News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Technical information: (202) 691-7410 USDL 08-0860 

 http://www.bls.gov/nls/ 

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, June 27, 2008 

NUMBER OF JOBS HELD, LABOR MARKET ACTIVITY, AND 

EARNINGS GROWTH AMONG THE YOUNGEST BABY BOOMERS: 

RESULTS FROM A LONGITUDINAL SURVEY 

The average person born in the later years of the baby boom held 10.8 jobs from age 18 to age 42, 

according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nearly two-thirds of these 

jobs were held from ages 18 to 27. 

These findings are from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, a survey of 9,964 men 

and women who were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979 and ages 41 to 50 when interviewed 

most recently in 2006-07. These respondents were born in the years 1957 to 1964, the later years of the 

“baby boom” that occurred in the United States from 1946 to 1964. The survey spans more than a quarter century and provides information on work and nonwork experiences, training, schooling, income and 

assets, health conditions, and other characteristics. The information provided by respondents, who were 

interviewed annually from 1979 to 1994 and biennially since 1994, can be considered representative of 

all men and women born in the late 1950s and early 1960s and living in the United States when the 

survey began in 1979. 

This release of the latest data from the longitudinal survey focuses on the number of jobs held, job 

duration, labor force participation, and earnings growth. Highlights from the survey include: 

• Individuals born from 1957 to 1964 held an average of 10.8 jobs from ages 18 to 42. These baby 

boomers held an average of 4.4 jobs while ages 18 to 22. The average fell to 3.3 jobs while ages 

23 to 27 and to 1.9 jobs from ages 38 to 42. Jobs that span more than one age group were counted once in each age group, so the overall average number of jobs held from age 18 to age 42 is 

less than the sum of the number of jobs across the individual age groups. 

• Although job duration tends to be longer the older a worker is when starting the job, these baby 

boomers continued to have large numbers of short-duration jobs even as they approached middle 

age. Among jobs started by workers when they were ages 38 to 42, 31 percent ended in less than 

a year, and 65 percent ended in fewer than 5 years. 

• The average person was employed during 77 percent of the weeks from age 18 to age 42. 

Generally, men spent a larger percent of weeks employed than did women (84 versus 70 
2

percent). Women spent much more time out of the labor force (25 percent of weeks) than did 

men (10 percent of weeks). 

• The annual percent growth in inflation-adjusted hourly earnings was fastest when workers were 

in their late teens and early twenties. Growth rates in earnings generally were higher for college 

graduates than for workers with less education. 

Number of Jobs Held

Individuals held an average of 10.8 jobs from ages 18 to 42, with the majority of the jobs being held 

before age 27. In this report, a job is defined as an uninterrupted period of work with a particular employer. (See the Technical Note for additional information on the definition of a job.) On average, men 

held 11.0 jobs and women held 10.6 jobs from age 18 to age 42. Men held 4.6 jobs from age 18 to age 

22, compared with 2.0 jobs from age 38 to age 42. The reduction in the average number of jobs held in 

successive age groups was similar for women. (See table 1.) 

On average, college-educated women held more jobs than women without a college degree and also held more jobs than college-educated men. Women with a college degree held 11.5 jobs from ages 

18 to 42, compared to 10.7 jobs for similarly educated men. Women with less than a high school diploma held an average of 8.7 jobs. Men without a high school diploma held 12.5 jobs from ages 18 to 

42, a higher average than men or women with more education. 

Differences in the number of jobs held also are apparent between race and ethnicity groups. From 

age 18 to age 42, whites held more jobs than blacks or Hispanics or Latinos. The difference is concentrated among 18- to 22-year-olds. 

Duration of Employment Relationships

The length of time a worker remains with the same employer increases with the age at which the 

worker began the job. Of the jobs that workers began when they were ages 18 to 22, 72 percent of 

those jobs ended in less than a year and 94 percent ended in fewer than 5 years. Among jobs started 

by workers when they were ages 38 to 42, 31 percent ended in less than a year and 65 percent ended 

in fewer than 5 years. (See table 2.) 

