Internet address:  http://stats.bls.gov/newsrels.htm
Technical information:  (202) 691-6378  USDL 00-172

                                        For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902  Thursday, June 15, 2000


              EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILIES IN 1999


   In 1999, 83.1 percent of U.S. families had at least one employed member,
up 0.5 percentage point from 1998, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported.  Of the nation's 71.3 million families, 6.0
percent reported having an unemployed member, a decline of 0.4 percentage
point from the previous year.
   
   These data on employment, unemployment, and family relationships are
collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample
survey of about 50,000 households.  For further information about the CPS,
see the Technical Note.
   
Families
   
   In an average week in 1999, 4.3 million families had at least one member
who was unemployed.  Of these families with unemployment, 72.6 percent also
contained at least one employed family member.  Black families were more
likely to have an unemployed member (10.6 percent) than either Hispanic
(9.7 percent) or white families (5.3 percent).  Among the families with
unemployment, white and Hispanic families also were more likely than black
families to have at least one employed member.  (See table 1.)
   
   The proportion of black families with an employed member increased by
1.8 percentage points in 1999 to 80.6 percent, and the percentage of
Hispanic families with an employed member also grew by 1.8 points to 86.5
percent.  In contrast, the proportion for white families edged up a modest
0.3 percentage point over the year to 83.2 percent.  Since 1994, the
proportion of black families with an employed member has increased by 6.8
percentage points, compared with 5.2 percentage points for Hispanic
families and 1.7 points for white families.  (See table 1.)
   
   Overall, 84.1 percent of married-couple families included an employed
person in 1999, as did 86.3 percent of families maintained by men.  Both
proportions were about unchanged over the year.  Among families maintained
by women, a smaller proportion (77.6 percent) included an employed person;
however, this proportion rose by 1.9 percentage points between 1998 and
1999.  (See table 2.)
   
   Families in which only the husband worked comprised 19.3 percent of all
married-couple families in 1999, about the same proportion as the year
before.  Likewise, the proportion of married-couple families in which both
the husband and wife were employed was little changed at 53.0 percent in
1999.  (See table 2.)
   
   In 1999, both parents were employed in 64.1 percent of married-couple
families with children under 18, while the father, but not the mother, was
employed in 29.1 percent of these families.  Both proportions were about
unchanged from a year earlier.  The proportion of  "traditional" families,
that is, families in which the father, but not the mother, is employed, is

                                  - 2 -

much larger among couples with pre-school children (under 6 years of age)
than among families whose youngest child was 6 to 17 years old.  (See
table 4.)  Since 1994, the proportion of married-couple families with
children under 18 in which both parents were employed has grown, while the
proportion in which only the father was employed has shown little change.
   
Mothers
   
   The unemployment rate for married mothers with children under 18--3.0
percent in 1999--was little changed over the year.  In contrast, the
unemployment rate for unmarried mothers--that is, those who were single,
widowed, divorced, or separated--declined by 1.3 percentage points, from 9.3
percent in 1998 to 8.0 percent in 1999.  The unemployment rate for mothers
with children under 6 declined to 5.6 percent, while the rate for mothers
whose youngest child was 6 to 17 years old was about unchanged at 3.7
percent.  (See table 5.)
   
   The overall labor force participation rate of mothers, at 72.2 percent
in 1999, was little changed from the previous year.  The participation rate
for unmarried mothers, however, increased over the year by 1.8 percentage
points to 78.5 percent.  The rate for married mothers (who represent nearly
three-quarters of mothers) was about unchanged at 69.8 percent.  (See
table 5.)
   
   The labor force participation rate for unmarried mothers with children
under a year old was virtually unchanged in 1999 at 58.9 percent.  It had
risen by about 13 percentage points between 1994 and 1998.  The participation
rate for married mothers with children under a year old (55.9 percent) was
also little changed over the year.  (See table 6.)
   
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 |                 Revisions in Household Survey Data                  |
 |                                                                     |
 |  Data for 1999 in this release incorporate revisions to the popu-   |
 |lation controls used in the estimation process that were introduced  |
 |into the household survey in January 1999.  The new controls produce |
 |estimates of families and family members that are generally somewhat |
 |higher than would have been the case had the controls remained un-   |
 |changed.  For example, the number of families with an employed member|
 |is raised by about 200,000 and the number of mothers in the labor    |
 |force is increased by about 120,000.  The change had virtually no im-|
 |pact on estimates of labor force participation rates and unemployment|
 |rates.  Detailed information on the effect of these changes on data  |
 |from the Current Population Survey can be found in the article, "Re- |
 |visions in the Current Population Survey Effective January 1999," in |
 |the February 1999 issue of Employment and Earnings.                  |
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Note


  The estimates in this release are based on annual average data from the
Current Population Survey (CPS), a national sample survey of about 50,000
households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the
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.

