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Technical information: (202) 691-6378

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-2353

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Thursday, December 22, 2005

 (This news release was reissued on Wednesday, December 13, 2006, to reflect corrections to

the 2004 survey sample weights made after the publication of the original release. The analyses in

this release were not affected by the change in weights.)

WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION IN 2004

A total of 152.3 million persons worked at some point during 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of

the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The proportion of workers who worked full time, year

round was up slightly from 2003. The number of persons who experienced some unemployment in 2004

fell by 1.4 million from 2003, to 15.1 million. (See tables 1 and 3.)

These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC)

to the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey conducted by the U.S. Census

Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ASEC collects information on employment and unemployment experienced during the prior calendar year. Additional information about the CPS and the ASEC,

including concepts and definitions, is provided in the Technical Note. Highlights from the 2004 data include:

• The proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 years old and over that worked at

some time during the year was 67.6 percent in 2004, essentially unchanged from 2003.

• The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in 2004 (66.8 percent) was slightly

higher than in 2003 (66.3 percent).

• The “work-experience unemployment rate”—defined as the number unemployed at some time

during the year as a proportion of the number who worked or looked for work during the year—

fell by 1.0 percentage point over the year to 9.7 percent in 2004.

Persons with Employment

In 2004, the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over that worked at

some point during the year was 67.6 percent, about unchanged from 2003. (See table 1.) This proportion

had trended down from 2000 to 2003. In 2004, the proportions of men and women who worked at some

time during the year, 74.1 and 61.5 percent, respectively, also were about unchanged from the prior year.

Among those with work experience during 2004, 77.0 percent were employed year round (either full or

part time), up by 0.5 percentage point from 2003. Continuing a long-term growth trend, full-year employ-
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ment among women edged up to 73.7 percent from 73.3 percent in 2003. The percentage of men employed

year round also was up over the year, increasing to 80.0 percent from 79.3 percent in 2003. (See table 1.)

About 4 out of 5 of those who were employed at some time during 2004 usually worked full time, about

the same ratio as in 2003. Among both men and women, the proportion who worked full time was little

changed between 2003 and 2004. (See table 1.)

Persons with Unemployment

Overall, 15.1 million persons experienced some unemployment in 2004, down from 16.4 million in 2003.

Declines in unemployment among men accounted for more than three-quarters of the over-the-year change.

(See table 3.)

At 9.7 percent in 2004, the “work-experience unemployment rate” was down by 1.0 percentage point

from 2003. The rate is low by historical standards, but is above the series low of 8.6 percent reached in

2000. The rate for blacks in 2004, 14.4 percent, was higher than the rates for Hispanics or Latinos (10.9

percent), whites (9.0 percent), and Asians (8.0 percent). (See tables 3 and 4.)

In 2004, the “work-experience unemployment rate” for white men (9.5 percent) was higher than that for

white women (8.5 percent). In contrast, there was little difference in the rates for black men and women

(14.7 and 14.2 percent, respectively), or Hispanic or Latino men and women (11.0 and 10.8 percent, respectively). The rates for Asian men and women were 7.5 and 8.6 percent, respectively. (See table 4.)

In 2004, among those who experienced unemployment, the median number of weeks spent looking for

work was 14.9 weeks, down from 16.6 weeks in 2003. About 2.5 million individuals had looked for a

job but did not work at all in 2004, down from 2.8 million a year earlier. Of the 12.5 million persons who

worked during the year and also experienced unemployment, 23.1 percent had two or more spells of joblessness, compared with 22.6 percent in 2003.
Technical Note

The data presented in this release were collected in the

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current

Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey

conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor

Statistics. Data from the CPS are used to obtain the monthly

estimates of the nation’s employment and unemployment

levels. The supplement, conducted in the months of February

through April, includes questions about work activity during

the prior calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2005 refer

to the 2004 calendar year. Because the reference period is a full

year, the number of persons with some employment or

unemployment greatly exceeds the average levels for any given

month, which are based on a 1-week reference period, and the

corresponding annual average of the monthly estimates. As

shown below, for example, the number experiencing any

unemployment during 2004 was about twice the number

unemployed in an average month during the year.