Percent of Weeks Employed, Unemployed, and Not in the Labor Force

On average, the baby boomers represented by the survey sample were employed during 77 percent 

of all the weeks occurring from age 18 to age 42. They were unemployed—that is, without jobs but 

seeking work—5 percent of the weeks. They were not in the labor force—that is, neither working nor 

seeking work—18 percent of the weeks. (See table 3.) 

The amount of time spent employed differs substantially between educational-attainment groups, 

especially among blacks and Hispanics or Latinos. Blacks with less than a high school diploma (as of 

the 2006-07 survey) spent 53 percent of weeks employed and 34 percent of weeks out of the labor force 

from age 18 to age 42. By comparison, black high school graduates spent 65 percent of weeks employed and 24 percent of weeks out of the labor force. Hispanic or Latino high school dropouts spent 61 

percent of weeks employed, compared with 71 percent of weeks for Hispanic or Latino high school 

graduates. White high school dropouts spent 70 percent of weeks employed, and white high school 

graduates spent 79 percent of weeks employed. Among college graduates, there was little difference 
3

between racial and ethnic groups in labor market attachment; each group spent 80 to 82 percent of 

weeks employed and 14 to 15 percent of weeks out of the labor force. 

The amount of time spent in the labor force also differs by sex, with women at every educational 

level and at every age spending fewer weeks in the labor force than men. Men with less than a high 

school diploma spent 76 percent of weeks employed from age 18 to age 42. These men also spent 9 

percent of weeks unemployed. By comparison, women with less than a high school diploma spent just 

50 percent of weeks employed and 6 percent of weeks unemployed from age 18 to age 42. Women 

without a high school diploma spent nearly as much time out of the labor force (44 percent of weeks) as 

they did employed (50 percent of weeks). The differences between men and women in labor force 

attachment were much smaller among those with a bachelor’s degree or more education, but men still 

spent a larger proportion of weeks employed than did women (86 versus 79 percent). 

Labor force attachment is related to age for both men and women, with the percent of weeks employed increasing and the percent of weeks unemployed or not in the labor force falling as individuals 

grow older. From ages 18 to 22, men spent 21 percent of weeks out of the labor force and women spent 

32 percent of weeks out of the labor force. This age range is a period when large proportions of men 

and women attend college or receive vocational training, and, as a result, they spend less time in the 

labor force than they eventually will. Indeed, from ages 38 to 42, these men spent only 8 percent of 

weeks out of the labor force, and women spent 21 percent of weeks out of the labor force. (See table 4.) 

Like men, women were more likely to participate in the labor force as they aged, but the reduction 

in the percent of weeks spent out of the labor force was much smaller among women than among men. 

In fact, after age 22, women spent, on average, about three times as many weeks out of the labor force as 

their male counterparts. Women ages 23 to 27 and 28 to 32 each spent 26 percent of weeks out of the 

labor force. Women ages 33 to 37 spent 24 percent of weeks out of the labor force, and women ages 38 

to 42 spent 21 percent of weeks out of the labor force. 

Percent Growth in Real Earnings

The inflation-adjusted earnings of workers increased most rapidly while they were young. Hourly 

earnings grew by an average of 7.0 percent per year from ages 18 to 22 and 5.3 percent per year from 

ages 23 to 27. The earnings growth rate slowed to 3.1 percent annually from age 28 to age 32, then to 

3.6 percent annually from age 33 to age 37. From ages 38 to 42, hourly earnings grew an average of 1.4 

percent per year. Earnings growth was stagnant for 38- to 42-year-olds with a high school diploma or 

less education. This pattern in earnings growth reflects, in part, the state of the U.S. economy during the 

years in which survey participants were in each age group. For men and women in nearly every age category, growth rates in inflation-adjusted hourly earnings generally were higher for workers with more 

education. (See table 5.) 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release were obtained using data 

from the first 22 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey 

of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). This survey is conducted by the 