  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 depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is
measured by the standard error of the estimate.  There is about a 90-percent
chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will
differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population
value because of sampling error.  BLS analyses are generally conducted
at the 90-percent level of confidence.

  The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.  Nonsampling
error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to sample
a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all
respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to
provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or
processing of the data.

  For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS and
information on estimating standard errors, see the "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.

Definitions

  The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly below.

  Family.  A family is a group of two or more persons residing together
who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption.  The count of families is
for "primary" families only, that is, the householder and all other persons
related to and residing with the householder.  Families are classified
either as married-couple families or as families maintained by women or
men without spouses.

  Householder.  The householder is the family reference person.  This is the
person (or one of the persons) in whose name the housing unit is owned or
rented.  The relationship of other individuals in the household is defined
in terms of relationship to the householder.

  Married, spouse present; other marital status.  These terms denote the
marital status of individuals at the time of interview.  Married, spouse
present, refers to husbands and wives living together in the same household,
even though one may be temporarily absent on business, vacation, on a visit,
in a hospital, etc.  Other marital status includes persons who are
never-married; married, spouse absent; widowed; or divorced.  Married,
spouse absent relates to persons who are separated due to marital problems,
as well as husbands and wives who are living apart because one or the other
was employed elsewhere, on duty with the Armed Forces, or any other reasons.

  Children.  Data on children refer to own children and include sons,
daughters, adopted, and step-children of the husband, wife, or person
maintaining the family.  Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren,
other related children, and all unrelated children living in the household.


     Table 1.  Employment and unemployment in families by race and Hispanic origin, 
     1998-99 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                               
                                                                                               
                            Characteristic                             1998           1999     
                                                                                               
                                TOTAL                                                          
                                                                                               
     Total families..............................................     70,218         71,250    
                                                                                               
         With employed member(s).................................     57,986         59,185    
               As percent of total families......................       82.6           83.1    
                  Some usually work full time(1).................     53,945         55,123    
         With no employed member.................................     12,232         12,065    
               As percent of total families......................       17.4           16.9    
                                                                                               
         With unemployed member(s)...............................      4,503          4,260    
               As percent of total families......................        6.4            6.0    
           Some member(s) employed...............................      3,177          3,091    
                  As percent of families with unemployed                                       
                    member(s)....................................       70.6           72.6    
             Some usually work full time(1)......................      2,830          2,771    
                     As percent of families with unemployed                                    
                       member(s).................................       62.8           65.0    
                                                                                               
                                White                                                          
                                                                                               
     Total families..............................................     58,930         59,661    
                                                                                               
         With employed member(s).................................     48,850         49,632    
               As percent of total families......................       82.9           83.2    
                  Some usually work full time(1).................     45,567         46,333    
         With no employed member.................................     10,080         10,029    
               As percent of total families......................       17.1           16.8    
                                                                                               
         With unemployed member(s)...............................      3,299          3,134    
               As percent of total families......................        5.6            5.3    
           Some member(s) employed...............................      2,463          2,374    
                  As percent of families with unemployed                                       
                    member(s)....................................       74.7           75.7    
             Some usually work full time(1)......................      2,204          2,132    
                     As percent of families with unemployed                                    
                       member(s).................................       66.8           68.0    
                                                                                               
                                Black                                                          
                                                                                               
     Total families..............................................      8,317          8,498    
                                                                                               
         With employed member(s).................................      6,554          6,847    
               As percent of total families......................       78.8           80.6    
                  Some usually work full time(1).................      5,953          6,249    
         With no employed member.................................      1,763          1,652    
               As percent of total families......................       21.2           19.4    
                                                                                               
         With unemployed member(s)...............................        984            905    
               As percent of total families......................       11.8           10.6    
           Some member(s) employed...............................        555            551    
                  As percent of families with unemployed                                       
                    member(s)....................................       56.4           60.9    
             Some usually work full time(1)......................        485            486    
                     As percent of families with unemployed                                    
                       member(s).................................       49.3           53.7    
                                                                                               
                           Hispanic origin                                                     
                                                                                               
     Total families..............................................      7,025          7,403    
                                                                                               
