Technical information:  (202) 691-6378     USDL 06-731
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Thursday, April 27, 2006


              EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES IN 2005

   In 2005, 7.0 percent of families had an unemployed member, down by
0.4 percentage point from the prior year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Since 2003, the proportion
of families with an unemployed member has fallen by 1.1 percentage points.
Of the nation's 76.4 million families, 82.3 percent had at least one em-
ployed member in 2005, the same proportion as in 2004.
   
   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.  Families include married-couple
families, as well as those maintained by a man or woman with no spouse
present.  For further information about the CPS, see the Technical Note.
   
Families and Unemployment
   
   In 2005, 5.3 million families had at least one member who was unemployed,
down from 5.6 million in 2004.  The proportion of black families with an un-
employed member (12.7 percent) continued be about twice that for white fam-
ilies (6.1 percent) and Asian families (6.2 percent).  Among Hispanic fam-
ilies, 9.0 percent had an unemployed member.  (See table 1.)
   
   Of the families with an unemployed member, 69.9 percent also had at
least one employed member in 2005, essentially unchanged from the prior
year.  Among married-couple families with unemployment, 82.1 percent had
an employed member, as did 57.9 percent of families maintained by men.
Both proportions were about the same as in the prior year.  In contrast,
the proportion of families maintained by women with unemployment and at
least one employed member rose to 48.2 percent in 2005, up from 45.5 per-
cent in 2004.  (See table 3.)   

Families and Employment
   
   In 2005, the proportion of all families with at least one employed
member, 82.3 percent, was unchanged from the prior year.  There was
little or no change over the year in the proportions with employed mem-
bers among white (82.5 percent), black (78.0 percent), Asian (89.8 per-
cent), and Hispanic families (86.6 percent).  (See table 1.)
   
   Among married-couple families, 83.8 percent had an employed member in
2005, up from 83.5 percent in 2004.  For families maintained by men or
women (no spouse present), the proportions with an employed member were
84.5 percent and 75.6 percent, respectively.  Both proportions were little
changed from the prior year.  (See table 2.)
   
   The proportion of married-couple families in which only the husband worked
(20.2 percent) edged down in 2005, as did the proportion of married-couple
families in which only the wife worked (6.5 percent).  The proportion that
were dual-worker couples (both husband and wife employed) rose to 51.3 per-
cent.  (See table 2.)

                                  - 2 -

Families with Children
   
   Among the 35.4 million families with children under 18, 90.2 percent
had an employed parent in 2005, down by 0.3 percentage point from 2004.
This proportion has trended down since its most recent peak of 92.0 per-
cent in 2000.  In 2005, the mother was employed in 71.2 percent of families
maintained by women, and the father was employed in 83.1 percent of those
maintained by men.  Among married-couple families, 97.1 percent had an
employed parent in 2005.  (See table 4.)
   
Mothers
   
   The labor force participation rate for all mothers, 70.5 percent, was
about unchanged in 2005.  The proportion of mothers in the labor force had
been trending down since 2000, when it was 72.3 percent.  The participation
rate for married mothers, at 68.2 percent in 2005, was little changed over
the year.  It had been trending down since 1997, when it was 70.7 percent.
The participation rate for unmarried mothers--those who were widowed, divorced,
separated, or never married--edged down to 76.1 percent in 2005; it most re-
cently peaked at 78.9 percent in 2002.  (See table 5.)
   
   The unemployment rate for married mothers with children under 18 was
3.6 percent in 2005, little changed from 2004.  The rate for unmarried
mothers in 2005, 9.2 percent, also was about unchanged.  (See table 5.)
   
   Among mothers with children younger than a year old, 53.8 percent were
in the labor force, little changed from the prior year.  Their participation
rate remained about 4 percentage points lower than its peak in the late 1990s.
The jobless rate for mothers of children under age 1 was 8.0 percent in 2005,
about unchanged from 2004.  (See table 6.)