Center for Human Resource Research at The Ohio State 

University and the National Opinion Research Center at the 

University of Chicago under the direction and sponsorship of 

the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Sample 

The NLSY79 is a nationally representative sample of 

12,686 young men and women who were 14 to 22 years of 

age when first surveyed in 1979. This survey sample was 

initially composed of three subsamples: 

• A cross-sectional sample of 6,111 youths that was 

designed to represent the noninstitutionalized, civilian population of young people living in the U.S. in 

1979 and born between January 1, 1957, and 

December 31, 1964. 

• A supplemental sample of 5,295 youths designed to 

oversample noninstitutionalized, civilian black, Hispanic or Latino, and economically disadvantaged 

nonblack, non-Hispanic youths living in the U.S. in 

1979 and born between January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1964. 

• A military sample of 1,280 youths born between 

January 1, 1957, and December 31, 1961, and 

enlisted in the Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marine 

Corps as of September 30, 1978. 

In 1985, the military sample was discontinued, and, in 

1991, the economically disadvantaged nonblack, nonHispanic youths were dropped from the supplemental sample. 

As a result, the NLSY79 sample now includes 9,964 individuals from the cross-sectional sample and the black and 

Hispanic or Latino supplemental samples. (This sample size 

is not adjusted for sample members who have died.) 

Individuals were surveyed annually from 1979 to 1994 

and biennially since 1994. In 2006-07, 7,654 individuals 

responded to the survey, for a retention rate of 77 percent. 

Only these individuals are included in the estimates in this 

release. All results are weighted using the 2006-07 survey 

weights that correct for the oversampling, interview nonresponse, and permanent attrition from the survey. When 

weighted, the estimates represent all persons born in the years 

1957 to 1964 and living in the U.S. when the survey began in 

1979. Not represented by the survey are U.S. immigrants 

who were born from 1957 to 1964 and moved to the United 

States after 1979. 

Work history data 

The total number of jobs that people hold during their 

work life is an easy concept to understand but a difficult one 

to measure. Reliable estimates require a survey that interviews the same people over the course of their entire work 

life and also keeps track of all the jobs they ever held. The 

NLSY79 tracks the number of jobs that people have held, but 

the respondents in this survey are still relatively young, ages 

41 to 50 in 2006-07, and have many years of work life ahead 

of them. As the cohort continues to age, however, more complete information will become available. 

A unique feature of the NLSY79 is that it collects the 

beginning and ending dates of all jobs held by a respondent 

so that a longitudinal history can be constructed of each 

respondent’s work experiences. The NLSY79 work history 

data provide a week-by-week work record of each respondent 

from January 1, 1978, through the most recent survey date. 

These data contain information on the respondent’s labor 

force status each week, the usual hours worked per week at 

all jobs, and earnings for all jobs. If a respondent worked at 

more than one job in any week, hours and earnings are 

obtained for additional jobs. When a respondent who missed 

one or more consecutive survey rounds is interviewed again, 

he is asked to provide information about all time since the 

last interview. 

Interaction between time and age in a longitudinal 

survey 

Because the NLSY79 is a longitudinal survey, meaning 

the same people are surveyed over time, the ages of the respondents change with each survey round. It is important to 

keep in mind this inherent link between the calendar years 

and the ages of the respondents. For example, table 5 reports 

earnings growth from age 23 to age 27. The youngest 

respondents in the sample (birth year 1964) were these ages 

during 1987-91, whereas the oldest respondents (birth year 

1957) were these ages during 1980-84. 