         With employed member(s).................................      5,947          6,405    
               As percent of total families......................       84.7           86.5    
                  Some usually work full time(1).................      5,545          6,017    
         With no employed member.................................      1,078            998    
               As percent of total families......................       15.3           13.5    
                                                                                               
         With unemployed member(s)...............................        744            715    
               As percent of total families......................       10.6            9.7    
           Some member(s) employed...............................        522            518    
                  As percent of families with unemployed                                       
                    member(s)....................................       70.2           72.4    
             Some usually work full time(1)......................        467            467    
                     As percent of families with unemployed                                    
                       member(s).................................       62.8           65.3    

       1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
        NOTE:  Detail for the above race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals
     because data for the 'other races' group are not presented and Hispanics are included in
     both the white and black population groups.  Data for 1999 are not strictly comparable
     with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the introduction of revised population
     controls in the household survey in January 1999.  Detail may not sum to totals due to
     rounding.
     Table 2.  Families by presence and relationship of employed members and family type,
     1998-99 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                  
                                                                                                  
                                                            Number           Percent distribution 
                    Characteristic                                                                
                                                                                                  
                                                       1998        1999        1998        1999   
                                                                                                  
                MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES                                                           
                                                                                                  
         Total....................................    53,689      54,468      100.0       100.0   
                                                                                                  
     Member(s) employed, total....................    45,061      45,800       83.9        84.1   
       Husband only...............................    10,285      10,533       19.2        19.3   
       Wife only..................................     2,843       2,980        5.3         5.5   
       Husband and wife...........................    28,531      28,882       53.1        53.0   
       Other employment combinations..............     3,402       3,404        6.3         6.2   
     No member(s) employed........................     8,628       8,669       16.1        15.9   
                                                                                                  
            FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN(1)                                                       
                                                                                                  
         Total....................................    12,447      12,625      100.0       100.0   
                                                                                                  
     Members(s) employed, total...................     9,417       9,797       75.7        77.6   
       Householder only...........................     5,322       5,566       42.8        44.1   
       Householder and other member(s)............     2,582       2,663       20.7        21.1   
       Other member(s), not householder...........     1,513       1,568       12.2        12.4   
     No member(s) employed........................     3,029       2,827       24.3        22.4   
                                                                                                  
             FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN(1)                                                        
                                                                                                  
         Total....................................     4,083       4,158      100.0       100.0   
                                                                                                  
     Members(s) employed, total...................     3,509       3,588       85.9        86.3   
       Householder only...........................     1,746       1,718       42.8        41.3   
       Householder and other member(s)............     1,283       1,353       31.4        32.5   
       Other member(s), not householder...........       480         517       11.8        12.4   
     No member(s) employed........................       574         569       14.1        13.7   

       1 No spouse present.
         NOTE:  Data for 1999 are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years
     because of the introduction of revised population controls in the household survey in January
     1999.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.





     Table 3.  Unemployment in families by presence and relationship of employed members and
     family type, 1998-99 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                  
                                                                                                  
                                                            Number           Percent distribution 
                    Characteristic                                                                
                                                                                                  
                                                       1998        1999        1998        1999   
                                                                                                  
                MARRIED-COUPLE FAMILIES                                                           
                                                                                                  
     With unemployed member(s), total.............     2,815       2,705      100.0       100.0   
       No member employed.........................       471         440       16.7        16.3   
       Some member(s) employed....................     2,343       2,265       83.2        83.7   
         Husband unemployed.......................       948         924       33.7        34.2   
           Wife employed..........................       594         589       21.1        21.8   
         Wife unemployed..........................       844         790       30.0        29.2   
           Husband employed.......................       745         696       26.5        25.7   
         Other family member unemployed...........     1,023         991       36.3        36.6   
                                                                                                  
            FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY WOMEN(1)                                                       
                                                                                                  
     With unemployed member(s), total.............     1,301       1,222      100.0       100.0   
       No member employed.........................       696         613       53.5        50.2   
       Some member(s) employed....................       605         609       46.5        49.8   
         Householder unemployed...................       612         560       47.0        45.8   
           Other member(s) employed...............        99         110        7.6         9.0   
         Other member(s) unemployed...............       689         662       53.0        54.2   
                                                                                                  
             FAMILIES MAINTAINED BY MEN(1)                                                        
                                                                                                  
     With unemployed member(s), total.............       388         333      100.0       100.0   
       No member employed.........................       158         115       40.7        34.5   
       Some member(s) employed....................       229         218       59.0        65.5   
         Householder unemployed...................       186         154       47.9        46.2   
           Other member(s) employed...............        69          71       17.8        21.3   
         Other member(s) unemployed...............       202         178       52.1        53.5   

       1 No spouse present.
         NOTE:  Data for 1999 are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years
     because of the introduction of revised population controls in the household survey in January
     1999.  Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding.