In addition, estimates from the supplement differ from

those obtained in the basic CPS because the questions used to

classify workers as either employed or unemployed are

different. More important, perhaps, is that fewer questions by

which to categorize respondents are asked in the supplement.

In regard to unemployment in particular, the supplement has no

questions on the type of job search activity or on the

respondent’s availability to work. Also, individuals can be

counted as both employed and unemployed in the work

experience data, whereas, for a specific reference week, each

person is only counted in one category and employment activity

takes precedence over job search activity.

Work experience data for 2004, which were collected in the

2005 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS,

are not strictly comparable with data for 2003 and earlier

years because of the introduction in January 2005 of

revised population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the

revised population controls on the work experience 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. For additional information, see “Adjustments to

Household Survey Population Estimates in January 2005” in the

February 2005 issue of Employment and Earnings, 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: 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.

Concepts and definitions

Persons who worked. In the 2005 supplement, persons are

considered to have worked if they responded “yes” to either the

question “Did you work at a job or business at any time during

2004?” or “Did you do any temporary, part-time, or seasonal

work even for a few days during 2004?”

Unemployed persons. Persons who worked during the year

but not in every week are counted as unemployed if they also

reported looking for work or being on layoff from a job during

the year. Those who reported no work activity during the year

are considered unemployed if they responded “yes” to the

question “Even though you did not work in 2004, did you spend

any time trying to find a job or on layoff?”

Labor force participants. Persons who either worked or

were unemployed during the year.

Usual full- and part-time employment. These data refer to

the number of hours a worker typically works during most weeks

of the year. Workers are classified as full time if they usually

worked 35 hours or more in a week; part-time employment refers

to workers whose typical workweek was between 1 and 34 hours.

Year-round and part-year employment. Workers are

classified as year round if they worked 50 to 52 weeks. Part-year

employment refers to workers who worked fewer than 50 weeks.

 Employed Unemployed

2004 estimates (in thousands)

 Annual average of

 monthly estimates

 Annual supplement data

139,252 8,149

152,235 15,063
Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2003-04

Extent of employment

Total Men Women

2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004

Numbers (in thousands)

Civilian noninstitutional population ....................................................................... 222,509 225,236 107,241 108,702 115,269 116,534

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 153,448 154,796 81,023 81,759 72,425 73,037

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 69.0 68.7 75.6 75.2 62.8 62.7

Total who worked during the year1 ................................................................... 150,689 152,253 79,539 80,547 71,150 71,706

Percent of the population .............................................................................. 67.7 67.6 74.2 74.1 61.7 61.5

Full time2 ...................................................................................................... 120,325 121,730 69,019 70,101 51,306 51,628

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 99,904 101,768 58,064 59,436 41,841 42,332

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 1,917 2,063 1,128 1,277 789 785

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 5,269 5,345 2,762 2,806 2,508 2,539

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,763 4,444 2,571 2,332 2,192 2,112

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,909 4,921 2,614 2,533 2,295 2,388

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 3,562 3,189 1,880 1,716 1,682 1,472

Part time3 ...................................................................................................... 30,364 30,523 10,520 10,445 19,844 20,078

50 to 52 weeks ......................................................................................... 15,325 15,502 5,034 4,969 10,291 10,533

48 to 49 weeks ......................................................................................... 782 768 236 223 546 544

40 to 47 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,611 2,564 813 754 1,798 1,810

27 to 39 weeks ......................................................................................... 2,632 2,724 821 1,008 1,810 1,716

14 to 26 weeks ......................................................................................... 4,386 4,258 1,684 1,565 2,702 2,693

1 to 13 weeks ........................................................................................... 4,628 4,707 1,932 1,926 2,696 2,781

Percent distribution

Total who worked during the year1 ....................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time2 .......................................................................................................... 79.8 80.0 86.8 87.0 72.1 72.0

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 66.3 66.8 73.0 73.8 58.8 59.0

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.1 1.1

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.2 2.9 3.2 2.9 3.1 2.9

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.3

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 2.4 2.1 2.4 2.1 2.4 2.1

Part time3 .......................................................................................................... 20.2 20.0 13.2 13.0 27.9 28.0