Although participants in the NLSY79 were ages 41 to 

50 during the 2006-07 interviews, this release covers only the 

period while the respondents were ages 18 to 42. The reason 

for not including older ages is that the sample sizes were still 

too small to provide statistically reliable estimates for age 

groups older than 42. As the NLSY79 continues to be administered and the respondents age, subsequent rounds of the 

survey will enable analyses to be conducted for older age 

groups. 

As with age, the educational attainment of individuals 

may change from year to year. In the tables and analysis presented in this report, educational attainment is defined as of 

the 2006-07 survey. This definition is used even when data 

on age and educational attainment are presented together. 

For example, table 1 reports the number of jobs held during 

different age categories. Suppose that a respondent had 

completed a bachelor’s degree at age 28. That respondent 

would be included in the “Bachelor’s degree and higher” 

educational category in all age categories shown on the table, 

even though he or she did not have a bachelor’s degree at any 

point from age 18 to age 27. 
Definitions 

Job. A job is defined as an uninterrupted period of 

work with a particular employer. Jobs are therefore employer-based, not position-based. If a respondent indicates 

that he or she left a job but in a subsequent survey returned to 

the same job, it is counted as a new job. For example, if an 

individual worked in a retail establishment during the summer, quit at the end of summer to return to school, and then 

resumed working for the same employer the following spring, 

this sequence would count as two jobs, rather than one. For 

self-employed workers, each “new” job is defined by the 

individuals themselves. 

Unemployment. If respondents indicate a gap between 

employers, they are asked how many of those weeks they 

spent searching for employment or on layoff. For that number of weeks, they are considered unemployed. For the remaining weeks, they are coded as not in the labor force. No 

probing for intensity of job search is done. 

Usual earnings. Respondents can report earnings over 

any time frame (hour, day, week, month, year). For those 

who do not report an hourly wage, one is constructed using 

usual hours worked over that time frame. Wages greater than 

$100 per hour and less than $1 per hour were not included in 

the analysis of earnings growth because the reported earnings 

levels were almost certainly in error. For the same reason, 

individuals who had inflation-adjusted earnings growth 

greater than 100 percent were not included in the analysis. 

These exclusions from the analysis affected 82 respondents. 

Race and ethnicity groups. In this release, the findings 

are reported for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, 

and Hispanics or Latinos. These three groups are mutually 

exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are 

included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates. In 

other BLS publications, estimates usually are published for 

whites, blacks, and Hispanics or Latinos, but these groups are 

not mutually exclusive. The terms “Hispanic or Latino” are 

considered to be an ethnicity group, and Hispanics or Latinos 

can be of any race. Most other BLS publications include 

Hispanics or Latinos in the white and black race groups in addition to the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity group. 

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. 
Ages 18 

to 22

Ages 23 

to 27

Ages 28 

to 32

Ages 33 

to 37

Ages 38 

to 42

Total .................................................. 10.8 4.4 3.3 2.6 2.2 1.9

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 10.9 3.9 3.2 2.6 2.2 1.9

 High school graduates, no college 2 ...... 10.5 4.2 3.1 2.6 2.2 1.9

 Some college or associate degree ......... 11.1 4.5 3.4 2.7 2.3 2.0

 Bachelor's degree and higher 3 ........... 11.1 5.0 3.6 2.6 2.1 1.9

Men .................................................... 11.0 4.6 3.5 2.8 2.3 2.0