     Table 4.  Families with own children: Employment status of parents by age of youngest child
     and family type, 1998-99 annual averages

     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                  
                                                                                                  
                                                            Number           Percent distribution 
                    Characteristic                                                                
                                                                                                  
                                                       1998        1999        1998        1999   
                                                                                                  
           WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                       
                                                                                                  
         Total....................................    34,232      34,340      100.0       100.0   
       Parent(s) employed.........................    31,100      31,493       90.9        91.7   
       No parent employed.........................     3,130       2,847        9.1         8.3   
                                                                                                  
       Married-couple families....................    24,820      24,904      100.0       100.0   
         Parent(s) employed.......................    24,088      24,243       97.1        97.3   
           Mother employed........................    16,911      16,995       68.1        68.2   
             Both parents employed................    15,906      15,958       64.1        64.1   
             Mother employed, not father..........     1,005       1,037        4.0         4.2   
           Father employed, not mother............     7,178       7,249       28.9        29.1   
         Neither parent employed..................       731         662        2.9         2.7   
                                                                                                  
       Families maintained by women(1)............     7,573       7,653      100.0       100.0   
         Mother employed..........................     5,440       5,713       71.8        74.7   
         Mother not employed......................     2,133       1,940       28.2        25.3   
                                                                                                  
       Families maintained by men(1)..............     1,839       1,782      100.0       100.0   
         Father employed..........................     1,572       1,537       85.5        86.3   
         Father not employed......................       266         245       14.5        13.7   
                                                                                                  
           WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS,                                                       
                     NONE YOUNGER                                                                 
                                                                                                  
         Total....................................    19,209      19,364      100.0       100.0   
       Parent(s) employed.........................    17,551      17,825       91.4        92.1   
       No parent employed.........................     1,658       1,539        8.6         7.9   
                                                                                                  
       Married-couple families....................    13,496      13,565      100.0       100.0   
         Parent(s) employed.......................    13,065      13,175       96.8        97.1   
           Mother employed........................     9,991      10,113       74.0        74.6   
             Both parents employed................     9,338       9,446       69.2        69.6   
             Mother employed, not father..........       653         668        4.8         4.9   
           Father employed, not mother............     3,074       3,061       22.8        22.6   
         Neither parent employed..................       431         390        3.2         2.9   
                                                                                                  
       Families maintained by women(1)............     4,638       4,722      100.0       100.0   
         Mother employed..........................     3,573       3,737       77.0        79.1   
         Mother not employed......................     1,065         985       23.0        20.9   
                                                                                                  
       Families maintained by men(1)..............     1,075       1,077      100.0       100.0   
         Father employed..........................       913         913       84.9        84.8   
         Father not employed......................       162         164       15.1        15.2   
                                                                                                  
            WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                       
                                                                                                  
         Total....................................    15,023      14,976      100.0       100.0   
       Parent(s) employed.........................    13,550      13,670       90.2        91.3   
       No parent employed.........................     1,473       1,307        9.8         8.7   
                                                                                                  
       Married-couple families....................    11,324      11,340      100.0       100.0   
         Parent(s) employed.......................    11,023      11,070       97.3        97.6   
           Mother employed........................     6,920       6,882       61.1        60.7   
             Both parents employed................     6,567       6,512       58.0        57.4   
             Mother employed, not father..........       352         370        3.1         3.3   
           Father employed, not mother............     4,103       4,188       36.2        36.9   
         Neither parent employed..................       301         270        2.7         2.4   
                                                                                                  
       Families maintained by women(1)............     2,936       2,931      100.0       100.0   
         Mother employed..........................     1,867       1,976       63.6        67.4   
         Mother not employed......................     1,068         956       36.4        32.6   
                                                                                                  
       Families maintained by men(1)..............       763         705      100.0       100.0   
         Father employed..........................       660         624       86.5        88.5   
         Father not employed......................       104          81       13.6        11.5   

       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.  Data
     for 1999 are not strictly comparable with data for 1998 and earlier years because of the
     introduction of revised population controls in the household survey in January 1999.  Detail
     may not sum to totals due to rounding.