                                  - 3 -

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 2005 presented in this release are not strictly comparable
with data for 2004 and earlier years because of the introduction in January
2005 of revised population controls used in the CPS.  The effect of the re-
vised population controls on the family estimates is unknown.  However, the
effect of the new controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the
December 2004 employment level by 45,000 and the unemployment level by 4,000.
The updated controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates and other
ratios.  For additional information, see "Adjustments to Household Survey Pop-
ulation Estimates in January 2005," available on the Internet at http://www.
bls.gov/cps/cps05adj.pdf.

   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.

                                  - 4 -

Definitions

   Definitions of the principal terms used in this release are presented 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, 2004-05 annual averages

  (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                            
                                                                                            
                              Characteristic                                2004         2005  
                                                                                                                                                                                        
                                  Total                                                     
                                                                                            
    Total families......................................................   75,872       76,443 
                                                                                            
      With employed member(s)...........................................   62,424       62,933 
            As percent of total families................................     82.3         82.3 
               Some usually work full time (1)..........................   57,813       58,276 
      With no employed member ..........................................   13,447       13,509 
            As percent of total families................................     17.7         17.7 
                                                                                            
      With unemployed member(s) ........................................    5,593        5,318 
            As percent of total families................................      7.4          7.0 
        Some member(s) employed ........................................    3,915        3,717 
               As percent of families with unemployed member(s).........     70.0         69.9 
          Some usually work full time (1)...............................    3,494        3,310 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)......     62.5         62.2 
                                                                                            

                                  White
                                                                                            
    Total families......................................................   62,250       62,567 
                                                                                            
      With employed member(s)...........................................   51,350       51,645 
            As percent of total families................................     82.5         82.5 
               Some usually work full time (1)..........................   47,620       47,883 
      With no employed member ..........................................   10,900       10,922 
            As percent of total families................................     17.5         17.5 
                                                                                            
      With unemployed member(s) ........................................    4,078        3,801 
            As percent of total families................................      6.6          6.1 
        Some member(s) employed ........................................    3,000        2,782 
               As percent of families with unemployed member(s).........     73.6         73.2 
          Some usually work full time (1)...............................    2,677        2,477 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)......     65.7         65.2 
                                                                                            

                        Black or African American
                                                                                            
    Total families......................................................    8,860        8,952 
                                                                                            
      With employed member(s)...........................................    6,920        6,986 
            As percent of total families................................     78.1         78.0 
               Some usually work full time (1)..........................    6,292        6,353 
      With no employed member ..........................................    1,940        1,966 
            As percent of total families................................     21.9         22.0 
                                                                                            
      With unemployed member(s) ........................................    1,127        1,140 
            As percent of total families................................     12.7         12.7 
        Some member(s) employed ........................................      625          657 
               As percent of families with unemployed member(s).........     55.5         57.7 
          Some usually work full time (1)...............................      556          583
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)......     49.3         51.1 
                                                                                            

                                  Asian
                                                                                            
    Total families......................................................    3,107        3,218 
                                                                                            
      With employed member(s)...........................................    2,775        2,889 
            As percent of total families................................     89.3         89.8 
               Some usually work full time (1)..........................    2,630        2,741 
      With no employed member ..........................................      332          329 
            As percent of total families................................     10.7         10.2 
                                                                                            
      With unemployed member(s) ........................................      208          199 
            As percent of total families................................      6.7          6.2 
        Some member(s) employed ........................................      171          160 
               As percent of families with unemployed member(s).........     82.1         80.7 
          Some usually work full time (1)...............................      154          145 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)......     74.1         72.8 
                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                            
                      Hispanic or Latino ethnicity                                          
                                                                                            
    Total families......................................................    9,305        9,603 
                                                                                            
      With employed member(s)...........................................    8,071        8,312 
            As percent of total families................................     86.7         86.6 
               Some usually work full time (1)..........................    7,566        7,786 
      With no employed member ..........................................    1,235        1,291 
            As percent of total families................................     13.3         13.4 
                                                                                            
      With unemployed member(s) ........................................      950          860 
            As percent of total families................................     10.2          9.0 
        Some member(s) employed ........................................      664          606 
               As percent of families with unemployed member(s).........     69.9         70.5 
          Some usually work full time (1)...............................      594          544 
                  As percent of families with unemployed member(s)......     62.5         63.2 


    1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
    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.  Data for 2005 reflect revised population
  controls used in the Current Population Survey.