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 12.5 4.6 3.8 3.0 2.4 2.0

 High school graduates, no college 2

 ...... 10.7 4.5 3.4 2.8 2.2 1.9

 Some college or associate degree ......... 11.1 4.5 3.5 2.8 2.4 2.0

 Bachelor's degree and higher 3 ........... 10.7 4.6 3.4 2.6 2.2 1.9

Women ............................................... 10.6 4.3 3.1 2.4 2.1 1.9

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 8.7 2.9 2.3 2.1 1.9 1.6

 High school graduates, no college 2

 ...... 10.2 3.9 2.7 2.3 2.2 1.9

 Some college or associate degree ......... 11.0 4.5 3.3 2.5 2.2 1.9

 Bachelor's degree and higher 3

 ........... 11.5 5.3 3.7 2.6 2.0 1.8

White non-Hispanic.............................. 10.9 4.6 3.3 2.6 2.2 1.9

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 11.5 4.2 3.3 2.7 2.3 1.9

 High school graduates, no college 2 ...... 10.4 4.4 3.1 2.6 2.2 1.9

 Some college or associate degree ......... 11.3 4.7 3.4 2.7 2.3 1.9

 Bachelor's degree and higher 3 ........... 11.1 5.1 3.6 2.6 2.1 1.8

Black non-Hispanic .............................. 10.4 3.6 3.1 2.6 2.3 2.0

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 9.8 2.9 2.9 2.6 2.0 1.8

 High school graduates, no college 2 ...... 10.6 3.5 3.0 2.6 2.3 2.0

 Some college or associate degree ......... 10.4 3.8 3.1 2.7 2.4 2.1

 Bachelor's degree and higher 3 ........... 10.9 4.2 3.6 2.8 2.4 2.2

Hispanic or Latino................................. 10.5 4.1 3.0 2.5 2.2 1.9

 Less than a high school diploma ............ 10.4 4.0 2.8 2.4 2.0 1.7

 High school graduates, no college 2

 ...... 10.6 4.0 3.0 2.5 2.2 1.9

 Some college or associate degree ......... 10.3 4.2 3.0 2.5 2.2 2.1

 Bachelor's degree and higher 3

 ........... 10.7 4.4 3.3 2.7 2.3 1.9

 The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were born in the years 1957-64 and were 

ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979. These individuals were ages 41 to 50 in 2006-07. Educational attainment is 

defined as of the 2006-07 survey. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. 

Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the 

survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates.

 NOTE: This table excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978, or who had not yet turned age 43 when 

interviewed in 2006-07.

Table 1. Number of jobs held by individuals from age 18 to age 42 in 1978-2006 by educational attainment, sex, race, 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and age

Average number of jobs for persons ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006

 1 Jobs that were held in more than one of the age categories were counted in each appropriate column, but only once in the 

total column.

Characteristic

Total 1

 2 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 3 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, or doctoral degrees.
Less than 1 