50 to 52 weeks ............................................................................................. 10.2 10.2 6.3 6.2 14.5 14.7

48 to 49 weeks ............................................................................................. 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.8 0.8

40 to 47 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.7 1.7 1.0 0.9 2.5 2.5

27 to 39 weeks ............................................................................................. 1.7 1.8 1.0 1.3 2.5 2.4

14 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 2.9 2.8 2.1 1.9 3.8 3.8

1 to 13 weeks ............................................................................................... 3.1 3.1 2.4 2.4 3.8 3.9

1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave. 2 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week. 3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Data for 2004, which

were collected in the 2005 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the

Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 2001

and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2003 of revised

population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see the

technical note and "Revisions to the Current Population Survey Effective in

January 2003" in the February 2003 issue of Employment and Earnings, 

available on the Internet at http: //www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf. Data for

2004 may vary slightly from that previously published due to corrections to

the sample weights.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2003-04

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004

WHITE 1

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 181,964 183,768 88,600 89,602 93,364 94,166

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 126,232 127,054 67,807 68,235 58,425 58,818

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.4 69.1 76.5 76.2 62.6 62.5

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 124,362 125,405 66,803 67,452 57,560 57,953

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.3 68.2 75.4 75.3 61.7 61.5

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 79.3 79.4 86.9 87.0 70.6 70.5

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 66.1 66.4 73.4 73.9 57.6 57.8

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.9 7.8 8.1 8.1 7.7 7.6

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.3 5.1 5.4 5.1 5.3 5.1

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 20.7 20.6 13.1 13.0 29.4 29.5

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 10.6 10.5 6.3 6.2 15.5 15.6

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 4.2 4.1 2.4 2.5 6.2 6.0

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.9 6.0 4.4 4.3 7.7 7.9

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 1

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 25,931 26,377 11,589 11,812 14,343 14,565

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 17,161 17,426 7,829 8,017 9,331 9,408

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 66.2 66.1 67.6 67.9 65.1 64.6

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 16,520 16,724 7,488 7,672 9,032 9,053

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 63.7 63.4 64.6 64.9 63.0 62.2

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 82.8 83.6 86.1 87.6 80.1 80.3

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 67.9 68.8 70.7 72.8 65.6 65.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.8 7.7 8.0 7.9 7.7 7.5

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 7.1 7.1 7.4 7.0 6.8 7.2

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 17.2 16.4 13.9 12.4 19.9 19.7

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 7.9 7.9 6.5 5.9 9.2 9.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 3.1 2.9 2.1 2.3 3.9 3.4

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.1 5.6 5.3 4.1 6.9 6.9

ASIAN 1

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 9,429 9,680 4,516 4,596 4,913 5,083

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 6,411 6,516 3,457 3,494 2,954 3,022

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.0 67.3 76.6 76.0 60.1 59.4

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 6,273 6,417 3,378 3,451 2,895 2,966

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 66.5 66.3 74.8 75.1 58.9 58.3

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 83.0 82.9 87.4 88.2 77.8 76.7

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 70.5 72.1 75.3 78.4 65.0 64.9

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 6.5 6.0 6.7 5.3 6.2 6.9

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.9 4.7 5.4 4.5 6.5 4.9

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 17.0 17.1 12.6 11.8 22.2 23.3

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.4 9.6 5.6 6.7 11.8 13.0

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 2.9 3.2 1.8 1.6 4.1 5.0

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.7 4.4 5.2 3.5 6.3 5.3

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2003-04 —

Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Civilian noninstitutional population ................................................................... 27,783 28,814 14,240 14,791 13,543 14,023

Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................ 19,357 19,912 11,445 11,818 7,912 8,093

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 69.7 69.1 80.4 79.9 58.4 57.7

Total who worked during the year2 ............................................................... 18,969 19,579 11,246 11,668 7,723 7,911

Percent of the population .......................................................................... 68.3 67.9 79.0 78.9 57.0 56.4

Percent who worked during the year2 .......................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Full time3 .................................................................................................. 83.7 84.4 89.4 90.8 75.4 74.9

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 67.7 69.3 73.5 75.7 59.3 59.8

