U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

OCTOBER 2013 REPORT 1044

BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 1

Labor Force Characteristics by 

Race and Ethnicity, 2012

I

n 2012, the unemployment rate for the United States 

was 8.1 percent; however, the rate varied across 

race and ethnicity groups. The rates were highest for 

Blacks (13.8 percent) and for American Indians and Alaska 

Natives (12.3 percent) and lowest for Asians (5.9 percent) 

and for Whites (7.2 percent). The jobless rate was 10.3 

percent for Hispanics, 11.8 percent for Native Hawaiians 

and Other Pacific Islanders, and 11.9 percent for people of

Two or More Races.

Differences in labor force characteristics emerge when the 

race and ethnicity groups are compared. These differences 

reflect a variety of factors, not all of which are measurable.

These factors include variations across the groups in 

educational attainment; the occupations and industries in 

which the groups work; the geographic areas of the country 

in which the groups are concentrated, including whether 

they tend to reside in urban or rural settings; and the degree 

of discrimination encountered in the workplace.

This report describes the labor force characteristics and 

earnings patterns among the major race and ethnicity 

groups—Whites, Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics—and 

provides more detailed data through a set of supporting 

tables. The report also includes a limited amount of 

data for American Indians and Alaska Natives and for 

Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders—the two

remaining race groups—and for people who are of Two 

or More Races. Due to their relatively small sample size, 

estimates for these additional groups are not included 

in all tables. These data are obtained from the Current 

Population Survey (CPS), a monthly survey of 60,000 

households that is a rich source of information on the labor 

force. For definitions of terms and concepts used in this

report, see the accompanying Technical Notes. Additional 

information about the CPS can be found at www.bls.gov/

cps/documentation.htm.

CONTENTS

Highlights. 

Composition of the labor force. 

Labor force participation. 

Employment. 

Educational attainment. 

Occupation and industry. 

Families and mothers. 

Unemployment and not in the labor force. 

Earnings. 

Statistical Tables. 

Technical Notes. .
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63.7 64.0 61.5 63.9

59.3

71.4

65.3 66.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Total White Black or African 

American

Asian American Indian 

and Alaska 

Native

Native Hawaiian 

and Other Pacific 

Islander

Two or More 

Races

Hispanic or 

Latino

Percent

Labor force participation rates

Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).

Labor force participation rates by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages

The following sections highlight some of the major 

findings on the labor force characteristics of race and

ethnicity groups in 2012. 

Composition of the labor force

Whites made up the majority of the labor force in 2012 

(80 percent). Blacks and Asians made up an additional 12 

percent and 5 percent, respectively. American Indians and 

Alaska Natives made up 1 percent of the labor force, while 

Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders made up less

than 1 percent. People of Two or More Races composed 2 

percent of the labor force. (See table 1.)

Sixteen percent of the labor force were people of 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity in 2012. People of Hispanic 

or Latino ethnicity may be of any race. In 2012, the 

majority of Hispanics (89 percent) were White, 5 percent 

were Black, and 1 percent were Asian. (See tables 1 

and 2.) The majority of Hispanics in the labor force 

were Mexican (62 percent). The remainder consisted 

of Central and South Americans (20 percent), Puerto 

Ricans (9 percent), Cubans (5 percent), and Other 

Hispanics or Latinos (5 percent). (See table 2.)

Labor force participation

In 2012, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders had

the highest labor force participation rates (71.4 percent) 

among the race and ethnicity groups, while American Indians 

and Alaska Natives and Blacks had the lowest participation 

rates (59.3 percent and 61.5 percent, respectively). The 

participation rates for Hispanics, Whites, and Asians, were 

66.4 percent, 64.0 percent, and 63.9 percent, respectively. The 

participation rate for people of Two or More Races was 65.3 

percent. (See tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 and chart 1.) 

Among adult men (age 20 and over) in the major race 

and ethnicity groups, Hispanics (81.0 percent) were more 

likely to be labor force participants than were the other 

groups, while Blacks (67.7 percent) were less likely. The 

labor force participation rate was 76.2 percent for Asian 

men and 73.5 percent for White men. (See table 3.) Among 

adult women, Blacks (62.6 percent) were more likely than 

Chart 1

Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).
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Hispanics (59.5 percent), Whites (58.7 percent), and Asians 

(58.7 percent) to participate in the labor force. 

Employment

In 2012, the employment-population ratio (that is, the 

proportion of the population that is employed) ranged from 

52.1 percent for American Indians and Alaska Natives to 63.0 

percent for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders.

The employment-population ratio was 53.0 percent for 

Blacks, 57.6 percent for individuals of Two or More Races, 

59.4 percent for Whites, 59.5 percent for Hispanics, and 60.1 

percent for Asians. (See tables 1, 2, 3, and 5.) 

Among adult men (age 20 and older), Hispanics (73.8 

percent) continued to have the highest employmentpopulation ratio in 2012, followed by Asians (72.0 percent) 

and Whites (68.6 percent). The employment-population 

ratio for Black men, at 58.3 percent, was lower than the 

ratios for men in other major race and ethnicity groups in 

2012, continuing a long-term pattern. Among adult women, 

the employment-population ratio was 55.3 percent for 

Asians, 55.1 percent for Blacks, 54.9 percent for Whites, 

and 53.5 percent for Hispanics in 2012. (See table 3.)

Among teenagers age 16 to 19, the employment-population 

ratio was higher for Whites than for Hispanics, Blacks, or 

Asians. In 2012, the ratio for White teens (29.0 percent) was 

nearly twice that for Asian teens (15.9 percent) and Black teens 

(16.6 percent). The ratio for Hispanic teens was 22.1 percent. 

Educational attainment

Among people age 25 and older, the share of the labor 

force with at least a high school diploma was about 

90 percent for Whites, Blacks, and Asians in 2012. By 

contrast, 70 percent of Hispanics in the labor force had 

completed high school. Asians were the most likely of 

the groups to have graduated from college; 58 percent of 

Asians in the labor force had a bachelor’s degree or higher, 

compared with 36 percent of Whites, 26 percent of Blacks, 

and 17 percent of Hispanics. (See table 6 and chart 2.) 

30

7

8

9

31

17

33

27

23

18

33

28

17

58

26

36

0 20 40 60 80 100

Hispanic or Latino

Asian

Black or African American

White

Less than a high school diploma High school graduates, no college

Some college or associate degree Bachelor's degree and higher

Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Data may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).

Educational attainment of the labor force age 25 and over by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 

2012 annual averages

Percent

Chart 2

Notes: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Data may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).
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12 15 9

17

10 6

4

15

23 25

20

21

17

26

18

26

39

30

49

21

0

20

40

60

80

100

White Black or African 

American

Asian Hispanic or Latino

Percent of employed

Management, 

professional, and 

related

Service

Sales and office

Natural resources, 

construction, and 

maintenance

Production, 

transportation, and 

material moving

Notes: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Data may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).

Employed people by occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages

For all major race and ethnicity groups, higher levels 

of education are generally associated with a greater 

likelihood of employment and a lower likelihood 

of unemployment. Individuals with higher levels of 

education generally are more likely to be employed 

in higher paying jobs—such as those in management, 

professional, and related occupations—than are 

individuals with less education. However, at nearly every 

level of education, Blacks and Hispanics were more likely 

to be unemployed in 2012 than were Whites or Asians. 

(See table 6.)

Occupation and industry

Occupational categories. The highest paying major 

occupational category is management, professional, and 

related occupations. In 2012, 49 percent of employed Asians 

worked in this occupational group, compared with 39 percent 

of employed Whites, 30 percent of employed Blacks, and 21 

percent of employed Hispanics. (See table 7 and chart 3.) 

Among employed men, half (50 percent) of Asians worked in 

management, professional, and related occupations in 2012, 

compared with 35 percent of Whites, 24 percent of Blacks, 

and 17 percent of Hispanics. In 2012, 23 percent of employed 

Black men and 22 percent of employed Hispanic men worked 

in service occupations, whereas 15 percent of employed Asian 

men and 14 percent of employed White men worked in these 

occupations. Employed Black and Hispanic men also were 

more likely than White or Asian men to work in production, 

transportation, and material moving occupations. One quarter 

of employed Hispanic men (25 percent) worked in natural 

resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, a 

higher share than for White men (17 percent), Black men (11 

percent), or Asian men (6 percent). 

In 2012, employed Asian and White women were 

more likely than other women to work in management, 

professional, and related occupations—47 percent of Asian 

women and 43 percent of White women. By contrast, 

34 percent of employed Black women and 26 percent of 

Chart 3

Notes: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Data may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).
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employed Hispanic women worked in this occupational 

group. Among employed women, 63 percent of Hispanics 

worked in two job groups—service occupations and sales 

and office occupations—compared with about 58 percent

of Blacks, 51 percent of Whites, and 47 percent of Asians. 

In 2012, Hispanics accounted for 15 percent of total 

employment but were overrepresented by a substantial amount 

in several occupation categories, including miscellaneous 

agricultural workers (49 percent), grounds maintenance 

workers (44 percent), and maids and housekeeping cleaners (43 

percent). Blacks made up 11 percent of all employed workers, 

but accounted for about one-quarter or more of those in several 

specific occupations, including nursing, psychiatric, and

home health aides (35 percent); security guards and gaming 

surveillance officers (27 percent); and bus drivers (25 percent).

Asians accounted for 5 percent of all employed workers but 

made up a much larger share of workers in several occupation 

categories, including miscellaneous personal appearance 

workers (60 percent), software developers (29 percent), and 

physicians and surgeons (18 percent). Whites made up 81 

percent of all employed people, but accounted for 96 percent of 

farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers; 92 percent 

of construction managers; and 91 percent of carpenters. (See 

table 8.) 

Industry. Employed Hispanic men were more likely to work 

in the construction industry (17 percent) in 2012 than were 

White (12 percent), Black (6 percent), and Asian men (4 

percent). Hispanic men were less likely than men in the other 

groups to work in education and health services. Black men 

were more likely than other men to work in transportation 

and utilities (12 percent). Eighteen percent of Asian men 

worked in professional and business services, higher than 

the shares of White (13 percent), Black (12 percent), and 

Hispanic men (12 percent). A large share of women in all 

race and ethnicity groups worked in education and health 

services in 2012—Black (41 percent), White (36 percent), 

Asian (31 percent), and Hispanic (30 percent). (See table 9.) 

Families and mothers

In 2012, 88 percent of Asian families had an employed 

family member, compared with 85 percent of Hispanic 

families and 80 percent of White families. Black families 

remained the least likely to have an employed family 

member (75 percent). (See table 10.) 

In 2012, women without a spouse present maintained 

44 percent of Black families and 26 percent of Hispanic 

families. Women without a spouse present maintained 

about 16 percent of White families and 13 percent of Asian 

families. Among families maintained by women with no 

spouse present, Asian families were most likely to have an 

employed family member (82 percent), while Black families 

were the least likely to have an employed family member 

(68 percent). The proportion of White and Hispanic families 

who were maintained by women with an employed family 

member was 74 and 73 percent, respectively. In general, 

families maintained by women without a spouse present 

are less likely to have an employed family member than 

married-couple families and families maintained by men.

Among mothers with children under 18, Black mothers were 

more likely to be in the labor force than White, Asian, or 

Hispanic mothers. In 2012, 75.4 percent of Black mothers 

were labor force participants, compared with 70.3 percent for 

White mothers and 63.2 percent for both Asian and Hispanic 

mothers. (See table 11.) 

Unemployment and not in

the labor force

Unemployment. Jobless rates varied considerably by race 

and ethnicity. In 2012, Blacks (13.8 percent) and American 

Indians and Alaska Natives (12.3 percent) had the highest 

unemployment rates, while Asians (5.9 percent) and Whites 

(7.2 percent) had the lowest. The unemployment rates 

were 10.3 percent for Hispanics, 11.8 percent for Native 

Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and 11.9 percent for

individuals of Two or More Races. (See tables 1, 2, 3, and 

12 and charts 4 and 5.) 

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, the jobless 

rates in 2012 for adult Black men and women (age 20 

and older) were 14.0 and 11.9 percent, respectively. The 

unemployment rate for adult Hispanic men was 8.9 percent, 

and the rate for adult Hispanic women was 10.1 percent. 

The jobless rates for adult Asian men and women were 5.4 

and 5.8 percent, respectively. The unemployment rates for 
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8.1

7.2

13.8

5.9

12.3 11.8 11.9

10.3

0

5

10

15

20

Total White Black or African 

American

Asian American 

Indian and 

Alaska Native

Native 

Hawaiian and 

Other Pacific 

Islander

Two or More 

Races

Hispanic or 

Latino

Percent

Unemployment rates

Unemployment rates by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

Notes: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Data are 2012 annual averages for employed persons age 25 and over.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).

adult White men and women were similar, at 6.7 and 6.5 

percent, respectively. (See table 3.)

Black teenagers had the highest unemployment rate among the 

major race and ethnicity groups—38.3 percent in 2012. The 

unemployment rates for Hispanic, White, and Asian teenagers 

were 28.6 percent, 21.5 percent, and 20.8 percent, respectively.

Unemployed Blacks and Asians experienced longer periods 

of unemployment than did Whites and Hispanics. In 2012, the 

median duration of unemployment for Blacks and Asians was 

24.7 weeks and 24.0 weeks, respectively, compared with 17.6 

weeks for Whites and 16.7 weeks for Hispanics. (See table 13.)

There were 12.5 million unemployed people in 2012; 55 

percent (6.9 million) of whom were job losers (that is, 

those workers who lost their jobs and those who completed 

temporary jobs). Reentrants to the labor force (27 percent), new 

entrants (11 percent), and job leavers (7 percent) constituted 

the balance of unemployed people. Of the total unemployed 

for each major race and ethnicity group, 57 percent of Whites 

and 55 percent of Hispanics were job losers in 2012, compared 

with about half of unemployed Blacks and Asians. Of the total 

unemployed, about 14 percent of Asians, 13 percent of Blacks, 

12 percent of Hispanics, and 10 percent of Whites were new 

entrants to the labor force in 2012. (See table 14.)