  Table 2.  Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type,
  2004-05 annual averages

  (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                            
                                                                                            
                                                            Number             Percent      
                                                                             distribution   
                    Characteristic                                                          
                                                                                            
                                                        2004      2005      2004      2005  
                                                                                                                                                                                        

               MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES
                                                                                            
              Total.................................   57,188    57,167    100.0     100.0  
                                                                                            
        Member(s) employed, total...................   47,767    47,895     83.5      83.8  
          Husband only..............................   11,712    11,562     20.5      20.2  
          Wife only.................................    3,843     3,715      6.7       6.5  
          Husband and wife..........................   28,991    29,330     50.7      51.3  
          Other employment combinations.............    3,222     3,288      5.6       5.8  
      No member(s) employed  .......................    9,420     9,272     16.5      16.2  
                                                                                            

           FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN (1)
                                                                                            
              Total.................................   13,614    14,035    100.0     100.0  
                                                                                            
        Member(s) employed, total...................   10,358    10,609     76.1      75.6  
           Householder only.........................    6,021     6,052     44.2      43.1  
           Householder and other member(s)..........    2,701     2,830     19.8      20.2  
           Other member(s), not householder.........    1,636     1,727     12.0      12.3  
      No member(s) employed  .......................    3,255     3,426     23.9      24.4  
                                                                                            

            FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN (1)
                                                                                            
              Total.................................    5,071     5,242    100.0     100.0  
                                                                                            
        Member(s) employed, total...................    4,299     4,430     84.8      84.5  
           Householder only.........................    2,060     2,093     40.6      39.9  
           Householder and other member(s)..........    1,557     1,639     30.7      31.3  
           Other member(s), not householder.........      682       698     13.5      13.3  
      No member(s) employed  .......................      772       812     15.2      15.5  


    1 No spouse present.
    NOTE:  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Data for 2005 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, 2004-05 annual averages

  (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                            
                                                                                            
                                                            Number             Percent      
                                                                             distribution   
                    Characteristic                                                          
                                                                                            
                                                         2004      2005     2004      2005  
                                                                                                                                                                                        
               MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES                                                      
                                                                                            
     With unemployed member(s), total...............    3,521     3,243    100.0     100.0  
      No member employed............................      615       580     17.5      17.9  
      Some member(s) employed.......................    2,906     2,664     82.5      82.1  
        Husband unemployed..........................    1,333     1,190     37.9      36.7  
          Wife employed.............................      850       753     24.2      23.2  
        Wife unemployed.............................    1,041     1,004     29.6      31.0  
          Husband employed..........................      913       873     25.9      26.9  
        Other family member unemployed..............    1,147     1,049     32.6      32.4  
                                                                                            

           FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN (1)
                                                                                            
      With unemployed member(s), total..............    1,521     1,539    100.0     100.0  
        No member employed..........................      829       797     54.5      51.8  
        Some member(s) employed.....................      692       743     45.5      48.2  
         Householder unemployed.....................      758       746     49.8      48.5  
          Other member(s) employed..................      146       161      9.6      10.5  
        Other member(s) unemployed..................      764       793     50.2      51.5  
                                                                                            
            
            FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN (1)
                                                                                            
      With unemployed member(s), total..............      551       536    100.0     100.0  
        No member employed..........................      234       225     42.5      42.1  
        Some member(s) employed.....................      316       310     57.5      57.9  
         Householder unemployed.....................      296       301     53.7      56.1  
          Other member(s) employed..................      117       122     21.3      22.8  
        Other member(s) unemployed..................      255       235     46.3      43.9  


    1 No spouse present.
    NOTE:  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.  Data for 2005 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, 2004-05 annual averages

  (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                            
                                                                                            
                                                            Number             Percent      
                                                                             distribution   
                    Characteristic                                                          
                                                                                            
                                                        2004      2005      2004      2005  
                                                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                            
           WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                 
                                                                                            