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 9.2 9.0 9.6 9.9 8.7 7.7

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 6.7 6.1 6.3 5.2 7.4 7.4

Part time4 .................................................................................................. 16.3 15.6 10.6 9.2 24.6 25.1

50 to 52 weeks ..................................................................................... 8.3 8.1 5.4 4.5 12.7 13.5

27 to 49 weeks ..................................................................................... 2.8 2.9 1.7 1.6 4.3 4.7

1 to 26 weeks ....................................................................................... 5.2 4.6 3.5 3.0 7.6 6.9

1 Beginning with data for 2003, which were collected in the 2004

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population

Survey, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected

more than one race group are excluded. Prior to 2002, persons who

reported more than one race were included in the group they identified as

their main race. Also beginning in 2002, Asians no longer include Pacific

Islanders. 2 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave. 3 Usually worked 35 hours or more per week.

4 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.

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

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in table 3 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 refer to persons 16 years

and over. Also, see Note, table 1. Data for 2004 may vary slightly from

that previously published due to corrections to the sample weights.
Table 3. Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 2003-04

Extent of unemployment

Total Men Women

2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004

Numbers (in thousands)

Total who worked or looked for work .................................................................... 153,448 154,796 81,023 81,759 72,425 73,037

Percent with unemployment ............................................................................. 10.7 9.7 11.5 10.1 9.8 9.3

Total with unemployment .................................................................................. 16,444 15,077 9,321 8,249 7,122 6,828

Did not work but looked for work .................................................................. 2,759 2,543 1,484 1,213 1,275 1,331

1 to 14 weeks ........................................................................................... 1,014 977 463 393 550 584

15 weeks or more ..................................................................................... 1,745 1,567 1,021 819 725 747

Worked during the year ................................................................................ 13,684 12,533 7,837 7,037 5,847 5,497

Year-round workers1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ....................... 530 463 354 286 176 176

Part-year workers2 with unemployment .................................................... 13,154 12,071 7,483 6,750 5,671 5,320

1 to 4 weeks ......................................................................................... 1,836 1,986 954 1,027 882 958

5 to 10 weeks ....................................................................................... 2,263 2,106 1,313 1,172 950 934

11 to 14 weeks ..................................................................................... 1,748 1,775 1,038 1,021 710 754

15 to 26 weeks ..................................................................................... 3,777 3,451 2,177 2,063 1,600 1,388

27 weeks or more ................................................................................. 3,530 2,752 2,001 1,467 1,530 1,285

 Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ....................................... 16.6 14.9 16.5 15.1 16.6 14.6

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ................................................... 3,088 2,899 1,877 1,825 1,211 1,074

 2 spells ................................................................................................. 1,584 1,346 945 806 639 540

 3 spells or more .................................................................................... 1,504 1,553 932 1,019 572 533

Percent distribution

Did not work but looked for work .......................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

1 to 14 weeks ................................................................................................... 36.7 38.4 31.2 32.4 43.2 43.9

15 weeks or more ............................................................................................. 63.3 61.6 68.8 67.6 56.8 56.1

Worked during the year ........................................................................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ............................... 3.9 3.7 4.5 4.1 3.0 3.2

Part-year workers2 with unemployment ............................................................ 96.1 96.3 95.5 95.9 97.0 96.8

1 to 4 weeks ................................................................................................. 13.4 15.8 12.2 14.6 15.1 17.4

5 to 10 weeks ............................................................................................... 16.5 16.8 16.8 16.7 16.3 17.0

11 to 14 weeks ............................................................................................. 12.8 14.2 13.2 14.5 12.1 13.7

15 to 26 weeks ............................................................................................. 27.6 27.5 27.8 29.3 27.4 25.3

27 weeks or more ......................................................................................... 25.8 22.0 25.5 20.9 26.2 23.4

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ............................................... 22.6 23.1 24.0 25.9 20.7 19.5

 2 spells ............................................................................................. 11.6 10.7 12.1 11.5 10.9 9.8

 3 spells or more ................................................................................ 11.0 12.4 11.9 14.5 9.8 9.7

1 Worked 50 or 51 weeks. 2 Worked less than 50 weeks.

 NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Also, see Note, table 1.