Not in the labor force. Blacks made up about 12 percent 

of the civilian labor force in 2012, but 23 percent of people 

marginally attached to the labor force. People marginally 

attached to the labor force are individuals who were not in 

the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had 

looked for a job sometime in the previous 12 months—but 

not in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. Hispanics and Asians 

were represented among the marginally attached nearly 

proportionately to their shares of the labor force. Whites were 

underrepresented among the marginally attached relative 

to their share of the labor force—80 percent of the labor 

force versus 67 percent of the marginally attached. Blacks 

also made up a high proportion of discouraged workers (27 

percent) relative to their share of the labor force. Discouraged 

workers, a subset of the marginally attached, are people not 

currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are 

available for them. (See table 15.) 

Chart 4

Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).
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0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012

Percent

Black Hispanic White Asian

Notes: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Data for Asians only available since 2000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).

Unemploymentrates by race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1973–2012 annual averages

Earnings

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, Hispanics 

and Blacks had considerably lower earnings than Whites 

and Asians. In 2012, the median usual weekly earnings 

of full-time wage and salary workers were $568 for 

Hispanics, $621 for Blacks, $792 for Whites, and $920 for 

Asians. Among men, the earnings of Whites ($879), Blacks 

($665), and Hispanics ($592) were 83, 63, and 56 percent, 

respectively, of the earnings of Asians ($1,055). The 

median earnings of White women ($710), Black women 

($599), and Hispanic women ($521) were 92, 78, and 68 

percent, respectively, of the earnings of Asian women 

($770). (See table 16.)

Men. The earnings disparity across the major race and 

ethnicity groups for men holds for nearly all major 

occupational groups. For example, in 2012, median 

usual weekly earnings of Asian men ($1,464) and 

White men ($1,339) working full time in management, 

professional, and related occupations (the highest paying 

major occupation group) were well above the earnings 

of Black men ($1,021) and Hispanic men ($985) in the 

same occupation group. Among those employed in natural 

resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, 

the earnings ratios of White, Black, and Hispanic men to 

Asian men were 96 percent, 85 percent, and 72 percent, 

respectively. In sales and office occupations, the earnings

of White men employed full time ($802) were higher than 

the earnings of Asian, Hispanic, and Black men ($748, 

$620, and $606, respectively). (See table 18.)

Women. Among the race and ethnicity groups, the median 

weekly earnings for women in some major occupational 

groups were fairly close. For example, in service 

occupations, the median usual weekly earnings of White 

($433) and Black ($437) women were about the same in 

2012; the earnings of Asian and Hispanic women were 

$463 and $397, respectively. By contrast, in management, 

professional, and related occupations, the earnings of 

Asian women were higher than women in other race and 

ethnicity groups. In 2012, the earnings of White, Black, 

and Hispanic women in this occupational group were 84 

percent, 73 percent, and 72 percent, respectively, of the 

earnings of Asian women. 

Chart 5

Notes: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Data for Asians only available since 2000.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey (CPS).
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Statistical Tables
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(Numbers in thousands)

 Civilian labor force 

 Employed Unemployed 

 Total Percent of 

population Total Percent of labor force 

Total................................................................................. 243,284 154,975 63.7 142,469 58.6 12,506 8.1 88,310

 Men....................................................................................... 117,343 82,327 70.2 75,555 64.4 6,771 8.2 35,017

 Women....................................................................................... 125,941 72,648 57.7 66,914 53.1 5,734 7.9 53,293

White... ................................................................................ 193,204 123,684 64.0 114,769 59.4 8,915 7.2 69,520

 Men.................................................................................... 94,266 66,921 71.0 61,990 65.8 4,931 7.4 27,345

 Women........................................................................... 98,938 56,763 57.4 52,779 53.3 3,985 7.0 42,175

Black or African American.................................................................................... 29,907 18,400 61.5 15,856 53.0 2,544 13.8 11,508

 Men........................................................................................ 13,508 8,594 63.6 7,302 54.1 1,292 15.0 4,913

 Women................................................................................................ 16,400 9,805 59.8 8,553 52.2 1,252 12.8 6,595

Asian................................................................................. 12,815 8,188 63.9 7,705 60.1 483 5.9 4,627

 Men...................................................................................................... 6,000 4,334 72.2 4,085 68.1 249 5.8 1,666

 Women................................................................................................ 6,815 3,853 56.5 3,620 53.1 234 6.1 2,962

American Indian and Alaska Native................................................................................. 2,512 1,490 59.3 1,308 52.1 183 12.3 1,021

 Men....................................................................................................... 1,227 814 66.4 718 58.5 97 11.9 413

 Women................................................................................................ 1,284 676 52.6 590 45.9 86 12.7 608

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander................................................................................. 803 573 71.4 505 63.0 68 11.8 230

 Men....................................................................................................... 386 285 73.9 250 64.7 35 12.4 101

 Women................................................................................................ 417 288 69.1 256 61.4 32 11.2 129

Two or More Races............................................................................................. 4,043 2,640 65.3 2,327 57.6 313 11.9 1,404

 Men....................................................................................................... 1,957 1,377 70.4 1,210 61.9 167 12.1 579

 Women................................................................................................ 2,087 1,262 60.5 1,117 53.5 146 11.5 824

Table 1. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and older by gender and race, 2012 annual averages

Gender and race

 Civilian 

noninstitutional 

population 

 Not in 

 Total labor force Percent of 

population 
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(Numbers in thousands)

 Civilian labor force 

 Employed Unemployed 

 Total Percent of 

population Total Percent of labor force 

Total....................................................................................... 243,284 154,975 63.7 142,469 58.6 12,506 8.1 88,310

 Men.............................................................................................. 117,343 82,327 70.2 75,555 64.4 6,771 8.2 35,017

 Women....................................................................................... 125,941 72,648 57.7 66,914 53.1 5,734 7.9 53,293

Hispanic or Latino....................................................................................... 36,759 24,391 66.4 21,878 59.5 2,514 10.3 12,368

 Men........................................................................................................ 18,434 14,026 76.1 12,643 68.6 1,383 9.9 4,408

 Women................................................................................................. 18,324 10,365 56.6 9,235 50.4 1,130 10.9 7,959

Mexican................................................................................... 22,716 15,128 66.6 13,552 59.7 1,577 10.4 7,588

 Men........................................................................................................ 11,639 9,024 77.5 8,137 69.9 887 9.8 2,615

 Women................................................................................................. 11,078 6,105 55.1 5,414 48.9 690 11.3 4,973

Puerto Rican...................................................................... 3,462 2,090 60.4 1,830 52.9 260 12.4 1,372

 Men........................................................................................................ 1,631 1,065 65.3 926 56.8 140 13.1 565

 Women................................................................................................. 1,831 1,025 55.9 904 49.4 120 11.7 807

Cuban............................................................................ 1,702 1,102 64.7 994 58.4 108 9.8 601

 Men.................................................................................................. 842 579 68.9 525 62.4 55 9.4 262

 Women........................................................................................... 861 522 60.7 469 54.5 53 10.1 339

Central and South American............................................................................ 7,045 4,938 70.1 4,468 63.4 470 9.5 2,106

 Men.................................................................................................. 3,477 2,782 80.0 2,525 72.6 257 9.2 695

 Women........................................................................................... 3,567 2,156 60.4 1,943 54.5 213 9.9 1,411

Other Hispanic or Latino............................................................................. 1,833 1,133 61.8 1,034 56.4 99 8.7 700

 Men.................................................................................................. 846 575 68.0 530 62.6 45 7.9 271

 Women........................................................................................... 987 557 56.5 504 51.0 54 9.6 430

Non-Hispanic or Latino.............................................................. 206,526 130,583 63.2 120,592 58.4 9,992 7.7 75,942

 Men.................................................................................................. 98,909 68,301 69.1 62,912 63.6 5,388 7.9 30,609

 Women........................................................................................... 107,616 62,283 57.9 57,679 53.6 4,604 7.4 45,333

White non-Hispanic or Latino.................................................................. 160,338 101,892 63.5 95,191 59.4 6,701 6.6 58,445

 Men.................................................................................................. 77,743 54,325 69.9 50,631 65.1 3,695 6.8 23,417

 Women........................................................................................... 82,595 47,567 57.6 44,561 54.0 3,006 6.3 35,028

Black non-Hispanic or Latino........................................................................ 28,205 17,255 61.2 14,850 52.6 2,405 13.9 10,950

 Men.................................................................................................. 12,725 8,007 62.9 6,772 53.2 1,236 15.4 4,717

 Women........................................................................................... 15,481 9,247 59.7 8,078 52.2 1,169 12.6 6,233

Asian non-Hispanic or Latino..................................................................... 12,422 7,933 63.9 7,462 60.1 471 5.9 4,489

 Men.................................................................................................. 5,793 4,184 72.2 3,941 68.0 244 5.8 1,609

 Women........................................................................................... 6,629 3,749 56.6 3,521 53.1 228 6.1 2,880

Table 2. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and older by Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity, gender, and race, 2012 annual averages

 Note: Estimates for the above race groups (White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, and Asian non-Hispanic) do not sum to totals 

because data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity, gender, and race

 Civilian 

noninstitutional 

population 

 Not in labor 

force Total Percent of 

population 

2
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(Numbers in thousands)

 Civilian labor force 

 Employed Unemployed 

 Total Percent of 

population Total Percent of 

labor force 

Total

Total, 16 years and over............... 243,284 154,975 63.7 142,469 58.6 12,506 8.1 88,310

 16 to 19 years.......................... 16,984 5,823 34.3 4,426 26.1 1,397 24.0 11,162

 20 years and over.......................... 226,300 149,152 65.9 138,043 61.0 11,109 7.4 77,148

 20 to 24 years.......................... 21,799 15,462 70.9 13,408 61.5 2,054 13.3 6,337

 25 to 54 years.......................... 124,314 101,253 81.4 94,150 75.7 7,103 7.0 23,061

 55 to 64 years.......................... 38,318 24,710 64.5 23,239 60.6 1,470 5.9 13,608

 65 years and over.................... 41,869 7,727 18.5 7,245 17.3 482 6.2 34,142

Men, 16 years and over........................ 117,343 82,327 70.2 75,555 64.4 6,771 8.2 35,017

 16 to 19 years.......................... 8,657 2,940 34.0 2,152 24.9 787 26.8 5,717

 20 years and over.......................... 108,686 79,387 73.0 73,403 67.5 5,984 7.5 29,299

 20 to 24 years.......................... 10,889 8,110 74.5 6,948 63.8 1,163 14.3 2,778

 25 to 54 years.......................... 60,959 54,053 88.7 50,310 82.5 3,742 6.9 6,907

 55 to 64 years.......................... 18,416 12,879 69.9 12,068 65.5 811 6.3 5,537

 65 years and over.................... 18,422 4,345 23.6 4,077 22.1 268 6.2 14,078

 Women, 16 years and over............... 125,941 72,648 57.7 66,914 53.1 5,734 7.9 53,293

 16 to 19 years................................. 8,327 2,883 34.6 2,274 27.3 609 21.1 5,444

 20 years and over.......................... 117,614 69,765 59.3 64,640 55.0 5,125 7.3 47,849

 20 to 24 years.......................... 10,910 7,352 67.4 6,460 59.2 891 12.1 3,559

 25 to 54 years.......................... 63,355 47,200 74.5 43,840 69.2 3,361 7.1 16,154

 55 to 64 years.......................... 19,902 11,830 59.4 11,171 56.1 659 5.6 8,071

 65 years and over.................... 23,447 3,383 14.4 3,168 13.5 214 6.3 20,064

White

Total, 16 years and over................. 193,204 123,684 64.0 114,769 59.4 8,915 7.2 69,520

 16 to 19 years................................ 12,658 4,669 36.9 3,665 29.0 1,004 21.5 7,988

 20 years and over.......................... 180,547 119,015 65.9 111,104 61.5 7,911 6.6 61,532

 20 to 24 years.......................... 16,289 11,914 73.1 10,561 64.8 1,353 11.4 4,375

 25 to 54 years.......................... 96,774 79,635 82.3 74,626 77.1 5,009 6.3 17,139

 55 to 64 years.......................... 31,511 20,752 65.9 19,608 62.2 1,144 5.5 10,759

 65 years and over.................... 35,973 6,714 18.7 6,309 17.5 405 6.0 29,259

Men, 16 years and over...................... 94,266 66,921 71.0 61,990 65.8 4,931 7.4 27,345

 16 to 19 years.......................... 6,486 2,382 36.7 1,797 27.7 584 24.5 4,104

 20 years and over.......................... 87,780 64,540 73.5 60,193 68.6 4,347 6.7 23,241

 20 to 24 years.......................... 8,211 6,339 77.2 5,547 67.6 792 12.5 1,872

 25 to 54 years.......................... 48,242 43,395 90.0 40,701 84.4 2,694 6.2 4,847

 55 to 64 years.......................... 15,333 10,970 71.6 10,334 67.4 637 5.8 4,362

 65 years and over.................... 15,995 3,835 24.0 3,611 22.6 224 5.8 12,160

 Women, 16 years and over............... 98,938 56,763 57.4 52,779 53.3 3,985 7.0 42,175

 16 to 19 years.......................... 6,172 2,288 37.1 1,868 30.3 420 18.4 3,884

 20 years and over.......................... 92,766 54,475 58.7 50,911 54.9 3,564 6.5 38,291

 20 to 24 years.......................... 8,078 5,575 69.0 5,014 62.1 561 10.1 2,503

 25 to 54 years.......................... 48,532 36,240 74.7 33,925 69.9 2,314 6.4 12,292

 55 to 64 years.......................... 16,179 9,782 60.5 9,274 57.3 508 5.2 6,397

 65 years and over.................... 19,978 2,879 14.4 2,698 13.5 181 6.3 17,099

See note at end of table.

