2016

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

Industry and class of worker

Total White Black or African

American Asian Hispanic or Latinoethnicity

July

2015

July

2016

July

2015

July

2016

July

2015

July

2016

July

2015

July

2016

July

2015

July

2016

Total employed.................................. 20,333 20,456 15,903 15,981 2,645 2,499 855 859 4,127 4,235

Agriculture and related industries.......... 309 320 294 302 7 5 1 4 47 74

Nonagricultural industries................... 20,024 20,136 15,609 15,678 2,638 2,493 853 855 4,079 4,162

Private wage and salary workers1

....... 18,223 18,359 14,169 14,314 2,418 2,245 791 774 3,790 3,893

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas

extraction.............................. 75 39 68 25 0 13 3 0 9 15

Construction............................. 883 991 799 934 36 24 1 8 267 304

Manufacturing........................... 1,385 1,408 1,133 1,092 162 172 46 71 322 261

Durable goods........................ 882 792 726 653 104 75 33 41 173 136

Nondurable goods.................... 504 616 406 439 58 97 14 30 149 124

Wholesale trade......................... 277 252 228 209 24 20 12 4 94 58

Retail trade.............................. 4,005 3,756 2,902 2,871 680 500 206 173 785 781

Transportation and utilities............. 447 434 337 278 73 100 13 30 133 81

Information............................... 288 278 221 237 30 20 30 20 52 59

Financial activities...................... 725 762 571 581 93 78 39 57 180 145

Professional and business services... 1,547 1,690 1,228 1,324 158 189 75 99 332 399

Education and health services........ 2,236 2,607 1,664 1,951 331 391 137 133 368 497

Leisure and hospitality................. 5,437 5,213 4,234 4,072 762 638 196 138 1,098 1,104

Other services........................... 918 929 784 741 68 98 33 40 150 190

Government wage and salary

workers................................... 1,403 1,395 1,091 1,042 195 221 47 68 189 177

Federal................................... 114 158 82 112 14 23 9 14 3 8

State...................................... 541 510 414 366 77 82 19 36 80 58

Local...................................... 748 728 595 563 103 116 18 18 106 111

Self-employed, unincorporated, and

unpaid family workers.................. 398 382 349 322 26 28 16 14 100 91

1

Includes self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated.

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the

release of January data.