 Data for 2004 may vary slightly from that previously published due to

corrections to the sample weights.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2003-04

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004

WHITE 1

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 126,232 127,054 67,807 68,235 58,425 58,818

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 10.1 9.0 10.8 9.5 9.1 8.5

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 12,691 11,483 7,348 6,504 5,342 4,979

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 1,870 1,649 1,004 784 866 865

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 10,821 9,835 6,344 5,720 4,477 4,114

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 15.7 14.2 15.9 14.7 15.5 13.5

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 4.3 4.0 4.9 4.3 3.3 3.7

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 95.7 96.0 95.1 95.7 96.7 96.3

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 13.9 17.0 12.3 15.2 16.2 19.6

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 30.3 31.7 30.9 31.6 29.4 31.9

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 51.5 47.2 51.8 48.9 51.1 44.8

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 22.6 23.0 24.3 25.6 20.2 19.3

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN 1

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 17,161 17,426 7,829 8,017 9,331 9,408

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 14.7 14.4 16.3 14.7 13.3 14.2

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,520 2,510 1,279 1,175 1,240 1,335

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 641 701 341 346 299 355

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 1,879 1,809 938 830 941 979

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 21.2 19.7 21.2 18.5 21.1 20.6

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 2.5 1.8 3.2 2.0 1.9 1.7

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 97.5 98.2 96.8 98.0 98.1 98.3

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 10.1 10.2 10.4 11.2 9.7 9.4

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 24.2 27.1 23.2 29.5 25.2 25.0

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 63.2 60.9 63.2 57.4 63.2 63.9

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 22.8 23.9 23.7 28.8 22.0 19.8

ASIAN 1

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 6,411 6,516 3,457 3,494 2,954 3,022

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 10.2 8.0 10.8 7.5 9.7 8.6

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 657 522 372 262 285 260

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 138 99 79 43 59 56

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 519 423 293 218 226 205

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 17.0 15.2 15.3 17.1 18.4 13.7

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 2.4 3.7 1.5 4.3 3.4 3.0

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 97.6 96.3 98.5 95.7 96.6 97.0

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 14.6 12.2 16.7 9.0 11.9 15.7

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 28.4 33.8 31.3 32.2 24.6 35.5

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 54.6 50.3 50.5 54.6 60.0 45.8

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 15.9 22.7 14.3 23.1 18.0 22.2

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2003-04 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women

2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004

HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................ 19,357 19,912 11,445 11,818 7,912 8,093

Percent with unemployment ......................................................................... 12.9 10.9 13.1 11.0 12.5 10.8

Total with unemployment .............................................................................. 2,494 2,168 1,502 1,296 991 872

Did not work but looked for work .............................................................. 388 333 199 150 189 182

Worked during the year ............................................................................ 2,106 1,836 1,303 1,146 803 690

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ................................... 17.6 16.0 16.9 15.7 18.5 16.5

Percent who worked during the year2 ...................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Year-round workers3 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ................... 3.7 3.9 4.2 4.8 2.9 2.3

Part-year workers4 with unemployment ................................................ 96.3 96.1 95.8 95.2 97.1 97.7

1 to 4 weeks ..................................................................................... 13.0 13.8 12.2 13.5 14.4 14.2

5 to 14 weeks ................................................................................... 27.4 30.0 29.6 29.8 24.0 30.4

15 weeks or more ............................................................................. 55.9 52.3 54.1 52.0 58.7 53.0

 With 2 spells or more of unemployment ....................................... 23.9 23.8 25.3 27.4 21.8 17.8

1 Beginning with data for 2003, which were collected in the 2004

Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population

Survey, persons who selected this race group only; persons who selected

more than one race group are excluded. Prior to 2002, persons who

reported more than one race were included in the group they identified as

their main race. Also beginning in 2002, Asians no longer include Pacific

Islanders. 2 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave. 3 Worked 50 or 51 weeks.

4 Worked less than 50 weeks.

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

American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in table 3 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 refer to persons 16 years

and over. Also, see Note, table 1. Data for 2004 may vary slightly from

that previously published due to corrections to the sample weights.