Table 3. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by gender, age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 

annual averages

Age, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 Civilian 

noninstitutional 

population 

 Not in labor 

force Total Percent of 

population 

3
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

(Numbers in thousands)

 Civilian labor force 

 Employed Unemployed 

 Total Percent of 

population Total Percent of labor force 

Black or African American

Total, 16 years and over................. 29,907 18,400 61.5 15,856 53.0 2,544 13.8 11,508

 16 to 19 years................................ 2,643 711 26.9 438 16.6 272 38.3 1,932

 20 years and over.......................... 27,265 17,689 64.9 15,417 56.5 2,272 12.8 9,576

 20 to 24 years.......................... 3,326 2,210 66.5 1,700 51.1 510 23.1 1,115

 25 to 54 years.......................... 16,008 12,510 78.1 11,016 68.8 1,494 11.9 3,498

 55 to 64 years.......................... 4,281 2,369 55.3 2,161 50.5 209 8.8 1,912

 65 years and over.................... 3,650 599 16.4 540 14.8 59 9.8 3,051

Men, 16 years and over...................... 13,508 8,594 63.6 7,302 54.1 1,292 15.0 4,913

 16 to 19 years.......................... 1,319 338 25.6 198 15.1 140 41.3 981

 20 years and over.......................... 12,189 8,256 67.7 7,104 58.3 1,152 14.0 3,932

 20 to 24 years.......................... 1,586 1,054 66.4 784 49.5 269 25.6 532

 25 to 54 years.......................... 7,231 5,823 80.5 5,082 70.3 740 12.7 1,408

 55 to 64 years.......................... 1,923 1,099 57.1 988 51.4 110 10.1 825

 65 years and over.................... 1,449 281 19.4 249 17.2 32 11.5 1,168

 Women, 16 years and over............... 16,400 9,805 59.8 8,553 52.2 1,252 12.8 6,595

 16 to 19 years................................ 1,324 373 28.2 240 18.1 133 35.6 951

 20 years and over.......................... 15,076 9,433 62.6 8,313 55.1 1,119 11.9 5,643

 20 to 24 years.......................... 1,740 1,157 66.5 916 52.6 241 20.8 583

 25 to 54 years.......................... 8,777 6,687 76.2 5,933 67.6 754 11.3 2,090

 55 to 64 years.......................... 2,358 1,271 53.9 1,173 49.7 98 7.7 1,087

 65 years and over.................... 2,201 317 14.4 291 13.2 26 8.2 1,884

Asian

Total, 16 years and over................. 12,815 8,188 63.9 7,705 60.1 483 5.9 4,627

 16 to 19 years................................ 802 162 20.1 128 15.9 34 20.8 640

 20 years and over.......................... 12,013 8,026 66.8 7,577 63.1 449 5.6 3,987

 20 to 24 years.......................... 1,151 608 52.8 544 47.3 64 10.5 543

 25 to 54 years.......................... 7,526 5,978 79.4 5,679 75.5 300 5.0 1,547

 55 to 64 years.......................... 1,719 1,144 66.5 1,071 62.3 73 6.4 575

 65 years and over.................... 1,617 296 18.3 283 17.5 12 4.2 1,321

Men, 16 years and over..................... 6,000 4,334 72.2 4,085 68.1 249 5.8 1,666

 16 to 19 years.......................... 411 77 18.7 59 14.4 18 22.8 334

 20 years and over.......................... 5,589 4,258 76.2 4,026 72.0 232 5.4 1,331

 20 to 24 years.......................... 576 328 57.0 295 51.1 34 10.2 248

 25 to 54 years.......................... 3,532 3,179 90.0 3,027 85.7 152 4.8 353

 55 to 64 years.......................... 772 580 75.2 543 70.3 38 6.5 192

 65 years and over.................... 708 170 23.9 161 22.8 8 4.9 539

 Women, 16 years and over............... 6,815 3,853 56.5 3,620 53.1 234 6.1 2,962

 16 to 19 years................................ 391 85 21.7 69 17.5 16 19.0 306

 20 years and over.......................... 6,424 3,769 58.7 3,551 55.3 218 5.8 2,656

 20 to 24 years.......................... 575 280 48.7 250 43.4 31 10.9 295

 25 to 54 years.......................... 3,994 2,799 70.1 2,652 66.4 148 5.3 1,194

 55 to 64 years.......................... 947 563 59.5 528 55.8 35 6.3 384

 65 years and over.................... 909 126 13.9 122 13.4 4 3.2 783

See note at end of table.

Age, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 Civilian 

noninstitutional 

population 

 Not in 

labor force Total 

 Percent 

of 

population 

Table 3. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by gender, age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 

annual averages-Continued

4
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

(Numbers in thousands)

 Civilian labor force 

 Employed Unemployed 

 Total Percent of 

population Total Percent of labor force 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total, 16 years and over................. 36,759 24,391 66.4 21,878 59.5 2,514 10.3 12,368

 16 to 19 years................................. 3,656 1,131 30.9 808 22.1 324 28.6 2,524

 20 years and over.......................... 33,103 23,260 70.3 21,070 63.6 2,190 9.4 9,843

 20 to 24 years.......................... 4,502 3,205 71.2 2,761 61.3 444 13.8 1,297

 25 to 54 years.......................... 21,894 17,358 79.3 15,858 72.4 1,500 8.6 4,536

 55 to 64 years.......................... 3,613 2,185 60.5 1,983 54.9 201 9.2 1,428

 65 years and over.................... 3,094 512 16.5 467 15.1 44 8.7 2,582

Men, 16 years and over...................... 18,434 14,026 76.1 12,643 68.6 1,383 9.9 4,408

 16 to 19 years.......................... 1,879 620 33.0 431 22.9 189 30.5 1,259

 20 years and over.......................... 16,555 13,407 81.0 12,212 73.8 1,195 8.9 3,149

 20 to 24 years.......................... 2,341 1,837 78.5 1,584 67.6 254 13.8 504

 25 to 54 years.......................... 11,157 10,074 90.3 9,276 83.1 798 7.9 1,083

 55 to 64 years.......................... 1,729 1,215 70.3 1,097 63.4 119 9.8 513

 65 years and over.................... 1,329 280 21.1 256 19.2 24 8.6 1,049

 Women, 16 years and over............... 18,324 10,365 56.6 9,235 50.4 1,130 10.9 7,959

 16 to 19 years.................................. 1,776 512 28.8 377 21.2 135 26.4 1,265

 20 years and over.......................... 16,548 9,853 59.5 8,858 53.5 995 10.1 6,695

 20 to 24 years.......................... 2,161 1,368 63.3 1,178 54.5 190 13.9 794

 25 to 54 years.......................... 10,738 7,284 67.8 6,582 61.3 702 9.6 3,454

 55 to 64 years.......................... 1,884 969 51.4 887 47.1 83 8.5 915

 65 years and over.................... 1,765 232 13.2 212 12.0 20 8.8 1,533

 Note: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because

data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Table 3. Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by gender, age, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 

annual averages-Continued

Age, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 Civilian 

noninstitutional 

population 

 Not in 

labor force Total 

 Percent 

of 

population 

5
14 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

(Percent)

Total White Black or African American Asian Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

1972.................. 60.4 78.9 43.9 60.4 79.6 43.2 59.9 73.6 48.7 — — — — — —

1973.......................... 60.8 78.8 44.7 60.8 79.4 44.1 60.2 73.4 49.3 — — — 60.2 81.5 41.0

1974..................... 61.3 78.7 45.7 61.4 79.4 45.2 59.8 72.9 49.0 — — — 61.1 81.7 42.4

1975................ 61.2 77.9 46.3 61.5 78.7 45.9 58.8 70.9 48.8 — — — 60.8 80.7 43.2

1976.................... 61.6 77.5 47.3 61.8 78.4 46.9 59.0 70.0 49.8 — — — 60.8 79.6 44.3

1977.................... 62.3 77.7 48.4 62.5 78.5 48.0 59.8 70.6 50.8 — — — 61.6 80.9 44.3

1978.................. 63.2 77.9 50.0 63.3 78.6 49.4 61.5 71.5 53.1 — — — 62.9 81.1 46.6

1979.................. 63.7 77.8 50.9 63.9 78.6 50.5 61.4 71.3 53.1 — — — 63.6 81.3 47.4

1980................... 63.8 77.4 51.5 64.1 78.2 51.2 61.0 70.3 53.1 — — — 64.0 81.4

1981..................... 63.9 77.0 52.1 64.3 77.9 51.9 60.8 70.0 53.5 — — — 64.1 80.6 48.3

1982................ 64.0 76.6 52.6 64.3 77.4 52.4 61.0 70.1 53.7 — — — 63.6 79.7 48.1

1983................. 64.0 76.4 52.9 64.3 77.1 52.7 61.5 70.6 54.2 — — — 63.8 80.3 47.7

1984................ 64.4 76.4 53.6 64.6 77.1 53.3 62.2 70.8 55.2 — — — 64.9 80.6 49.7

1985.................. 64.8 76.3 54.5 65.0 77.0 54.1 62.9 70.8 56.5 — — — 64.6 80.4 49.3

1986.................. 65.3 76.3 55.3 65.5 76.9 55.0 63.3 71.2 56.9 — — — 65.4 81.0 50.1

1987................... 65.6 76.2 56.0 65.8 76.8 55.7 63.8 71.1 58.0 — — — 66.4 81.0 52.0

1988...................... 65.9 76.2 56.6 66.2 76.9 56.4 63.8 71.0 58.0 — — — 67.4 81.9 53.2

1989.................... 66.5 76.4 57.4 66.7 77.1 57.2 64.2 71.0 58.7 — — — 67.6 82.0 53.5

1990......................... 66.5 76.4 57.5 66.9 77.1 57.4 64.0 71.0 58.3 — — — 67.4 81.4 53.1

1991.................. 66.2 75.8 57.4 66.6 76.5 57.4 63.3 70.4 57.5 — — — 66.5 80.3 52.4

1992...................... 66.4 75.8 57.8 66.8 76.5 57.7 63.9 70.7 58.5 — — — 66.8 80.7 52.8

1993................. 66.3 75.4 57.9 66.8 76.2 58.0 63.2 69.6 57.9 — — — 66.2 80.2 52.1

1994........................ 66.6 75.1 58.8 67.1 75.9 58.9 63.4 69.1 58.7 — — — 66.1 79.2 52.9

1995........................ 66.6 75.0 58.9 67.1 75.7 59.0 63.7 69.0 59.5 — — — 65.8 79.1 52.6

1996............................. 66.8 74.9 59.3 67.2 75.8 59.1 64.1 68.7 60.4 — — — 66.5 79.6 53.4

1997...................... 67.1 75.0 59.8 67.5 75.9 59.5 64.7 68.3 61.7 — — — 67.9 80.1 55.1

1998....................... 67.1 74.9 59.8 67.3 75.6 59.4 65.6 69.0 62.8 — — — 67.9 79.8 55.6

1999......................... 67.1 74.7 60.0 67.3 75.6 59.6 65.8 68.7 63.5 — — — 67.7 79.8 55.9

2000........................ 67.1 74.8 59.9 67.3 75.5 59.5 65.8 69.2 63.1 67.2 76.1 59.2 69.7 81.5 57.5

2001...............66.8 74.4 59.8 67.0 75.1 59.4 65.3 68.4 62.8 67.2 76.2 59.0 69.5 81.0 57.6

2002............. 66.6 74.1 59.6 66.8 74.8 59.3 64.8 68.4 61.8 67.2 75.9 59.1 69.1 80.2 57.6

2003.............. 66.2 73.5 59.5 66.5 74.2 59.2 64.3 67.3 61.9 66.4 75.6 58.3 68.3 80.1 55.9

2004.............. 66.0 73.3 59.2 66.3 74.1 58.9 63.8 66.7 61.5 65.9 75.0 57.6 68.6 80.4 56.1

2005.................. 66.0 73.3 59.3 66.3 74.1 58.9 64.2 67.3 61.6 66.1 74.8 58.2 68.0 80.1 55.3

2006.............. 66.2 73.5 59.4 66.5 74.3 59.0 64.1 67.0 61.7 66.2 75.0 58.3 68.7 80.7 56.1

2007.................... 66.0 73.2 59.3 66.4 74.0 59.0 63.7 66.8 61.1 66.5 75.1 58.6 68.8 80.5 56.5

2008......................... 66.0 73.0 59.5 66.3 73.7 59.2 63.7 66.7 61.3 67.0 75.3 59.4 68.5 80.2 56.2

2009......................... 65.4 72.0 59.2 65.8 72.8 59.1 62.4 65.0 60.3 66.0 74.6 58.2 68.0 78.8 56.5

2010.................................... 64.7 71.2 58.6 65.1 72.0 58.5 62.2 65.0 59.9 64.7 73.2 57.0 67.5 77.8 56.5

2011..... 64.1 70.5 58.1 64.5 71.3 58.0 61.4 64.2 59.1 64.6 73.2 56.8 66.5 76.5 55.9

2012..... 63.7 70.2 57.7 64.0 71.0 57.4 61.5 63.6 59.8 63.9 72.2 56.5 66.4 76.1 56.6

See note at end of table.