year

Less than 2 

years

Less than 5 

years

Less than 10 

years

Less than 15 

years

Ages 18 to 22 ......................... 72.3 85.2 94.1 97.1 98.0 1.3

 Men ...................................... 72.6 85.2 93.7 97.0 97.8 1.3

 Women ................................ 72.0 85.1 94.6 97.3 98.2 1.2

 White non-Hispanic ............. 71.9 85.0 94.0 97.0 97.9 1.3

 Black non-Hispanic .............. 74.9 87.0 95.1 97.8 98.5 1.0

 Hispanic or Latino ................ 72.2 84.5 93.7 97.4 98.3 1.1

Ages 23 to 27.......................... 59.2 75.9 88.8 94.0 95.7 3.5

 Men ...................................... 59.2 75.9 88.2 93.2 95.1 4.0

 Women ................................ 59.3 76.0 89.6 94.8 96.4 2.9

 White non-Hispanic ............. 58.3 75.1 88.4 93.7 95.5 3.7

 Black non-Hispanic .............. 62.7 79.4 90.9 95.2 96.5 2.9

 Hispanic or Latino ................ 61.4 78.0 89.6 94.2 96.2 3.2

Ages 28 to 32 ......................... 52.5 69.7 85.5 91.6 93.6 6.2

 Men ...................................... 52.1 69.1 84.8 90.9 93.0 6.9

 Women ................................ 53.1 70.4 86.2 92.4 94.3 5.4

 White non-Hispanic ............. 51.2 68.4 84.7 91.0 93.1 6.7

 Black non-Hispanic .............. 57.8 74.9 88.5 93.9 95.3 4.5

 Hispanic or Latino ................ 53.9 71.1 86.7 92.8 95.0 4.7

Ages 33 to 37.......................... 42.8 60.7 80.6 88.2 88.9 11.1

 Men ...................................... 41.5 59.8 79.4 87.3 88.0 12.0

 Women ................................ 44.2 61.7 81.8 89.1 89.7 10.3

 White non-Hispanic ............. 41.2 59.2 79.6 87.6 88.3 11.7

 Black non-Hispanic .............. 47.5 66.3 84.3 90.6 91.1 8.9

 Hispanic or Latino ................ 45.9 62.7 81.9 89.0 89.9 10.1

Ages 38 to 42 ......................... 30.5 46.6 65.1 (

1

) (

1

) 30.2

 Men ...................................... 30.1 45.9 65.1 (

1

) (

1

) 30.2

 Women ................................ 30.9 47.4 65.1 (

1

) (

1

) 30.3

 White non-Hispanic ............. 29.4 45.1 63.1 (

1

) (

1

) 32.1

 Black non-Hispanic .............. 34.0 51.5 71.6 (

1

) (

1

) 23.6

 Hispanic or Latino ................ 34.1 51.0 71.6 (

1

) (

1

) 25.4

 The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were born in the years 1957-64 and were 

ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979. These individuals were ages 41 to 50 in 2006-07. Race and Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not 

shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable 

estimates.

 1

 Estimates are not presented for these categories because most sample members were not yet old enough at the time 

of the 2006-07 survey to have completed jobs of these durations.

Table 2. Duration of employment relationships with a single employer for all jobs started from age 18 to age 42 

in 1978-2006 by age at start of job, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Cumulative percent distribution of duration

 of completed employment relationships

 NOTE: The age category of 18 to 22 excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978.

Age at the start of job and 

characteristic

Percent of 

jobs ongoing 

in 2006
Total, ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006 ........................................... 77.2 4.6 17.5

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................... 65.1 7.9 26.4

 High school graduates, no college 1 ................................ 76.6 5.3 17.4

 Some college or associate degree ........................................ 78.8 4.2 16.3

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2 ....................................... 82.1 2.5 14.9

Men .......................................................................................... 84.1 5.1 10.2

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................... 76.0 9.2 14.1

 High school graduates, no college 1 ................................ 84.4 5.5 9.3

 Some college or associate degree ........................................ 87.1 4.2 8.1

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2 ....................................... 85.5 2.8 11.2

Women .................................................................................... 70.0 4.2 25.2

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................... 49.5 5.9 44.0

 High school graduates, no college 1 ................................ 67.8 5.1 26.5

 Some college or associate degree ........................................ 72.2 4.2 22.9

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2 ....................................... 78.5 2.3 18.8

White non-Hispanic ................................................................. 79.5 3.8 16.1

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................... 70.2 6.8 22.4

 High school graduates, no college 1 ................................ 79.4 4.4 15.6

 Some college or associate degree ........................................ 80.1 3.4 15.8

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2 ....................................... 82.2 2.4 15.0

Black non-Hispanic .................................................................. 67.9 8.9 22.5

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................... 52.8 12.2 34.2

 High school graduates, no college 1 ................................ 65.0 10.3 23.9

 Some college or associate degree ........................................ 73.9 7.5 18.0

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2 ....................................... 81.7 4.0 13.9

Hispanic or Latino ................................................................... 71.2 5.4 22.5

 Less than a high school diploma ........................................... 60.6 7.1 31.6

 High school graduates, no college 1 ................................ 70.7 5.9 22.4

 Some college or associate degree ........................................ 78.4 3.7 17.1

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2 ....................................... 80.7 3.8 15.1

 1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, or doctoral degrees.

Table 3. Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force from age 18 to age 42 

in 1978-2006 by educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were born in the years 1957-64 and 

were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979. These individuals were ages 41 to 50 in 2006-07. Educational 

attainment is defined as of the 2006-07 survey. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but 

not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their 

representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates.