      Total.........................................   35,379    35,402    100.0     100.0  
    Parent(s) employed..............................   32,013    31,917     90.5      90.2  
    No parent employed..............................    3,366     3,485      9.5       9.8  
                                                                                            
    Married-couple families.........................   25,175    24,942    100.0     100.0  
     Parent(s) employed.............................   24,424    24,218     97.0      97.1  
      Mother employed...............................   16,557    16,501     65.8      66.2  
       Both parents employed........................   15,257    15,298     60.6      61.3  
       Mother employed, not father..................    1,300     1,203      5.2       4.8  
      Father employed, not mother...................    7,867     7,716     31.2      30.9  
     Neither parent employed........................      751       724      3.0       2.9  
                                                                                            
    Families maintained by women (1)................    8,161     8,347    100.0     100.0  
      Mother employed...............................    5,875     5,943     72.0      71.2  
      Mother not employed...........................    2,286     2,404     28.0      28.8  
                                                                                            
    Families maintained by men (1)..................    2,043     2,113    100.0     100.0  
      Father employed...............................    1,713     1,756     83.9      83.1  
      Father not employed...........................      330       357     16.1      16.9  
                                                                                            

    WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER
                                                                                            
      Total.........................................   20,095    20,202    100.0     100.0  
    Parent(s) employed..............................   18,307    18,319     91.1      90.7  
    No parent employed..............................    1,788     1,882      8.9       9.3  
                                                                                            
    Married-couple families.........................   13,806    13,781    100.0     100.0  
     Parent(s) employed.............................   13,381    13,350     96.9      96.9  
      Mother employed...............................   10,089     9,990     73.1      72.5  
       Both parents employed........................    9,269     9,210     67.1      66.8  
       Mother employed, not father..................      820       780      5.9       5.7  
      Father employed, not mother...................    3,292     3,360     23.8      24.4  
     Neither parent employed........................      425       431      3.1       3.1  
                                                                                            
    Families maintained by women (1)................    5,040     5,147    100.0     100.0  
      Mother employed...............................    3,884     3,913     77.1      76.0  
      Mother not employed...........................    1,156     1,233     22.9      24.0  
                                                                                            
    Families maintained by men (1)..................    1,250     1,274    100.0     100.0  
      Father employed...............................    1,043     1,056     83.4      82.9  
      Father not employed...........................      207       218     16.6      17.1  
                                                                                            
                                                                                            
           WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                  
                                                                                            
      Total.........................................   15,284    15,200    100.0     100.0  
    Parent(s) employed..............................   13,705    13,598     89.7      89.5  
    No parent employed..............................    1,578     1,602     10.3      10.5  
                                                                                            
    Married-couple families.........................   11,369    11,161    100.0     100.0  
     Parent(s) employed.............................   11,044    10,868     97.1      97.4  
      Mother employed...............................    6,468     6,511     56.9      58.3  
       Both parents employed........................    5,988     6,089     52.7      54.6  
       Mother employed, not father..................      481       422      4.2       3.8  
      Father employed, not mother...................    4,575     4,357     40.2      39.0  
     Neither parent employed........................      326       293      2.9       2.6  
                                                                                            
    Families maintained by women (1)................    3,122     3,200    100.0     100.0  
      Mother employed...............................    1,991     2,030     63.8      63.4  
      Mother not employed...........................    1,131     1,170     36.2      36.6  
                                                                                            
    Families maintained by men (1)..................      793       839    100.0     100.0  
      Father employed...............................      671       700     84.6      83.5  
      Father not employed...........................      122       139     15.4      16.5  


    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 2005 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,
  2004-05 annual averages

  (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                      
                                                                   2004                             2005              
                    Characteristic                                                                                    
                                                                                                                      
                                                        Total       Men       Women      Total       Men       Women  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
           WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                           
                                                                                                                      