Year

Table 4. Labor force participation rates by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1972–2012 annual averages 

6
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 4. Labor force participation rates by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1972–2012 annual averages 

—Continued

(Percent)

American Indian and Alaska Native Two or More Races

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

2003.............. 64.4 71.0 58.0 68.9 75.0 63.9 67.6 73.2 62.4

2004.............. 63.8 70.9 57.1 71.8 76.6 67.7 67.0 74.0 60.3

2005.................. 63.5 70.0 57.2 73.4 77.1 69.8 67.0 72.0 62.3

2006.............. 63.1 68.6 57.9 74.5 80.8 68.6 65.9 72.3 59.7

2007.................... 63.3 69.9 57.0 73.0 78.4 68.2 66.3 71.9 60.8

2008......................... 63.7 70.2 57.6 72.5 78.9 66.6 65.5 70.7 60.4

2009......................... 59.0 64.1 54.2 69.4 77.3 62.3 65.6 70.4 61.0

2010.................................... 57.7 64.0 51.8 68.4 71.3 65.5 65.4 70.9 60.3

2011............. 59.2 65.2 53.2 69.4 75.6 63.6 64.0 68.9 59.5

2012............ 59.3 66.4 52.6 71.4 73.9 69.1 65.3 70.4 60.5

Year

 Note: Beginning in 2003, estimates for White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native 

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander race groups include people who selected that race group only; people who selected more than one race 

group are included in the Two or More Races category. Prior to 2003, people who reported more than one race were included in the group 

they identified as the main race. Asian estimates for 2000–2002 are for Asians and Pacific Islanders; beginning in 2003, Asian is a separate 

category, as is Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Dash indicates data not available.

Native Hawaiian and 

Other Pacific Islander

7
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 5. Employment-population ratios by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1972–2012 annual averages 

(Percent)

Total White Black or African American Asian Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

1972.................. 57.0 75.0 41.0 57.4 76.0 40.7 53.7 66.8 43.0 — — — — — —

1973..................... 57.8 75.5 42.0 58.2 76.5 41.8 54.5 67.5 43.8 — — — 55.6 76.0 37.3

1974..................... 57.8 74.9 42.6 58.3 75.9 42.4 53.5 65.8 43.5 — — — 56.2 75.7 38.4

1975................ 56.1 71.7 42.0 56.7 73.0 42.0 50.1 60.6 41.6 — — — 53.4 71.5 37.4

1976.................... 56.8 72.0 43.2 57.5 73.4 43.2 50.8 60.6 42.8 — — — 53.8 71.1 38.6

1977.................... 57.9 72.8 44.5 58.6 74.1 44.5 51.4 61.4 43.3 — — — 55.4 73.6 39.1

1978.................. 59.3 73.8 46.4 60.0 75.0 46.3 53.6 63.3 45.8 — — — 57.2 74.9 41.3

1979.................. 59.9 73.8 47.5 60.6 75.1 47.5 53.8 63.4 46.0 — — — 58.3 75.6 42.5

1980................... 59.2 72.0 47.7 60.0 73.4 47.8 52.3 60.4 45.7 — — — 57.6 73.5

1981..................... 59.0 71.3 48.0 60.0 72.8 48.3 51.3 59.1 45.1 — — — 57.4 72.4 43.0

1982................ 57.8 69.0 47.7 58.8 70.6 48.1 49.4 56.0 44.2 — — — 54.9 68.9 41.3

1983................. 57.9 68.8 48.0 58.9 70.4 48.5 49.5 56.3 44.1 — — — 55.1 69.4 41.1

1984................ 59.5 70.7 49.5 60.5 72.1 49.8 52.3 59.2 46.7 — — — 57.9 72.1 44.2

1985.................. 60.1 70.9 50.4 61.0 72.3 50.7 53.4 60.0 48.1 — — — 57.8 72.1 43.8

1986.................. 60.7 71.0 51.4 61.5 72.3 51.7 54.1 60.6 48.8 — — — 58.5 72.5 44.7

1987................... 61.5 71.5 52.5 62.3 72.7 52.8 55.6 62.0 50.3 — — — 60.5 74.0 47.4

1988...................... 62.3 72.0 53.4 63.1 73.2 53.8 56.3 62.7 51.2 — — — 61.9 75.3 48.8

1989.................... 63.0 72.5 54.3 63.8 73.7 54.6 56.9 62.8 52.0 — — — 62.2 75.8 48.8

1990......................... 62.8 72.0 54.3 63.7 73.3 54.7 56.7 62.6 51.9 — — — 61.9 74.9 48.6

1991.................. 61.7 70.4 53.7 62.6 71.6 54.2 55.4 61.3 50.6 — — — 59.8 72.1 47.3

1992...................... 61.5 69.8 53.8 62.4 71.1 54.2 54.9 59.9 50.8 — — — 59.1 71.2 46.8

1993................. 61.7 70.0 54.1 62.7 71.4 54.6 55.0 60.0 50.9 — — — 59.1 71.7 46.3

1994........................ 62.5 70.4 55.3 63.5 71.8 55.8 56.1 60.8 52.3 — — — 59.5 71.7 47.2

1995........................ 62.9 70.8 55.6 63.8 72.0 56.1 57.1 61.7 53.4 — — — 59.7 72.1 47.3

1996............................. 63.2 70.9 56.0 64.1 72.3 56.3 57.4 61.1 54.4 — — — 60.6 73.3 47.9

1997...................... 63.8 71.3 56.8 64.6 72.7 57.0 58.2 61.4 55.6 — — — 62.6 74.5 50.2

1998....................... 64.1 71.6 57.1 64.7 72.7 57.1 59.7 62.9 57.2 — — — 63.1 74.7 51.0

1999......................... 64.3 71.6 57.4 64.8 72.8 57.3 60.6 63.1 58.6 — — — 63.4 75.3 51.7

2000........................ 64.4 71.9 57.5 64.9 73.0 57.4 60.9 63.6 58.6 64.8 73.3 57.1 65.7 77.4 53.6

2001...............63.7 70.9 57.0 64.2 72.0 57.0 59.7 62.1 57.8 64.2 72.7 56.4 64.9 76.2 53.3

2002............. 62.7 69.7 56.3 63.4 70.8 56.4 58.1 61.1 55.8 63.2 71.3 55.8 63.9 74.5 52.9

2003.............. 62.3 68.9 56.1 63.0 70.1 56.3 57.4 59.5 55.6 62.4 70.9 54.9 63.1 74.3 51.2

2004.............. 62.3 69.2 56.0 63.1 70.4 56.1 57.2 59.3 55.5 63.0 71.6 55.1 63.8 75.1 51.8

2005.................. 62.7 69.6 56.2 63.4 70.8 56.3 57.7 60.2 55.7 63.4 71.8 55.9 64.0 75.8 51.5

2006.............. 63.1 70.1 56.6 63.8 71.3 56.6 58.4 60.6 56.5 64.2 72.7 56.5 65.2 76.8 52.8

2007.................... 63.0 69.8 56.6 63.6 70.9 56.7 58.4 60.7 56.5 64.3 72.8 56.6 64.9 76.2 53.0

2008......................... 62.2 68.5 56.2 62.8 69.7 56.3 57.3 59.1 55.8 64.3 72.2 57.2 63.3 74.1 51.9

2009......................... 59.3 64.5 54.4 60.2 66.0 54.8 53.2 53.7 52.8 61.2 68.7 54.4 59.7 68.9 50.1

2010...........58.5 63.7 53.6 59.4 65.1 54.0 52.3 53.1 51.7 59.9 67.5 53.0 59.0 68.0 49.6

2011...... 58.4 63.9 53.2 59.4 65.3 53.7 51.7 52.8 50.8 60.0 68.2 52.6 58.9 67.9 49.3

2012...... 58.6 64.4 53.1 59.4 65.8 53.3 53.0 54.1 52.2 60.1 68.1 53.1 59.5 68.6 50.4

See note at end of table.

Year

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Table 5. Employment-population ratio by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1972–2012 annual averages 

—Continued

(Percent)

American Indian and Alaska Native Two or More Races

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

2003.............. 57.7 63.1 52.4 63.6 69.8 58.4 61.4 66.4 56.8

2004.............. 57.7 64.0 51.8 67.4 71.4 64.1 61.2 67.6 55.0

2005.................. 57.6 63.9 51.5 70.2 73.4 67.1 61.6 66.3 57.2

2006.............. 58.1 63.2 53.3 70.6 75.7 65.7 61.5 67.0 56.2

2007.................... 58.1 64.3 52.3 69.4 74.2 65.3 61.5 66.5 56.6

2008......................... 57.4 62.6 52.5 67.8 72.8 63.3 59.3 63.6 55.2

2009......................... 51.2 54.2 48.3 61.8 68.3 56.0 56.7 60.4 53.2

2010.................................... 49.0 53.0 45.2 60.1 61.6 58.7 56.5 60.8 52.5

2011.................. 50.5 55.2 45.9 62.2 67.0 57.7 55.3 59.2 51.7

2012.................. 52.1 58.5 45.9 63.0 64.7 61.4 57.6 61.9 53.5

Year

 Note: Beginning in 2003, estimates for White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native 

Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander race groups include people who selected that race group only; people who selected more than one 

race group are included in the Two or More Races category. Prior to 2003, people who reported more than one race were included in the 

group they identified as the main race. Asian estimates for 2000–2002 are for Asians and Pacific Islanders; beginning in 2003, Asian is a 

separate category, as is Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of 

any race. Dash indicates data not available.

Native Hawaiian and 

Other Pacific Islander

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(Numbers in thousands)

Employment status, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 Total, 25 years 

and older

Less than a high 

school diploma

High school 

graduates, 

no college1

Some college, 

no degree

Associate 

degree

Bachelor's 

degree and 

higher2

Total

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 204,501 24,881 61,812 34,298 19,996 63,514

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 133,690 11,328 36,772 22,685 14,675 48,230

Percent of population...................................................................... 65.4 45.5 59.5 66.1 73.4 75.9

Employed............................................................................................... 124,635 9,923 33,718 20,936 13,770 46,288

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 60.9 39.9 54.5 61.0 68.9 72.9

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 9,055 1,405 3,053 1,750 905 1,942

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 6.8 12.4 8.3 7.7 6.2 4.0

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 97,798 12,325 30,131 16,094 8,608 30,640

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 71,277 7,133 20,964 11,738 6,773 24,669

Percent of population...................................................................... 72.9 57.9 69.6 72.9 78.7 80.5

Employed............................................................................................... 66,455 6,309 19,192 10,862 6,364 23,729

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 68.0 51.2 63.7 67.5 73.9 77.4

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 4,821 824 1,772 876 409 940

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 6.8 11.6 8.5 7.5 6.0 3.8

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 106,703 12,556 31,681 18,204 11,389 32,874

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 62,413 4,195 15,808 10,948 7,901 23,561

Percent of population...................................................................... 58.5 33.4 49.9 60.1 69.4 71.7

Employed............................................................................................... 58,180 3,614 14,527 10,074 7,405 22,559

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 54.5 28.8 45.9 55.3 65.0 68.6

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 4,234 581 1,281 874 496 1,002

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 6.8 13.9 8.1 8.0 6.3 4.3

White

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 164,258 19,394 49,774 27,281 16,295 51,513

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 107,100 9,147 29,298 17,819 11,909 38,928

Percent of population...................................................................... 65.2 47.2 58.9 65.3 73.1 75.6

Employed............................................................................................... 100,543 8,100 27,112 16,594 11,260 37,476

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 61.2 41.8 54.5 60.8 69.1 72.8

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 6,558 1,047 2,185 1,226 648 1,451

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 6.1 11.4 7.5 6.9 5.4 3.7

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 79,569 9,844 24,390 12,963 7,094 25,279

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 58,200 5,958 17,000 9,426 5,580 20,236

Percent of population...................................................................... 73.1 60.5 69.7 72.7 78.7 80.1

Employed............................................................................................... 54,646 5,339 15,711 8,809 5,273 19,513

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 68.7 54.2 64.4 68.0 74.3 77.2

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 3,555 619 1,290 617 307 722

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 6.1 10.4 7.6 6.5 5.5 3.6

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 84,689 9,550 25,384 14,318 9,202 26,235

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 48,900 3,189 12,297 8,393 6,329 18,692

Percent of population...................................................................... 57.7 33.4 48.4 58.6 68.8 71.2

Employed............................................................................................... 45,897 2,761 11,402 7,784 5,987 17,963

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 54.2 28.9 44.9 54.4 65.1 68.5

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 3,003 428 896 609 342 729

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 6.1 13.4 7.3 7.3 5.4 3.9

See note at end of table.

Table 6. Employment status of people 25 years and older by educational attainment, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

10
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(Numbers in thousands)

Employment status, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 Total, 25 years 

and older

Less than a high 

school diploma

High school 

graduates, 

no college1

Some college, 

no degree

Associate 

degree

Bachelor's 

degree and 

higher2

Black or African American

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 23,939 3,494 8,208 4,756 2,345 5,135

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 15,478 1,277 5,080 3,303 1,763 4,057

Percent of population...................................................................... 64.7 36.5 61.9 69.4 75.2 79.0

Employed............................................................................................... 13,717 1,016 4,397 2,919 1,584 3,801

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 57.3 29.1 53.6 61.4 67.6 74.0

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 1,762 260 683 384 179 255

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 11.4 20.4 13.4 11.6 10.2 6.3

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 10,603 1,615 3,962 2,070 906 2,049

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 7,203 675 2,658 1,511 707 1,652

Percent of population...................................................................... 67.9 41.8 67.1 73.0 78.0 80.6

Employed............................................................................................... 6,320 530 2,281 1,328 639 1,541

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 59.6 32.8 57.6 64.1 70.5 75.2

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 883 146 376 183 68 110

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 12.3 21.6 14.2 12.1 9.6 6.7

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 13,336 1,879 4,246 2,686 1,438 3,087

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 8,276 601 2,422 1,792 1,056 2,405

Percent of population...................................................................... 62.1 32.0 57.0 66.7 73.4 77.9

Employed............................................................................................... 7,397 487 2,115 1,591 945 2,260

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 55.5 25.9 49.8 59.2 65.7 73.2

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 878 114 306 201 111 145

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 10.6 19.0 12.7 11.2 10.5 6.0

Asian

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 10,862 1,164 2,136 1,113 757 5,692

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 7,418 516 1,290 769 544 4,299

Percent of population...................................................................... 68.3 44.3 60.4 69.2 71.8 75.5

Employed............................................................................................... 7,032 481 1,212 716 509 4,115

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 64.7 41.3 56.7 64.3 67.3 72.3

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 385 35 79 53 34 184

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 5.2 6.8 6.1 7.0 6.3 4.3

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 5,013 451 886 537 340 2,800

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 3,929 260 651 408 268 2,342

Percent of population...................................................................... 78.4 57.6 73.5 76.0 78.9 83.7

Employed............................................................................................... 3,731 236 609 378 252 2,255

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 74.4 52.3 68.8 70.4 74.3 80.6

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 198 24 42 30 16 87

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 5.0 9.1 6.4 7.4 5.8 3.7

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 5,849 713 1,251 576 417 2,892

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 3,489 256 639 362 276 1,956

Percent of population...................................................................... 59.6 35.9 51.1 62.7 66.1 67.6

Employed............................................................................................... 3,302 245 602 338 257 1,860

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 56.4 34.3 48.2 58.7 61.6 64.3

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 187 11 37 23 19 97

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 5.4 4.4 5.8 6.5 6.8 4.9

See note at end of table.