 


     Table 5.  Employment status of the population by sex, marital status, and presence and age of own children
     under 18, 1998-99 annual averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                  
                                                               1998                             1999              
                   Characteristic                                                                                 
                                                                                                                  
                                                    Total       Men       Women      Total       Men       Women  
                                                                                                                  
          WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                        
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   62,912     27,489     35,423     63,158     27,573     35,585  
           Civilian labor force.................   51,462     26,018     25,443     51,778     26,092     25,686  
               Participation rate...............     81.8       94.6       71.8       82.0       94.6       72.2  
             Employed...........................   49,480     25,333     24,147     50,010     25,472     24,538  
                 Employment-population ratio....     78.6       92.2       68.2       79.2       92.4       69.0  
               Full-time workers(1).............   42,372     24,562     17,811     43,033     24,712     18,321  
               Part-time workers(2).............    7,108        771      6,337      6,977        761      6,216  
             Unemployed.........................    1,981        686      1,296      1,768        620      1,149  
               Unemployment rate................      3.8        2.6        5.1        3.4        2.4        4.5  
                                                                                                                  
               Married, spouse present                                                                            
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   51,061     25,325     25,737     51,302     25,462     25,840  
           Civilian labor force.................   42,088     24,080     18,009     42,260     24,222     18,038  
               Participation rate...............     82.4       95.1       70.0       82.4       95.1       69.8  
             Employed...........................   40,914     23,506     17,408     41,193     23,688     17,505  
                 Employment-population ratio....     80.1       92.8       67.6       80.3       93.0       67.7  
               Full-time workers(1).............   35,197     22,839     12,357     35,568     23,024     12,544  
               Part-time workers(2).............    5,718        667      5,051      5,625        664      4,961  
             Unemployed.........................    1,174        573        601      1,067        534        533  
               Unemployment rate................      2.8        2.4        3.3        2.5        2.2        3.0  
                                                                                                                  
               Other marital status(3)                                                                            
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   11,851      2,166      9,686     11,856      2,110      9,746  
           Civilian labor force.................    9,374      1,939      7,434      9,517      1,870      7,648  
               Participation rate...............     79.1       89.5       76.7       80.3       88.6       78.5  
             Employed...........................    8,565      1,826      6,739      8,817      1,785      7,033  
                 Employment-population ratio....     72.3       84.3       69.6       74.4       84.6       72.2  
               Full-time workers(1).............    7,177      1,724      5,453      7,466      1,687      5,778  
               Part-time workers(2).............    1,391        104      1,286      1,351         97      1,255  
             Unemployed.........................      807        113        695        701         86        615  
               Unemployment rate................      8.6        5.8        9.3        7.4        4.6        8.0  
                                                                                                                  
          WITH OWN CHILDREN 6 TO 17 YEARS,                                                                        
                    NONE YOUNGER                                                                                  
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   34,329     14,947     19,383     34,662     15,090     19,572  
           Civilian labor force.................   29,003     13,969     15,033     29,403     14,092     15,311  
               Participation rate...............     84.5       93.5       77.6       84.8       93.4       78.2  
             Employed...........................   28,046     13,629     14,417     28,528     13,782     14,747  
                 Employment-population ratio....     81.7       91.2       74.4       82.3       91.3       75.3  
               Full-time workers(1).............   24,286     13,238     11,048     24,807     13,385     11,422  
               Part-time workers(2).............    3,760        391      3,369      3,722        397      3,325  
             Unemployed.........................      957        340        617        875        310        564  
               Unemployment rate................      3.3        2.4        4.1        3.0        2.2        3.7  
                                                                                                                  
           WITH OWN CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS                                                                        
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...   28,583     12,543     16,040     28,496     12,482     16,014  
           Civilian labor force.................   22,459     12,049     10,410     22,375     12,000     10,375  
               Participation rate...............     78.6       96.1       64.9       78.5       96.1       64.8  
             Employed...........................   21,434     11,703      9,731     21,482     11,691      9,791  
                 Employment-population ratio....     75.0       93.3       60.7       75.4       93.7       61.1  
               Full-time workers(1).............   18,086     11,323      6,763     18,227     11,327      6,900  
               Part-time workers(2).............    3,348        380      2,968      3,255        364      2,891  
             Unemployed.........................    1,025        346        679        894        310        584  
               Unemployment rate................      4.6        2.9        6.5        4.0        2.6        5.6  
                                                                                                                  