    Civilian noninstitutional population............   64,758     28,272     36,486     64,482     28,065     36,417  
     Civilian labor force...........................   52,288     26,607     25,681     52,056     26,399     25,657  
          Participation rate........................     80.7       94.1       70.4       80.7       94.1       70.5  
       Employed.....................................   49,957     25,696     24,261     49,882     25,587     24,294  
          Employment-population ratio...............     77.1       90.9       66.5       77.4       91.2       66.7  
         Full-time workers (1)......................   42,758     24,794     17,964     42,852     24,713     18,139  
         Part-time workers (2)......................    7,200        902      6,298      7,029        875      6,155  
       Unemployed...................................    2,331        911      1,420      2,174        811      1,363  
          Unemployment rate.........................      4.5        3.4        5.5        4.2        3.1        5.3  
                                                                                                                      

               Married, spouse present
                                                                                                                      
    Civilian noninstitutional population............   52,109     25,852     26,258     51,519     25,578     25,942  
      Civilian labor force..........................   42,247     24,449     17,798     41,905     24,215     17,690  
          Participation rate........................     81.1       94.6       67.8       81.3       94.7       68.2  
       Employed.....................................   40,847     23,703     17,144     40,614     23,556     17,058  
          Employment-population ratio...............     78.4       91.7       65.3       78.8       92.1       65.8  
         Full-time workers (1)......................   35,141     22,935     12,206     35,086     22,808     12,278  
         Part-time workers (2)......................    5,706        768      4,938      5,528        748      4,780  
       Unemployed...................................    1,400        747        653      1,291        659        632  
          Unemployment rate.........................      3.3        3.1        3.7        3.1        2.7        3.6  
                                                                                                                      

               Other marital status (3)
                                                                                                                      
    Civilian noninstitutional population............   12,649      2,420     10,229     12,963      2,487     10,475  
      Civilian labor force..........................   10,042      2,158      7,883     10,151      2,184      7,967  
          Participation rate........................     79.4       89.2       77.1       78.3       87.8       76.1  
       Employed.....................................    9,110      1,993      7,117      9,268      2,032      7,236  
          Employment-population ratio...............     72.0       82.4       69.6       71.5       81.7       69.1  
         Full-time workers (1)......................    7,617      1,859      5,757      7,766      1,905      5,861  
         Part-time workers (2)......................    1,494        134      1,360      1,502        127      1,375  
       Unemployed...................................      931        165        766        883        152        731  
           Unemployment rate........................      9.3        7.6        9.7        8.7        7.0        9.2  
                                                                                                                      

    WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS, NONE YOUNGER
                                                                                                                      
    Civilian noninstitutional population............   35,874     15,597     20,277     35,937     15,590     20,348  
      Civilian labor force..........................   30,182     14,516     15,666     30,068     14,496     15,572  
          Participation rate........................     84.1       93.1       77.3       83.7       93.0       76.5  
       Employed.....................................   29,013     14,056     14,957     28,953     14,066     14,887  
          Employment-population ratio...............     80.9       90.1       73.8       80.6       90.2       73.2  
         Full-time workers (1)......................   25,069     13,597     11,473     25,074     13,606     11,468  
         Part-time workers (2)......................    3,944        459      3,485      3,880        460      3,419  
       Unemployed...................................    1,170        460        709      1,115        430        684  
          Unemployment rate.........................      3.9        3.2        4.5        3.7        3.0        4.4  
                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                      
           WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                                            
                                                                                                                      
    Civilian noninstitutional population............   28,884     12,675     16,210     28,545     12,475     16,070  
      Civilian labor force..........................   22,106     12,091     10,014     21,988     11,903     10,085  
          Participation rate........................     76.5       95.4       61.8       77.0       95.4       62.8  
       Employed.....................................   20,944     11,640      9,304     20,928     11,521      9,407  
          Employment-population ratio...............     72.5       91.8       57.4       73.3       92.4       58.5  
         Full-time workers (1)......................   17,689     11,197      6,491     17,778     11,107      6,671  
         Part-time workers (2)......................    3,256        443      2,813      3,150        414      2,736  
       Unemployed...................................    1,162        451        710      1,060        381        678  
          Unemployment rate.........................      5.3        3.7        7.1        4.8        3.2        6.7  
                                                                                                                      