Table 6. Employment status of people 25 years and older by educational attainment, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued 

11
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(Numbers in thousands)

Employment status, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

 Total, 25 years 

and older

Less than a high 

school diploma

High school 

graduates, 

no college1

Some college, 

no degree

Associate 

degree

Bachelor's 

degree and 

higher2

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 28,601 9,779 8,633 3,931 2,046 4,211

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 20,055 5,920 6,168 2,973 1,611 3,384

Percent of population...................................................................... 70.1 60.5 71.4 75.6 78.7 80.4

Employed............................................................................................... 18,309 5,269 5,613 2,734 1,482 3,210

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 64.0 53.9 65.0 69.6 72.4 76.2

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 1,746 650 554 239 130 173

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 8.7 11.0 9.0 8.0 8.0 5.1

Men

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 14,214 5,019 4,468 1,884 878 1,965

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 11,569 3,871 3,710 1,543 753 1,693

Percent of population...................................................................... 81.4 77.1 83.0 81.9 85.8 86.1

Employed............................................................................................... 10,629 3,512 3,391 1,420 693 1,612

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 74.8 70.0 75.9 75.4 78.9 82.0

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 941 358 319 123 60 80

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 8.1 9.3 8.6 8.0 8.0 4.8

Women

Civilian noninstitutional population................................................................. 14,387 4,760 4,165 2,047 1,168 2,246

Civilian labor force...................................................................................... 8,485 2,049 2,457 1,430 858 1,691

Percent of population...................................................................... 59.0 43.0 59.0 69.8 73.4 75.3

Employed............................................................................................... 7,680 1,757 2,222 1,315 788 1,598

Employment-population ratio............................................................. 53.4 36.9 53.3 64.2 67.5 71.2

Unemployed.................................................................................................... 805 292 235 115 69 93

Unemployment rate................................................................................ 9.5 14.3 9.6 8.1 8.1 5.5

1

 Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent.

2

 Includes people with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.

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

not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Table 6. Employment status of people 25 years and older by educational attainment, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued 

12
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Table 7. Employed people by occupation, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

Occupation and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total, 16 years and older (thousands)..................................................................... 142,469 114,769 15,856 7,705 21,878

Percent....................................................................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations................................................................ 37.9 38.7 29.5 48.5 20.6

Management, business, and financial operations............................................................ 15.9 16.6 11.1 16.9 8.9

Management occupations............................................................................................................ 11.3 12.0 7.0 10.6 6.4

Business and financial operations occupations.............................................................. 4.7 4.7 4.1 6.4 2.4

Professional and related occupations.................................................................... 22.0 22.0 18.4 31.6 11.8

Computer and mathematical occupations........................................................................ 2.7 2.4 1.8 8.6 1.1

Architecture and engineering occupations........................................................... 2.0 2.0 1.0 4.0 1.0

Life, physical, and social science occupations..................................................... 0.9 0.9 0.5 1.7 0.4

Community and social services occupations.............................................................. 1.6 1.5 2.7 0.9 1.1

Legal occupations.......................................................................................................... 1.3 1.4 0.8 0.9 0.6

Education, training, and library occupations........................................................................ 6.0 6.2 5.1 4.8 3.8

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations........................................................... 2.0 2.1 1.1 1.9 1.1

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations................................................................. 5.6 5.5 5.3 8.7 2.6

Service occupations......................................................................................................................... 17.9 16.6 25.5 18.4 26.3

Healthcare support occupations............................................................................................................ 2.5 2.0 5.8 2.0 2.4

Protective service occupations............................................................................................ 2.2 2.0 3.4 1.1 1.9

Food preparation and serving related occupations............................................................... 5.6 5.4 6.1 6.4 8.7

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations........................................ 3.9 3.8 5.3 2.4 9.2

Personal care and service occupations................................................................................ 3.7 3.3 4.9 6.5 3.9

Sales and office occupations............................................................................................. 23.3 23.3 24.6 20.3 21.3

Sales and related occupations................................................................................................. 10.8 10.9 10.3 10.6 9.6

Office and administrative support occupations................................................................................ 12.4 12.3 14.4 9.7 11.7

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations................................................ 9.0 9.8 5.6 3.6 14.9

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................................................................. 0.7 0.8 0.3 0.2 2.0

Construction and extraction occupations...................................................................................... 4.9 5.4 2.7 1.4 9.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........................................................................ 3.4 3.6 2.6 1.9 3.7

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations.................................................. 11.9 11.7 14.8 9.3 16.9

Production occupations........................................................................................................... 5.9 5.8 6.2 6.3 8.4

Transportation and material-moving occupations.............................................................. 6.0 5.8 8.6 3.0 8.5

See note at end of table.

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Table 7. Employed people by occupation, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

—Continued

Occupation and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Men, 16 years and older (thousands).....................................................................75,555 61,990 7,302 4,085 12,643

Percent....................................................................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations................................................................ 34.7 35.3 23.8 50.0 16.8

Management, business, and financial operations............................................................ 16.9 17.8 10.2 17.6 8.4

Management occupations............................................................................................................ 13.0 13.9 7.3 12.3 6.7

Business and financial operations occupations.............................................................. 3.9 3.9 2.9 5.3 1.7

Professional and related occupations.................................................................... 17.8 17.4 13.6 32.4 8.4

Computer and mathematical occupations........................................................................ 3.8 3.4 2.5 12.2 1.4

Architecture and engineering occupations........................................................... 3.3 3.3 1.7 6.2 1.5

Life, physical, and social science occupations..................................................... 1.0 1.0 0.6 1.6 0.4

Community and social services occupations.............................................................. 1.1 1.0 2.0 0.8 0.6

Legal occupations.......................................................................................................... 1.2 1.3 0.5 0.8 0.4

Education, training, and library occupations........................................................................ 3.0 3.0 2.6 3.7 1.7

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations........................................................... 1.9 2.0 1.2 1.6 1.1

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations................................................................. 2.6 2.5 2.5 5.5 1.4

Service occupations......................................................................................................................... 14.7 13.6 22.5 14.9 22.0

Healthcare support occupations............................................................................................................ 0.6 0.4 1.7 0.8 0.5

Protective service occupations............................................................................................ 3.2 3.1 5.0 1.7 2.7

Food preparation and serving related occupations............................................................... 4.8 4.4 6.5 6.6 8.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations........................................ 4.5 4.4 6.7 2.4 9.1

Personal care and service occupations................................................................................ 1.6 1.3 2.6 3.3 1.4

Sales and office occupations............................................................................................. 16.7 16.5 18.7 16.7 14.2

Sales and related occupations................................................................................................. 10.5 10.7 9.2 10.6 7.7

Office and administrative support occupations................................................................................ 6.3 5.9 9.5 6.2 6.5

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations................................................ 16.2 17.4 11.4 6.3 24.7

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................................................................. 1.0 1.1 0.5 0.2 2.7

Construction and extraction occupations...................................................................................... 9.0 9.9 5.7 2.6 15.8

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........................................................................ 6.2 6.5 5.2 3.5 6.2

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations.................................................. 17.6 17.2 23.6 12.1 22.2

Production occupations........................................................................................................... 8.1 8.0 8.5 7.5 10.0

Transportation and material-moving occupations.............................................................. 9.5 9.1 15.2 4.6 12.2

See note at end of table.

14
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Table 7. Employed people by occupation, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages

—Continued

Occupation and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Women, 16 years and older (thousands)..................................................................... 66,914 52,779 8,553 3,620 9,235

Percent....................................................................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Management, professional, and related occupations................................................................ 41.6 42.6 34.4 46.8 25.8

Management, business, and financial operations............................................................ 14.8 15.2 11.9 16.2 9.5

Management occupations............................................................................................................ 9.3 9.7 6.8 8.6 6.1

Business and financial operations occupations.............................................................. 5.5 5.5 5.1 7.5 3.4

Professional and related occupations.................................................................... 26.8 27.4 22.4 30.6 16.4

Computer and mathematical occupations........................................................................ 1.5 1.3 1.2 4.6 0.6

Architecture and engineering occupations........................................................... 0.6 0.6 0.4 1.6 0.3

Life, physical, and social science occupations..................................................... 0.9 0.9 0.5 1.8 0.4

Community and social services occupations.............................................................. 2.2 2.1 3.2 1.1 1.9

Legal occupations.......................................................................................................... 1.3 1.4 1.0 1.0 0.9

Education, training, and library occupations........................................................................ 9.4 10.1 7.3 6.0 6.6

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations........................................................... 2.0 2.2 1.0 2.2 1.2

Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations................................................................. 8.9 8.9 7.8 12.3 4.4

Service occupations......................................................................................................................... 21.4 20.0 28.0 22.3 32.2

Healthcare support occupations............................................................................................................ 4.6 3.9 9.4 3.4 5.2

Protective service occupations............................................................................................ 1.0 0.8 2.0 0.4 1.0

Food preparation and serving related occupations............................................................... 6.5 6.6 5.7 6.2 9.3

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations........................................ 3.2 3.1 4.1 2.3 9.5

Personal care and service occupations................................................................................ 6.1 5.6 6.9 10.0 7.4

Sales and office occupations............................................................................................. 30.6 31.2 29.7 24.3 30.9

Sales and related occupations................................................................................................. 11.3 11.3 11.2 10.6 12.1

Office and administrative support occupations................................................................................ 19.4 20.0 18.5 13.7 18.8

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations................................................ 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.4 1.5

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................................................................. 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 1.1

Construction and extraction occupations...................................................................................... 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations........................................................................ 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations.................................................. 5.5 5.2 7.2 6.2 9.5

Production occupations........................................................................................................... 3.5 3.3 4.3 5.1 6.2

Transportation and material-moving occupations.............................................................. 2.0 1.9 2.9 1.1 3.3

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

presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

15
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Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total, 16 years and over......................................................................................... 142,469 80.6 11.1 5.4 15.4

Management, professional, and related occupations..................................................54,043 82.1 8.7 6.9 8.4

Management, business, and financial operations occupations...................................... 22,678 84.2 7.8 5.8 8.6

Management occupations.................................................................................16,042 85.7 6.9 5.1 8.8

Chief executives....................................................................................... 1,513 90.6 3.7 4.2 4.7

General and operations managers...................................................................1,064 87.2 6.2 4.7 9.3

Legislators.................................................................................................. 11 – – – –

Advertising and promotions managers.............................................................. 77 88.3 6.7 4.3 10.0

Marketing and sales managers........................................................ 967 87.5 4.2 6.0 6.1

Public relations and fundraising managers............................................ 58 89.7 5.8 3.4 8.0

Administrative services managers................................................... 144 86.1 6.4 4.4 9.5

Computer and information systems managers..................................... 605 76.7 5.6 14.5 5.8

Financial managers.................................................................... 1,228 83.3 8.6 5.7 10.3

Compensation and benefits managers............................................ 15 – – – –

Human resources managers......................................................... 224 83.9 11.3 2.4 9.5

Training and development managers................................................ 36 – – – –

Industrial production managers........................................................ 261 88.9 3.4 5.1 11.4

Purchasing managers....................................................................... 218 84.4 8.4 4.6 10.4

Transportation, storage, and distribution managers................................ 287 83.3 11.1 3.3 11.3

Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers......................................... 944 95.8 0.8 1.2 4.0

Construction managers.................................................................. 983 91.8 3.7 2.2 9.4

Education administrators.............................................................. 811 81.3 13.8 2.2 7.9

Architectural and engineering managers.......................................... 120 87.5 2.8 7.7 2.9

Food service managers................................................................ 1,085 78.5 8.8 9.5 16.5

Funeral service managers.............................................................. 13 – – – –

Gaming managers......................................................................... 26 – – – –

Lodging managers....................................................................... 154 75.3 8.0 13.9 11.5

Medical and health services managers.................................................. 585 81.4 10.9 5.1 8.1

Natural sciences managers............................................................... 18 – – – –

Postmasters and mail superintendents............................................... 39 – – – –

Property, real estate, and community association managers................. 644 85.7 8.5 3.4 11.4

Social and community service managers........................................... 315 79.7 14.6 3.7 8.5

Emergency management directors................................................... 6 – – – –

Managers, all other.................................................................... 3,594 85.4 7.3 5.0 9.3

Business and financial operations occupations.................................... 6,636 80.7 9.8 7.4 8.0

Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes........ 47 – – – –

Buyers and purchasing agents, farm products...................................... 13 – – – –

Wholesale and retail buyers, except farm products.............................. 198 83.8 7.1 7.7 10.9

Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products........... 261 85.4 6.1 4.4 9.8

Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators.................. 323 77.7 17.5 3.1 10.3

Compliance officers...................................................................... 199 85.4 9.1 3.3 8.2

Cost estimators.............................................................................. 114 93.9 1.5 2.0 6.8

Human resources workers............................................................... 603 77.1 15.4 4.4 11.8

Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists.......................... 71 85.9 6.9 4.2 11.8

Training and development specialists.............................................. 126 81.7 15.9 0.8 10.8

Logisticians............................................................................... 94 83.0 12.3 2.2 11.9

Management analysts...................................................................... 773 82.5 6.8 8.8 4.4

Meeting, convention, and event planners............................................. 127 87.4 8.1 4.2 10.3

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 25

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Fundraisers................................................................................ 86 88.4 5.1 4.6 3.4

Market research analysts and marketing specialists........................... 219 85.4 5.4 9.1 4.7

Business operations specialists, all other.......................................... 251 77.3 14.2 5.6 9.2

Accountants and auditors............................................................ 1,765 76.2 9.7 12.0 6.8

Appraisers and assessors of real estate................................................. 93 87.1 9.8 2.7 1.0

Budget analysts............................................................................... 55 72.7 11.5 8.7 8.2

Credit analysts................................................................................ 30 – – – –

Financial analysts........................................................................... 89 84.3 3.7 9.0 6.3

Personal financial advisors............................................................. 378 88.1 4.8 6.2 4.5

Insurance underwriters...................................................................... 103 85.4 10.7 0.7 10.2

Financial examiners....................................................................... 14 – – – –

Credit counselors and loan officers.................................................... 333 78.7 13.2 6.0 9.3

Tax examiners and collectors, and revenue agents.............................. 82 73.2 13.9 11.5 13.9

Tax preparers................................................................................ 107 78.5 10.4 7.1 15.9

Financial specialists, all other......................................................... 82 79.3 10.9 8.4 11.5

Professional and related occupations....................................................... 31,365 80.6 9.3 7.8 8.2

Computer and mathematical occupations............................................. 3,816 72.7 7.4 17.5 6.1

Computer and information research scientists.................................. 29 – – – –

Computer systems analysts............................................................. 499 74.1 8.8 15.8 4.5

Information security analysts........................................................... 52 73.1 11.8 14.2 4.0

Computer programmers.................................................................... 480 74.2 5.9 17.3 5.3

Software developers, applications and systems software........................ 1,084 64.5 4.0 29.4 5.2

Web developers............................................................................... 190 85.3 4.1 8.0 5.6

Computer support specialists.............................................................. 476 76.9 12.0 7.7 9.7

Database administrators..................................................................... 101 80.2 4.1 10.0 9.8

Network and computer systems administrators.................................. 226 77.0 10.0 11.0 10.7

Computer network architects......................................................... 127 71.7 10.0 14.6 4.6

Computer occupations, all other....................................................... 341 74.5 11.4 11.7 5.9

Actuaries..................................................................................... 26 – – – –

Mathematicians................................................................................ 4 – – – –

Operations research analysts........................................................... 130 78.5 8.3 9.3 6.5

Statisticians................................................................................. 47 – – – –

Miscellaneous mathematical science occupations................................ 3 – – – –

Architecture and engineering occupations............................................ 2,846 82.2 5.6 10.8 7.4

Architects, except naval................................................................. 195 91.3 1.3 6.2 8.2

Surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists................................... 51 88.2 4.3 5.4 8.1

Aerospace engineers..................................................................... 119 81.5 1.8 13.4 4.6

Agricultural engineers..................................................................... 4 – – – –

Biomedical engineers.................................................................. 10 – – – –

Chemical engineers....................................................................... 71 84.5 5.9 9.3 6.7

Civil engineers................................................................................. 358 84.6 5.4 9.0 3.7

Computer hardware engineers............................................................. 91 70.3 8.5 20.8 6.5

Electrical and electronics engineers................................................... 335 79.1 3.5 16.6 6.7

Environmental engineers................................................................. 43 – – – –

Industrial engineers, including health and safety...................................... 197 82.7 6.2 9.6 10.5

Marine engineers and naval architects................................................... 8 – – – –

Materials engineers.......................................................................... 40 – – – –

Mechanical engineers.................................................................... 288 79.5 6.3 12.3 4.9

See note at end of table.

Percent of total employed

Occupation Total 

employed
26 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers................. 9 – – – –

Nuclear engineers....................................................................... 11 – – – –

Petroleum engineers..................................................................... 38 – – – –

Engineers, all other............................................................................ 359 79.1 3.9 15.4 5.9

Drafters............................................................................................ 149 87.2 3.0 7.7 9.9

Engineering technicians, except drafters................................................. 395 83.0 10.8 5.0 12.3

Surveying and mapping technicians.................................................... 77 89.6 5.3 2.5 13.5

Life, physical, and social science occupations.................................... 1,316 81.8 6.5 9.9 6.7

Agricultural and food scientists....................................................... 42 – – – –

Biological scientists.................................................................... 101 83.2 3.7 11.7 7.2

Conservation scientists and foresters............................................ 25 – – – –

Medical scientists...................................................................... 136 70.6 5.3 22.4 5.8

Life scientists, all other................................................................... 0 – – – –

Astronomers and physicists.......................................................... 25 – – – –

Atmospheric and space scientists................................................................. 15 – – – –

Chemists and materials scientists................................................. 105 83.8 4.0 9.2 9.4

Environmental scientists and geoscientists.............................................. 105 90.5 7.0 1.3 1.7

Physical scientists, all other.............................................................. 154 76.6 2.7 20.4 3.8

Economists.................................................................................... 26 – – – –

Survey researchers........................................................................... 2 – – – –

Psychologists................................................................................. 178 89.3 6.0 3.9 6.3

Sociologists................................................................................. 7 – – – –

Urban and regional planners............................................................. 28 – – – –

Miscellaneous social scientists and related workers............................. 57 82.5 10.8 5.5 7.0

Agricultural and food science technicians.............................................. 32 – – – –

Biological technicians...................................................................... 19 – – – –

Chemical technicians.......................................................................... 70 75.7 15.4 4.8 7.4

Geological and petroleum technicians................................................ 21 – – – –

Nuclear technicians......................................................................... 3 – – – –

Social science research assistants.................................................... 3 – – – –

Miscellaneous life, physical, and social science technicians................. 160 69.4 12.8 14.4 10.4

Community and social service occupations............................................. 2,265 75.5 18.8 3.2 11.1

Counselors................................................................................. 661 75.6 19.4 2.9 10.7

Social workers............................................................................... 734 71.3 23.0 3.1 12.6

Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists..................... 88 72.7 20.7 1.3 15.0

Social and human service assistants............................................... 151 68.2 24.4 3.8 15.5

Miscellaneous community and social service specialists, including

 health educators and community health workers................................ 94 76.6 16.9 2.4 18.4

Clergy.............................................................................................. 408 82.4 11.2 4.2 6.1

Directors, religious activities and education............................................ 61 90.2 7.4 2.1 5.9

Religious workers, all other.................................................................. 69 84.1 10.0 2.8 8.9

Legal occupations.............................................................................. 1,786 86.9 7.1 3.9 7.4

Lawyers....................................................................................... 1,061 89.6 4.4 4.3 4.0

Judicial law clerks............................................................................ 17 – – – –

Judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers.................................... 67 85.1 12.8 0.7 4.5

Paralegals and legal assistants.......................................................... 418 82.1 10.7 4.6 17.0

Miscellaneous legal support workers...................................................... 223 83.0 11.9 1.4 7.0

Education, training, and library occupations.............................................. 8,543 83.8 9.5 4.3 9.7

Postsecondary teachers.................................................................. 1,350 78.6 7.9 11.3 6.2

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 27

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Preschool and kindergarten teachers................................................... 678 80.4 11.8 4.2 12.0

Elementary and middle school teachers.............................................. 2,838 86.2 9.8 2.1 10.3

Secondary school teachers........................................................................ 1,127 88.6 6.0 3.1 7.6

Special education teachers.................................................................. 366 89.9 6.9 1.1 9.4

Other teachers and instructors............................................................ 860 81.2 10.7 5.9 9.5

Archivists, curators, and museum technicians.......................................... 46 – – – –

Librarians...................................................................................... 181 87.8 7.9 2.5 2.8

Library technicians........................................................................ 45 – – – –

Teacher assistants.......................................................................... 898 79.3 14.5 2.7 15.7

Other education, training, and library workers............................................ 153 83.7 11.7 2.5 11.8

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations.............................. 2,814 85.1 6.0 5.2 8.9

Artists and related workers.................................................................... 212 84.4 4.0 9.3 6.6

Designers...................................................................................... 756 86.9 3.9 5.9 8.9

Actors.............................................................................................. 37 – – – –

Producers and directors..................................................................... 121 84.3 8.2 3.3 4.9

Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers........................................ 267 86.1 6.4 1.4 9.0

Dancers and choreographers............................................................. 21 – – – –

Musicians, singers, and related workers........................................................ 203 83.3 10.9 2.8 6.7

Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other........... 41 – – – –

Announcers.................................................................................. 50 76.0 12.0 8.3 15.3

News analysts, reporters and correspondents............................................... 82 82.9 9.2 6.1 5.9

Public relations specialists.................................................................... 155 84.5 7.3 5.8 8.0

Editors........................................................................................... 159 89.9 4.8 3.2 6.5

Technical writers................................................................................ 58 87.9 2.7 6.7 3.7

Writers and authors......................................................................... 208 88.0 5.4 4.2 2.9

Miscellaneous media and communication workers.................................. 98 71.4 5.6 15.0 35.0

Broadcast and sound engineering technicians and radio operators...... 108 92.6 4.1 1.6 12.6

Photographers............................................................................... 178 86.0 6.2 4.3 10.7

Television, video, and motion picture camera operators and editors............. 57 82.5 4.4 5.6 10.7

Media and communication equipment workers, all other.................................. 2 – – – –

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations..................................... 7,977 78.6 10.6 8.4 7.3

Chiropractors............................................................................. 58 91.4 0.0 3.5 4.0

Dentists....................................................................................... 167 86.2 1.7 10.6 2.5

Dietitians and nutritionists.................................................................. 116 80.2 13.7 5.1 7.2

Optometrists..................................................................................... 33 – – – –

Pharmacists.................................................................................. 286 73.8 6.8 18.5 5.1

Physicians and surgeons.................................................................... 911 73.4 7.2 18.1 5.2

Physician assistants................................................................................. 108 79.6 8.2 9.0 8.8

Podiatrists....................................................................................... 9 – – – –

Audiologists........................................................................................ 14 – – – –

Occupational therapists..................................................................... 118 93.2 2.5 4.0 5.8

Physical therapists......................................................................... 211 84.8 4.4 9.1 9.4

Radiation therapists............................................................................. 14 – – – –

Recreational therapists..................................................................... 13 – – – –

Respiratory therapists.......................................................................... 111 81.1 12.1 5.6 10.6

Speech-language pathologists................................................................. 146 94.5 3.1 1.7 8.3

Exercise physiologists......................................................................... 2 – – – –

Therapists, all other............................................................................... 148 83.1 10.3 2.9 8.7

Veterinarians................................................................................... 85 96.5 1.9 1.3 6.1

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
28 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Registered nurses............................................................................... 2,875 78.9 11.5 7.3 6.2

Nurse anesthetists................................................................................ 27 – – – –

Nurse midwives....................................................................................... 3 – – – –

Nurse practitioners................................................................................. 103 87.4 4.5 4.6 2.9

Health diagnosing and treating practitioners, all other.................................. 23 – – – –

Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians........................................... 319 70.2 13.5 14 10.7

Dental hygienists............................................................................. 163 89.0 3.3 5.6 8.1

Diagnostic related technologists and technicians....................................... 308 84.4 9.0 4.1 7.8

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics................................ 172 91.9 5.0 1.6 8.1

Health practitioner support technologists and technicians.......................... 544 74.8 15.8 5.9 12.2

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses................................. 531 67.6 23.3 5.1 9.4

Medical records and health information technicians................................... 90 74.4 17.1 4.3 15.6

Opticians, dispensing............................................................................ 54 85.2 8.2 3.8 4.1

Miscellaneous health technologists and technicians................................. 140 70.0 18.7 11.0 10.0

Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations......................... 75 85.3 8.8 3.1 5.6

Service occupations................................................................................... 25,459 74.6 15.9 5.6 22.6

Healthcare support occupations............................................................ 3,496 65.6 26.5 4.5 15.3

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides............................................ 2,119 57.4 34.5 4.6 14.2

Occupational therapy assistants and aides.......................................... 18 – – – –

Physical therapist assistants and aides..................................................... 66 81.8 14.7 3.6 5.6

Massage therapists.................................................................................. 158 84.8 5.4 7.7 12.0

Dental assistants................................................................................. 274 84.7 9.6 3.6 21.2

Medical assistants........................................................................................ 429 76.2 15.0 3.8 22.9

Medical transcriptionists..................................................................... 55 92.7 7.0 0.3 4.0

Pharmacy aides.................................................................................. 45 – – – –

Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers..................................... 47 – – – –

Phlebotomists.................................................................................... 119 65.5 26.5 4.8 15.7

Miscellaneous healthcare support occupations, including medical

 equipment preparers............................................................................ 166 66.9 21.9 4.0 9.9

Protective service occupations.................................................................... 3,096 75.9 17.2 2.7 13.7

First-line supervisors of correctional officers.............................................. 46 – – – –

First-line supervisors of police and detectives.......................................... 112 83.0 9.2 4.4 10.6

First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers........................ 64 87.5 10.7 0.0 6.6

First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other.......................... 93 75.3 17.4 0.4 12.5

Firefighters............................................................................................ 295 89.5 7.7 1.1 9.9

Fire inspectors..................................................................................... 18 – – – –

Bailiffs, correctional officers, and jailers.................................................. 371 73.0 22.7 1.1 18.3

Detectives and criminal investigators....................................................... 160 82.5 9.8 3.5 10.4

Fish and game wardens.......................................................................... 7 – – – –

Parking enforcement workers................................................................. 4 – – – –

Police and sheriff's patrol officers........................................................... 657 80.2 12.8 3.1 13.8