Percent of total weeks while ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006

 Totals do not add to 100 percent due to a small number of respondents whose employment status cannot be determined 

for all weeks.

Characteristic

 NOTE: This table excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978, or who had not yet turned age 43 

when interviewed in 2006-07.

Employed Not in labor force Unemployed
Total, ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006 1

 ........................... 77.2 4.6 17.5

 Ages 18 to 22 in 1978-1986 2

 .................................. 64.3 8.9 26.4

 Ages 23 to 27 in 1980-1991 ................................... 77.1 5.5 17.0

 Ages 28 to 32 in 1985-1996 .................................... 79.3 3.8 16.3

 Ages 33 to 37 in 1990-2001 .................................... 81.5 2.9 15.2

 Ages 38 to 42 in 1995-2006 3

 ................................. 82.4 2.8 14.0

Men, ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006 1

 .............................. 84.1 5.1 10.2

 Ages 18 to 22 in 1978-1986 2

 .................................. 68.8 9.9 20.7

 Ages 23 to 27 in 1980-1991 ................................... 84.8 6.3 8.4

 Ages 28 to 32 in 1985-1996 .................................... 88.0 4.1 7.2

 Ages 33 to 37 in 1990-2001 .................................... 89.3 3.1 7.1

 Ages 38 to 42 in 1995-2006 3

 ................................. 88.7 3.0 7.5

Women, ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006 1

 ........................ 70.0 4.2 25.2

 Ages 18 to 22 in 1978-1986 2

 .................................. 59.6 7.7 32.3

 Ages 23 to 27 in 1980-1991 ................................... 69.8 4.7 25.9

 Ages 28 to 32 in 1985-1996 .................................... 70.2 3.4 25.8

 Ages 33 to 37 in 1990-2001 .................................... 73.4 2.7 23.5

 Ages 38 to 42 in 1995-2006 3

 ................................. 75.8 2.7 20.8

White non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006 1 .......... 79.5 3.8 16.1

 Ages 18 to 22 in 1978-1986 2

 .................................. 67.3 7.8 24.5

 Ages 23 to 27 in 1980-1991 ................................... 79.5 4.6 15.5

 Ages 28 to 32 in 1985-1996 .................................... 81.4 3.1 15.0

 Ages 33 to 37 in 1990-2001 .................................... 83.3 2.3 14.1

 Ages 38 to 42 in 1995-2006 3

 ................................. 83.9 2.2 13.2

Black non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006 1 ......... 67.9 8.9 22.5

 Ages 18 to 22 in 1978-1986 2

 .................................. 51.1 14.7 33.8

 Ages 23 to 27 in 1980-1991 ................................... 67.8 10.2 21.5

 Ages 28 to 32 in 1985-1996 .................................... 70.6 7.6 21.0

 Ages 33 to 37 in 1990-2001 .................................... 74.5 6.0 19.1

 Ages 38 to 42 in 1995-2006 3

 ................................. 76.0 5.8 17.4

Hispanic or Latino, ages 18 to 42 in 1978-2006 1 ............ 71.2 5.4 22.5

 Ages 18 to 22 in 1978-1986 2

 .................................. 59.7 9.5 30.2

 Ages 23 to 27 in 1980-1991 ................................... 70.0 6.3 23.1

 Ages 28 to 32 in 1985-1996 .................................... 73.4 4.3 21.3

 Ages 33 to 37 in 1990-2001 .................................... 76.3 3.5 19.3

 Ages 38 to 42 in 1995-2006 3

 ................................. 78.3 3.8 16.7

 2 This category excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978. 3 This category excludes individuals who had not yet turned age 43 when interviewed in 2006-07.

 The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were born in the years 1957-64 and 

were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979. These individuals were ages 41 to 50 in 2006-07. Race and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in 

the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to 

provide statistically reliable estimates.