         WITH NO OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS
                                                                                                                      
    Civilian noninstitutional population............  156,900     77,739     79,160    159,751     79,237     80,514  
      Civilian labor force..........................   93,511     50,771     42,740     95,545     51,914     43,631  
          Participation rate........................     59.6       65.3       54.0       59.8       65.5       54.2  
       Employed.....................................   87,748     47,282     40,467     90,171     48,709     41,462  
          Employment-population ratio...............     55.9       60.8       51.1       56.4       61.5       51.5  
         Full-time workers (1)......................   70,244     40,134     30,110     72,515     41,496     31,019  
         Part-time workers (2)......................   17,505      7,148     10,357     17,657      7,213     10,444  
       Unemployed...................................    5,763      3,489      2,274      5,374      3,205      2,169  
          Unemployment rate.........................      6.2        6.9        5.3        5.6        6.2        5.0  


    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, 
  2004-05 annual averages

  (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                          Civilian labor force                           
                                                                                                                                         

                                              Civilian                                                 Employed              Unemployed
                                              noninsti-               Percent                                                           
                                              tutional                  of                                                             
                                              population     Total    popula-             Percent  Full-time  Part-time           Percent 
                                                                       tion      Total      of      workers    workers    Number    of      
                                                                                          popula-     (1)        (2)               labor  
                                                                                           tion                                    force
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
                    2004                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                         
               TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                         
      With own children under 3 years                                                                                                    
         old..............................      9,345        5,377     57.5      4,964     53.1      3,360     1,604       414      7.7  
        2 years ..........................      2,813        1,746     62.1      1,630     57.9      1,152       477       116      6.6  
        1 year ...........................      3,273        1,906     58.2      1,759     53.7      1,172       587       147      7.7  
        Under 1 year......................      3,259        1,725     52.9      1,575     48.3      1,035       540       151      8.7  
                                                                                                                                         
          Married, spouse present                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                         
      With own children under 3 years                                                                                                    
         old..............................      7,071        3,910     55.3      3,740     52.9      2,513     1,227       170      4.4  
        2 years ..........................      2,111        1,246     59.0      1,200     56.8        839       361        46      3.7  
        1 year ...........................      2,519        1,401     55.6      1,337     53.1        877       459        65      4.6  
        Under 1 year......................      2,441        1,262     51.7      1,203     49.3        797       406        59      4.7  
                                                                                                                                         
          Other marital status (3)                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                         
      With own children under 3 years                                                                                                    
         old..............................      2,274        1,467     64.5      1,224     53.8        847       377       243     16.6  
        2 years ..........................        702          499     71.1        430     61.2        314       116        70     13.9  
        1 year ...........................        754          505     66.9        422     56.0        295       127        82     16.3  
        Under 1 year......................        818          463     56.6        372     45.4        238       134        91     19.7  
                                                                                                                                         

                    2005
                                                                                                                                         
               TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                         
      With own children under 3 years                                                                                                    
         old..............................      9,365        5,470     58.4      5,077     54.2      3,501     1,576       393      7.2  
        2 years ..........................      2,845        1,773     62.3      1,654     58.1      1,162       492       119      6.7  
        1 year ...........................      3,287        1,958     59.6      1,823     55.5      1,247       576       135      6.9  
        Under 1 year......................      3,233        1,740     53.8      1,600     49.5      1,092       508       140      8.0  
                                                                                                                                         
          Married, spouse present                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                         
      With own children under 3 years                                                                                                    
         old..............................      6,951        3,939     56.7      3,776     54.3      2,588     1,188       164      4.2  
        2 years ..........................      2,118        1,268     59.9      1,214     57.3        840       374        55      4.3  
        1 year ...........................      2,435        1,389     57.0      1,337     54.9        901       436        52      3.7  
        Under 1 year......................      2,398        1,282     53.5      1,225     51.1        847       378        58      4.5  
                                                                                                                                         
          Other marital status (3)                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                         
      With own children under 3 years                                                                                                    
         old..............................      2,414        1,531     63.4      1,301     53.9        913       388       230     15.0  
        2 years ..........................        726          504     69.5        440     60.6        322       118        64     12.7  
        1 year ...........................        852          569     66.8        486     57.0        346       139        83     14.6  
        Under 1 year......................        836          457     54.7        375     44.9        245       130        82     18.0  


    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.