Transit and railroad police....................................................................... 3 – – – –

Animal control workers...................................................................... 11 – – – –

Private detectives and investigators..................................................... 103 90.3 8.0 2.2 11.1

Security guards and gaming surveillance officers...................................... 903 63.2 26.6 4.1 15.8

Crossing guards................................................................................. 61 68.9 19.7 1.8 16.1

Transportation security screeners....................................................... 25 – – – –

Lifeguards and other recreational, and all other protective

 service workers........................................................................................... 162 87.0 7.8 1.2 9.2

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 29

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Food preparation and serving related occupations........................................ 8,018 77.4 12.1 6.2 23.8

Chefs and head cooks......................................................................... 403 70.2 11.9 14.2 18.6

First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers................. 552 79.2 13.9 4.0 17.2

Cooks............................................................................................... 1,970 72.5 16.6 6.0 31.7

Food preparation workers................................................................... 868 75.7 12.1 5.7 27.5

Bartenders........................................................................................ 412 86.7 5.2 3.5 13.2

Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food.......... 343 78.1 14.1 3.1 18.0

Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop................ 233 80.7 10.9 4.8 16.6

Waiters and waitresses.................................................................... 2,124 81.9 7.9 7.1 19.6

Food servers, nonrestaurant................................................................... 217 67.7 22.2 6.4 20.1

Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers.................... 359 80.2 10.0 5.5 31.7

Dishwashers..................................................................................... 271 76.0 12.9 5.5 40.5

Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop........................... 260 79.6 10.2 5.4 14.8

Food preparation and serving related workers, all other............................... 6 – – – –

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations....................... 5,591 78.1 15.0 3.3 36.1

First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers........................ 277 76.5 16.9 3.3 21.7

First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and

 groundskeeping workers.................................................................. 281 90.4 6.6 1.1 19.8

Janitors and building cleaners........................................................... 2,205 74.1 18.4 3.6 30.9

Maids and housekeeping cleaners.......................................................... 1,457 74.3 17.2 4.8 43.3

Pest control workers........................................................................... 73 90.4 7.7 0.1 20.4

Grounds maintenance workers............................................................... 1,298 86.1 8.7 1.7 44.4

Personal care and service occupations..................................................... 5,258 71.9 14.7 9.5 16.4

First-line supervisors of gaming workers.................................................... 146 81.5 5.2 9.2 10.1

First-line supervisors of personal service workers........................................... 246 67.5 10.7 19.8 9.3

Animal trainers...................................................................................... 44 – – – –

Nonfarm animal caretakers............................................................... 179 88.3 4.3 1.8 12.2

Gaming services workers.................................................................. 106 60.4 9.4 24.3 13.5

Motion picture projectionists................................................................. 2 – – – –

Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers............................................ 43 – – – –

Miscellaneous entertainment attendants and related workers........................ 180 75.0 14.0 5.1 17.6

Embalmers and funeral attendants.......................................................... 16 – – – –

Morticians, undertakers, and funeral directors.......................................... 38 – – – –

Barbers........................................................................................... 109 56.9 38.2 2.5 24.1

Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists............................................... 785 77.3 13.2 6.5 15.0

Miscellaneous personal appearance workers......................................... 300 31.7 5.3 59.6 9.5

Baggage porters, bellhops, and concierges......................................... 68 64.7 20.8 13.1 18.0

Tour and travel guides...................................................................... 51 86.3 3.6 7.1 15.1

Childcare workers........................................................................... 1,314 77.9 15.3 3.3 20.3

Personal care aides........................................................................... 1,071 65.3 21.8 7.9 21.2

Recreation and fitness workers......................................................... 406 82.3 10.0 4.5 9.7

Residential advisors.......................................................................... 58 67.2 29.1 1.4 5.4

Personal care and service workers, all other............................................... 95 85.3 5.5 3.3 17.5

Sales and office occupations................................................................... 33,152 80.6 11.8 4.7 14.0

Sales and related occupations................................................................. 15,457 81.3 10.5 5.3 13.5

First-line supervisors of retail sales workers............................................ 3,237 82.4 8.6 5.9 11.3

First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers..................................... 1,151 86.3 7.2 5.0 10.4

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
30 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Cashiers....................................................................................... 3,275 71.1 17.2 7.3 19.9

Counter and rental clerks.................................................................... 139 80.6 8.9 5.2 19.6

Parts salespersons............................................................................ 106 85.8 8.3 4.1 12.3

Retail salespersons......................................................................... 3,341 80.2 12.5 4.4 15.3

Advertising sales agents..................................................................... 230 85.2 9.9 2.3 7.6

Insurance sales agents....................................................................... 540 88.7 8.1 1.8 10.3

Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents..................... 280 86.1 3.4 8.3 8.9

Travel agents................................................................................ 73 86.3 2.5 9.3 4.8

Sales representatives, services, all other................................................ 457 86.0 7.9 3.7 10.1

Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing................................ 1,277 90.9 3.7 3.7 9.4

Models, demonstrators, and product promoters........................................ 65 75.4 19.4 4.0 10.6

Real estate brokers and sales agents................................................... 761 89.5 4.0 4.7 8.7

Sales engineers.............................................................................. 27 – – – –

Telemarketers.............................................................................. 97 73.2 23.0 1.1 14.7

Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and

 related workers............................................................................ 198 82.8 10.2 3.8 13.5

Sales and related workers, all other.......................................................... 204 83.3 7.7 4.7 10.3

Office and administrative support occupations.................................................... 17,695 80.1 12.9 4.2 14.5

First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers.............. 1,416 83.0 11.3 3.5 11.9

Switchboard operators, including answering service................................... 35 – – – –

Telephone operators....................................................................... 42 – – – –

Communications equipment operators, all other...................................... 9 – – – –

Bill and account collectors.............................................................. 206 76.7 15.3 3.6 17.6

Billing and posting clerks................................................................ 475 81.9 11.8 4.0 16.2

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks......................................... 1,268 85.3 7.6 5.0 9.0

Gaming cage workers........................................................................ 8 – – – –

Payroll and timekeeping clerks............................................................. 155 83.2 9.5 4.6 15.1

Procurement clerks......................................................................... 27 – – – –

Tellers............................................................................................ 380 79.5 11.6 5.7 18.6

Financial clerks, all other.................................................................. 52 76.9 17.1 4.1 16.6

Brokerage clerks............................................................................ 5 – – – –

Correspondence clerks..................................................................... 6 – – – –

Court, municipal, and license clerks..................................................... 85 74.1 23.0 1.2 13.4

Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks............................................... 43 – – – –

Customer service representatives.......................................................... 1,956 76.9 16.2 4.2 18.0

Eligibility interviewers, government programs........................................... 92 70.7 19.8 2.1 23.1

File clerks..................................................................................... 292 77.4 14.1 4.6 16.4

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks....................................................... 110 72.7 18.4 6.3 18.6

Interviewers, except eligibility and loan............................................... 135 73.3 20.0 6.0 12.1

Library assistants, clerical.................................................................... 97 86.6 7.0 3.2 5.8

Loan interviewers and clerks............................................................. 144 83.3 10.9 4.0 10.4

New accounts clerks........................................................................ 26 – – – –

Order clerks..................................................................................... 104 86.5 5.8 4.1 21.3

Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping.................... 132 77.3 18.3 1.9 7.9

Receptionists and information clerks.................................................... 1,237 80.1 12.1 4.3 17.9

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks..................... 117 65.8 21.8 10.9 21.5

Information and record clerks, all other...................................................... 104 76.9 17.0 2.5 13.4

Cargo and freight agents........................................................................... 25 – – – –

Couriers and messengers................................................................ 213 83.1 13.0 2.4 16.9

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 31

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Dispatchers................................................................................... 277 80.5 13.5 2.3 16.7

Meter readers, utilities..................................................................... 29 – – – –

Postal service clerks...................................................................... 148 68.2 21.3 9.5 12

Postal service mail carriers.................................................................... 318 71.4 16.5 6.7 8.8

Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing

 machine operators......................................................................... 66 56.1 28.6 12.7 9.8

Production, planning, and expediting clerks......................................... 272 82.0 11 3.2 12.5

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks.................................................... 527 76.1 15.6 3.6 23.7

Stock clerks and order fillers.................................................................. 1,453 75.4 16.7 4.5 18.1

Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping................ 74 75.7 19.9 2.8 21.9

Secretaries and administrative assistants................................................ 2,904 85.9 8.6 3.2 10.3

Computer operators....................................................................... 102 80.4 12.2 6.5 10.7

Data entry keyers.............................................................................. 337 78.3 14 5.1 13.8

Word processors and typists.............................................................. 119 84.0 12.4 2.8 12.9

Desktop publishers........................................................................... 3 – – – –

Insurance claims and policy processing clerks..................................... 230 81.3 12.7 3.6 13.7

Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service................. 81 69.1 18.1 10.6 10.1

Office clerks, general........................................................................ 1,103 79.1 12.4 5 16.9

Office machine operators, except computer........................................... 46 – – – –

Proofreaders and copy markers.......................................................... 10 – – – –

Statistical assistants........................................................................... 32 – – – –

Office and administrative support workers, all other.................................... 570 80.4 14.1 3.9 11

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................... 12,821 87.9 7 2.1 25.5

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations................................................ 994 89.4 5.3 1.8 44.2

First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers................... 50 84.0 7.8 4.2 23.9

Agricultural inspectors........................................................................ 16 – – – –

Animal breeders............................................................................ 6 – – – –

Graders and sorters, agricultural products............................................ 118 77.1 16.6 2.1 58

Miscellaneous agricultural workers..................................................... 711 92.0 3.2 1.5 48.9

Fishers and related fishing workers.........................................................................33 – – – –

Hunters and trappers...................................................................... 2 – – – –

Forest and conservation workers.......................................................... 9 – – – –

Logging workers............................................................................... 49 – – – –

Construction and extraction occupations.................................................... 7,005 89.3 6.2 1.6 28.9

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers.......... 634 91.8 4.5 1.3 14

Boilermakers.......................................................................................... 23 – – – –

Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons..................................... 122 89.3 5.8 0.3 43.2

Carpenters................................................................................... 1,223 90.9 4.2 1.9 29

Carpet, floor, and tile installers and finishers......................................... 150 88.7 8.8 0.4 37.8

Cement masons, concrete finishers, and terrazzo workers..................... 68 91.2 5.8 3.1 53.3

Construction laborers...................................................................... 1,387 85.4 8.4 2.0 41.2

Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators............................. 23 – – – –

Pile-driver operators....................................................................... 4 – – – –

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators 348 89.9 6.0 0.2 17.1

Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers.................................. 129 88.4 2.7 – 62

Electricians..................................................................................... 692 90.0 6.0 2.3 14.8

Glaziers......................................................................................... 46 – – – –

Insulation workers......................................................................... 44 – – – –

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
32 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

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Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Painters, construction and maintenance................................................. 485 90.7 5.5 2.0 42.6

Paperhangers.................................................................................. 7 – – – –

Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters................................. 534 89.3 6.6 1.5 20.9

Plasterers and stucco masons.......................................................... 18 – – – –

Reinforcing iron and rebar workers....................................................... 8 – – – –

Roofers........................................................................................ 196 91.3 7.0 0.5 45.1

Sheet metal workers.......................................................................... 123 93.5 3.2 1.7 12.1

Structural iron and steel workers........................................................... 65 92.3 6.5 0 15.8

Solar photovoltaic installers................................................................ 7 – – – –

Helpers, construction trades.............................................................. 53 84.9 12.1 1.3 38.4

Construction and building inspectors....................................................... 118 89.0 5.5 2.1 7.7

Elevator installers and repairers.......................................................... 29 – – – –

Fence erectors................................................................................ 33 – – – –

Hazardous materials removal workers.................................................. 38 – – – –

Highway maintenance workers........................................................ 108 86.1 11 0.1 12.4

Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators............................ 10 – – – –

Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners.................................... 8 – – – –

Miscellaneous construction and related workers....................................... 32 – – – –

Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining...................... 37 – – – –

Earth drillers, except oil and gas...................................................... 35 – – – –

Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters.................. 8 – – – –

Mining machine operators.................................................................... 65 95.4 3.8 – 17.2

Roof bolters, mining...................................................................... 3 – – – –

Roustabouts, oil and gas.................................................................. 14 – – – –

Helpers--extraction workers................................................................. 5 – – – –

Other extraction workers.................................................................... 75 86.7 5.6 1.0 26.2

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations..................................... 4,821 85.7 8.4 3.0 16.6

First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers.................... 292 86.3 11.3 1.0 10.4

Computer, automated teller, and office machine repairers............................... 296 78.4 10.8 7.2 9.9

Radio and telecommunications equipment installers and repairers............. 158 79.7 11.2 3.2 13.8

Avionics technicians....................................................................... 14 – – – –

Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers................................... 37 – – – –

Electrical and electronics installers and repairers,

 transportation equipment................................................................ 5 – – – –

Electrical and electronics repairers, industrial and utility.......................... 12 – – – –

Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles.................... 18 – – – –

Electronic home entertainment equipment installers and repairers......... 50 76.0 11.6 4.3 13.2

Security and fire alarm systems installers............................................. 41 – – – –

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians........................................... 153 82.4 7.5 5.4 14.3

Automotive body and related repairers................................................ 140 90.7 5.7 2.3 25.3

Automotive glass installers and repairers................................................ 22 – – – –

Automotive service technicians and mechanics.......................................... 867 83.3 9.6 4.7 21.3

Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists......................... 316 86.7 8.6 1.3 13.4

Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians

 and mechanics............................................................................ 194 89.7 5.4 2.0 17.3

Small engine mechanics............................................................................ 56 92.9 4.9 0.2 12.2

Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics,

 installers, and repairers................................................................. 87 86.2 8.0 – 31.4

Control and valve installers and repairers.............................................. 27 – – – –