         WITH NO OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS                                                                      
                                                                                                                  
         Civilian noninstitutional population...  140,436     69,396     71,040    143,160     70,714     72,446  
           Civilian labor force.................   84,735     46,464     38,271     86,424     47,255     39,169  
               Participation rate...............     60.3       67.0       53.9       60.4       66.8       54.1  
             Employed...........................   80,545     43,922     36,623     82,333     44,828     37,504  
                 Employment-population ratio....     57.4       63.3       51.6       57.5       63.4       51.8  
               Full-time workers(1).............   64,429     37,226     27,203     66,136     38,086     28,051  
               Part-time workers(2).............   16,116      6,696      9,420     16,196      6,743      9,454  
             Unemployed.........................    4,190      2,542      1,648      4,091      2,426      1,665  
               Unemployment rate................      4.9        5.5        4.3        4.7        5.1        4.3  

       1 Usually work 35 hours or more a week at all jobs.
       2 Usually work less than 35 hours a week at all jobs.
       3 Includes never-married, divorced, separated, and widowed persons.
         NOTE:  See NOTE, table 4.




     Table 6.  Employment status of mothers with own children under 3 years old by single year of age of youngest child, and marital status,
     1998-99 annual averages
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                           Civilian labor force                             
                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                            
                                                 Civilian                                        Employed                     Unemployed    
                  Characteristic                 noninsti-               Percent                                                             
                                                 tutional                   of                                                               
                                                population      Total    popula-            Percent  Full-time  Part-time             Percent 
                                                                           tion     Total      of     workers    workers    Number   of labor
                                                                                            popula-     (1)        (2)                 force  
                                                                                              tion                                           
                                                                                                                                            
                       1998                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                            
                  TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                            
         With own children under 3 years old.      9,333        5,779      61.9     5,384      57.7     3,626     1,758       395       6.8 
           2 years...........................      2,772        1,786      64.4     1,673      60.4     1,149       524       113       6.3 
           1 year............................      3,213        2,055      64.0     1,917      59.7     1,281       636       138       6.7 
           Under 1 year......................      3,348        1,938      57.9     1,794      53.6     1,196       598       144       7.4 
                                                                                                                                            
             Married, spouse present                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                            
         With own children under 3 years old.      7,110        4,316      60.7     4,145      58.3     2,765     1,380       171       4.0 
           2 years...........................      2,073        1,291      62.3     1,244      60.0       831       413        47       3.6 
           1 year............................      2,493        1,560      62.6     1,497      60.0       989       508        63       4.0 
           Under 1 year......................      2,544        1,465      57.6     1,404      55.2       945       459        61       4.2 
                                                                                                                                            
             Other marital status(3)                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                            
         With own children under 3 years old.      2,225        1,463      65.8     1,238      55.6       860       379       223      15.2 
           2 years...........................        700          495      70.7       429      61.3       318       111        65      13.1 
           1 year............................        721          495      68.7       420      58.3       292       129        75      15.2 
           Under 1 year......................        804          473      58.8       389      48.4       250       139        83      17.5 
                                                                                                                                            
                       1999                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                            
                  TOTAL MOTHERS                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                            
         With own children under 3 years old.      9,339        5,742      61.5     5,390      57.7     3,692     1,696       353       6.1 
           2 years...........................      2,890        1,888      65.3     1,788      61.9     1,257       530       101       5.3 
           1 year............................      3,283        2,062      62.8     1,934      58.9     1,298       635       128       6.2 
           Under 1 year......................      3,166        1,792      56.6     1,668      52.7     1,137       531       124       6.9 
                                                                                                                                            
             Married, spouse present                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                            
         With own children under 3 years old.      7,089        4,224      59.6     4,078      57.5     2,744     1,335       147       3.5 
           2 years...........................      2,175        1,356      62.3     1,316      60.5       898       419        40       2.9 
           1 year............................      2,522        1,532      60.7     1,477      58.6       964       513        56       3.7 
           Under 1 year......................      2,392        1,336      55.9     1,285      53.7       882       403        51       3.8 
                                                                                                                                            
             Other marital status(3)                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                            
         With own children under 3 years old.      2,249        1,519      67.5     1,310      58.2       950       363       207      13.6 
           2 years...........................        714          533      74.6       471      66.0       360       112        62      11.6 
           1 year............................        761          530      69.6       457      60.1       335       123        72      13.6 
           Under 1 year......................        774          456      58.9       382      49.4       255       128        73      16.0 

       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.