Table 4. Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force from age 18

to age 42 in 1978-2006 by age, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Age and characteristic

Employed Not in labor force

 1 This category excludes individuals who turned age 18 before January 1, 1978, or who had not yet turned age 43 when

interviewed in 2006-07.

 NOTE: Totals do not add to 100 percent due to a small number of respondents whose employment status cannot be 

determined for all weeks.

Percent of total weeks

Unemployed
Ages 28 

to 32

Ages 33 

to 37

Ages 38 

to 42

Total ........................................................... 7.0 5.3 3.1 3.6 1.4

 Less than a high school diploma ................... 5.7 2.8 1.2 3.6 0.0

 High school graduates, no college 1

 ............... 5.9 3.6 2.5 3.1 0.7

 Some college or associate degree .................. 6.1 4.9 2.7 3.7 2.1

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2

 ....................... 9.7 9.2 5.2 4.1 2.3

Men .......................................................... 7.1 5.8 3.3 3.8 1.3

 Less than a high school diploma ................... 5.2 3.0 1.3 3.2 -0.9

 High school graduates, no college 1

 ............... 6.8 3.9 2.3 3.1 0.7

 Some college or associate degree .................. 6.7 5.9 3.2 3.9 2.7

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2

 ....................... 8.7 10.4 6.0 5.0 2.2

Women ...................................................... 6.8 4.8 2.9 3.3 1.5

 Less than a high school diploma ................... 6.7 2.5 0.9 4.1 1.4

 High school graduates, no college 1

 ............... 4.8 3.2 2.8 3.1 0.8

 Some college or associate degree .................. 5.7 4.1 2.3 3.4 1.6

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2

 ....................... 10.6 8.1 4.3 3.2 2.3

White non-Hispanic ....................................... 7.3 5.5 3.2 3.7 1.4

 Less than a high school diploma ................... 6.6 2.8 1.1 4.3 -0.1

 High school graduates, no college 1

 ............... 6.1 3.5 2.5 3.2 0.8

 Some college or associate degree .................. 6.3 5.1 2.7 3.6 1.9

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2

 ....................... 9.9 9.4 5.1 4.1 2.3

Black non-Hispanic ....................................... 5.4 4.5 2.9 3.2 1.1

 Less than a high school diploma ................... 4.1 2.6 2.0 1.2 0.6

 High school graduates, no college 1

 ............... 4.7 4.1 2.4 3.1 -0.1

 Some college or associate degree .................. 5.5 4.3 2.8 4.0 2.3

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2

 ....................... 8.4 8.3 5.5 3.8 2.6

Hispanic or Latino.......................................... 6.2 4.1 2.6 2.9 2.2

 Less than a high school diploma ................... 3.6 3.9 0.4 2.6 0.7

 High school graduates, no college 1

 ............... 6.8 3.1 2.6 2.4 1.3

 Some college or associate degree .................. 6.5 3.9 3.2 2.7 3.8

 Bachelor's degree and higher 2

 ....................... 8.3 7.8 4.6 5.3 3.5

Table 5. Average annual percent growth in inflation-adjusted hourly earnings from 1978-2006 by educational 

attainment, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and age

 The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 consists of men and women who were born in the years 1957-64 and 

were ages 14 to 22 when first interviewed in 1979. These individuals were ages 41 to 50 in 2006-07. Educational 

attainment is defined as of the 2006-07 survey. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but 

not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their 

representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates.

Average annual percent growth in hourly earnings

 NOTE: The first column excludes individuals who turned age 18 before 1978. The last column excludes individuals 

who were not yet age 43 when interviewed in 2006-07.

 The CPI-U-RS was used to adjust hourly earnings to 2006 dollars, prior to calculating the growth rates.

Characteristic

 1 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.

 2 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, or doctoral degrees.

Ages 18 

to 22

Ages 23 

to 27