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 33

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Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers.......... 340 88.5 7.1 3.2 16.2

Home appliance repairers................................................................... 47 – – – –

Industrial and refractory machinery mechanics.................................... 454 89.9 4.5 2.9 13.3

Maintenance and repair workers, general............................................. 442 85.5 8.4 3.2 19.4

Maintenance workers, machinery...................................................... 28 – – – –

Millwrights....................................................................................... 53 94.3 2.1 1.4 6.7

Electrical power-line installers and repairers........................................... 110 88.2 7.8 0.3 7.9

Telecommunications line installers and repairers....................................... 177 84.2 11.2 1.9 15.7

Precision instrument and equipment repairers....................................... 60 88.3 9.1 1.1 13.3

Wind turbine service technicians........................................................... 3 – – – –

Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers.............. 33 – – – –

Commercial divers............................................................................ 3 – – – –

Locksmiths and safe repairers........................................................... 31 – – – –

Manufactured building and mobile home installers.................................... 5 – – – –

Riggers.......................................................................................... 13 – – – –

Signal and track switch repairers.......................................................... 5 – – – –

Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers............................. 30 – – – –

Other installation, maintenance, and repair workers............................... 205 91.2 5.9 1.4 21.2

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations............................ 16,994 78.8 13.8 4.2 21.7

Production occupations................................................................................. 8,455 79.3 11.6 5.8 21.7

First-line supervisors of production and operating workers................................ 808 82.2 9.4 5.8 13.9

Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers................. 23 – – – –

Electrical, electronics, and electromechanical assemblers....................... 166 65.1 13.4 16.3 24.0

Engine and other machine assemblers................................................ 32 – – – –

Structural metal fabricators and fitters.................................................... 25 – – – –

Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators.............................................. 919 74.0 15.8 6.9 19.3

Bakers........................................................................................... 199 76.4 15.6 5.1 28.4

Butchers and other meat, poultry, and fish processing workers.................. 311 73.3 13.5 7.9 41.6

Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine

 operators and tenders................................................................... 11 – – – –

Food batchmakers........................................................................... 84 79.8 12.2 5.7 33.5

Food cooking machine operators and tenders......................................... 14 – – – –

Food processing workers, all other....................................................... 117 76.1 15.9 5.9 34.6

Computer control programmers and operators....................................... 67 89.6 6.4 3.3 17.1

Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, 10 – – – –

 metal and plastic.....................................................................

Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic............... 10 – – – –

Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic.............. 8 – – – –

Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and

 tenders, metal and plastic.............................................................. 87 80.5 8.4 3.3 22.9

Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and

 tenders, metal and plastic............................................................ 3 – – – –

Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters,

 operators, and tenders, metal and plastic......................................... 54 85.2 13.7 0.7 21.8

Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic............................................................................ 17 – – – –

Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders

 metal and plastic............................................................................. 3 – – – –

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
34 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

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Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Machinists..................................................................................... 397 87.9 4.5 4.9 11.7

Metal furnace operators, tenders, pourers, and casters............................. 17 – – – –

Model makers and patternmakers, metal and plastic................................. 11 – – – –

Molders and molding machine setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic........................................................................... 37 – – – –

Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic............................................................................. 5 – – – –

Tool and die makers............................................................................ 56 91.1 3.1 5.6 4.3

Welding, soldering, and brazing workers................................................. 593 85.0 8.7 2.6 23.0

Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic........................................................................... 4 – – – –

Layout workers, metal and plastic............................................................ 4 – – – –

Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders,

 metal and plastic.......................................................................... 18 – – – –

Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners......................................................... 3 – – – –

Metal workers and plastic workers, all other......................................... 375 77.1 14.4 6.6 26.0

Prepress technicians and workers...................................................... 33 – – – –

Printing press operators................................................................... 201 85.6 10.1 3.4 15.6

Print binding and finishing workers...................................................... 22 – – – –

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers.......................................................... 185 66.5 20.8 10.3 37.1

Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials.................................... 54 70.4 17 3.5 47.9

Sewing machine operators................................................................. 166 78.9 5.6 11.4 43.8

Shoe and leather workers and repairers................................................ 11 – – – –

Shoe machine operators and tenders...................................................... 11 – – – –

Tailors, dressmakers, and sewers....................................................... 86 72.1 5.9 19.5 24.9

Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders................... 5 – – – –

Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders.............................. 12 – – – –

Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders.......... 7 – – – –

Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters,

 operators, and tenders.................................................................... 14 – – – –

Extruding and forming machine setters, operators, and tenders,

 synthetic and glass fibers................................................................ 1 – – – –

Fabric and apparel patternmakers............................................................ 3 – – – –

Upholsterers...................................................................................... 34 – – – –

Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other............................... 14 – – – –

Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters.................................................. 45 – – – –

Furniture finishers............................................................................ 7 – – – –

Model makers and patternmakers, wood............................................... 0 – – – –

Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood......................... 30 – – – –

Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing... 21 – – – –

Woodworkers, all other...................................................................... 21 – – – –

Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers.............................. 44 – – – –

Stationary engineers and boiler operators............................................ 121 80.2 10.4 4.3 13.8

Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators................... 72 87.5 8.4 1.7 19.6

Miscellaneous plant and system operators........................................ 39 – – – –

Chemical processing machine setters, operators, and tenders................. 68 94.1 4.5 0.8 10.7

Crushing, grinding, polishing, mixing, and blending workers......................... 100 78.0 14.5 6.8 18.4

Cutting workers............................................................................... 67 76.1 14.1 3.5 15.8

Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters,

 operators, and tenders................................................................ 45 – – – –

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 35

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Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders....................... 16 – – – –

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers............................ 689 78.7 11.5 6.7 13.6

Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers................................. 46 – – – –

Medical, dental, and ophthalmic laboratory technicians........................... 95 82.1 1.6 8.9 15.9

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders.......................... 261 73.2 14.1 8.8 38.0

Painting workers.............................................................................. 150 84.0 5.7 4.3 34.9

Photographic process workers and processing machine operators........... 55 81.8 13.3 4.9 18.7

Semiconductor processors................................................................... 4 – – – –

Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders................................ 9 – – – –

Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment

 operators and tenders................................................................. 7 – – – –

Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders............................ 2 – – – –

Etchers and engravers.................................................................. 6 – – – –

Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic........................ 41 – – – –

Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders............................ 35 – – – –

Tire builders.............................................................................................. 19 – – – –

Helpers--production workers............................................................... 59 74.6 19.8 2.9 30.6

Production workers, all other.............................................................. 933 79.4 13.7 4.0 21.5

Transportation and material moving occupations......................................... 8,540 78.3 15.9 2.7 21.7

Supervisors of transportation and material moving workers........................ 200 80.0 13.5 4.4 18.4

Aircraft pilots and flight engineers....................................................... 129 93.0 2.7 2.5 5.0

Air traffic controllers and airfield operations specialists............................ 44 – – – –

Flight attendants............................................................................. 88 80.7 11.8 5.9 10.5

Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency

 medical technicians....................................................................... 20 – – – –

Bus drivers...................................................................................... 558 69.7 25.3 2.3 12.9

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers................................................. 3,201 81.4 14 1.6 19.3

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs................................................................. 336 57.1 24.8 13.8 16.0

Motor vehicle operators, all other......................................................... 63 82.5 14.4 1.4 10.5

Locomotive engineers and operators..................................................... 41 – – – –

Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators.............................................. 10 – – – –

Railroad conductors and yardmasters................................................ 52 78.8 16.2 0.7 12.5

Subway, streetcar, and other rail transportation workers.............................. 11 – – – –

Sailors and marine oilers.................................................................... 16 – – – –

Ship and boat captains and operators.................................................... 37 – – – –

Ship engineers................................................................................ 7 – – – –

Bridge and lock tenders................................................................... 7 – – – –

Parking lot attendants........................................................................... 81 67.9 23.5 5.3 35.5

Automotive and watercraft service attendants........................................ 94 76.6 12.9 5.2 12.5

Transportation inspectors................................................................. 36 – – – –

Transportation attendants, except flight attendants................................. 38 – – – –

Other transportation workers............................................................... 17 – – – –

Conveyor operators and tenders.............................................................. 4 – – – –

Crane and tower operators................................................................... 62 83.9 12.3 0.9 12.2

Dredge, excavating, and loading machine operators.................................. 42 – – – –

Hoist and winch operators.................................................................. 5 – – – –

Industrial truck and tractor operators........................................................ 537 76.0 18.4 1.6 31.3

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment..................................................... 315 78.7 16.8 2.7 35.9

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand............................. 1,849 78.1 15.9 2.5 23.0

See note at end of table.

Occupation Total 

employed
36 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

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Table 8. Employed people by detailed occupation, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Percent of total employed

White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Machine feeders and offbearers......................................................... 27 – – – –

Packers and packagers, hand............................................................. 431 79.8 14.0 3.5 42.0

Pumping station operators.................................................................. 25 – – – –

Refuse and recyclable material collectors.............................................. 106 69.8 24.9 1.4 29.4

Mine shuttle car operators................................................................... 1 – – – –

Tank car, truck, and ship loaders........................................................... 4 – – – –

Material-moving workers, all other......................................................... 45 – – – –

Occupation Total 

employed

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

races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication 

criteria (values not shown where base is less than 50,000). 
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 37

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Table 9. Employed people by industry, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

Industry and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total, 16 years and older (thousands)......................................................................... 142,469 114,769 15,856 7,705 21,878

Percent.......................................................................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing............................................................................. 1.5 1.8 0.4 0.4 2.2

Mining .................................................................................................................. 0.7 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.8

Construction............................................................................................................. 6.3 7.0 3.1 2.2 10.0

Manufacturing......................................................................................................... 10.3 10.6 8.1 11.8 10.3

Durable goods.................................................................................................................. 6.5 6.7 4.4 8.0 5.4

Nondurable goods.................................................................................................................... 3.8 3.9 3.6 3.9 4.9

 Wholesale and retail trade........................................................................................................... 14.0 14.1 13.2 13.2 14.1

Wholesale trade........................................................................................................................ 2.6 2.8 1.6 2.4 2.8

Retail trade................................................................................................................................ 11.4 11.3 11.6 10.8 11.2

Transportation and utilities....................................................................................................................... 5.1 4.9 7.3 3.7 5.4

Information............................................................................................................................................ 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.4 1.4

Financial activities.................................................................................................................. 6.7 6.9 5.8 7.2 5.1

Professional and business services........................................................................................... 11.6 11.7 10.0 14.8 11.5

Education and health services................................................................................................. 22.7 21.9 29.2 22.1 16.8

Leisure and hospitality.............................................................................................................. 9.3 8.9 9.4 11.4 13.2

Other services.................................................................................................................... 5.0 5.0 4.5 7.2 5.9

Other services, except private households...................................................................................... 4.5 4.4 4.1 6.8 4.6

Private households............................................................................................................................. 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 1.3

Public administration........................................................................................................... 4.7 4.5 6.7 3.6 3.4

Men, 16 years and older (thousands)......................................................................... 75,555 61,990 7,302 4,085 12,643

Percent.......................................................................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing............................................................................. 2.2 2.4 0.7 0.4 3.1

Mining .................................................................................................................. 1.1 1.2 0.5 0.3 1.2

Construction............................................................................................................. 10.8 11.8 6.3 3.6 16.7

Manufacturing......................................................................................................... 13.8 14.2 11.2 14.3 12.1

Durable goods.................................................................................................................. 9.2 9.5 6.3 10.2 6.9

Nondurable goods.................................................................................................................... 4.6 4.7 4.9 4.1 5.2

 Wholesale and retail trade........................................................................................................... 14.6 14.6 14.9 14.0 14.0

Wholesale trade........................................................................................................................ 3.5 3.7 2.5 3.0 3.6

Retail trade................................................................................................................................ 11.1 10.9 12.3 11.0 10.4

Transportation and utilities....................................................................................................................... 7.4 7.0 11.6 5.1 7.4

Information............................................................................................................................................ 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.9 1.5

Financial activities.................................................................................................................. 5.9 6.0 5.0 7.3 4.0

Professional and business services........................................................................................... 12.9 12.7 11.8 17.9 12.2

Education and health services................................................................................................. 10.9 10.3 14.8 14.1 7.1

Leisure and hospitality.............................................................................................................. 8.6 8.1 9.9 11.1 12.3

Other services.................................................................................................................... 4.6 4.5 4.6 5.5 5.2

Other services, except private households...................................................................................... 4.4 4.4 4.5 5.4 5.0

Private households............................................................................................................................. 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2

Public administration........................................................................................................... 4.9 4.8 6.3 3.5 3.3

See note at end of table.

29
38 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

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Table 9. Employed people by industry, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

—Continued

Industry and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Women, 16 years and older (thousands)......................................................................... 66,914 52,779 8,553 3,620 9,235

Percent.......................................................................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing............................................................................. 0.8 1.0 0.1 0.4 1.1

Mining .................................................................................................................. 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2

Construction............................................................................................................. 1.2 1.4 0.5 0.7 0.9

Manufacturing......................................................................................................... 6.4 6.3 5.4 9.0 7.8

Durable goods.................................................................................................................. 3.5 3.4 2.8 5.4 3.2

Nondurable goods.................................................................................................................... 2.9 2.9 2.6 3.6 4.5

 Wholesale and retail trade........................................................................................................... 13.3 13.5 11.8 12.3 14.1

Wholesale trade........................................................................................................................ 1.6 1.7 0.9 1.7 1.7

Retail trade................................................................................................................................ 11.7 11.8 11.0 10.5 12.4

Transportation and utilities....................................................................................................................... 2.5 2.4 3.7 2.0 2.7

Information............................................................................................................................................ 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.9 1.2

Financial activities.................................................................................................................. 7.6 7.9 6.6 7.0 6.7

Professional and business services........................................................................................... 10.2 10.4 8.4 11.4 10.5

Education and health services................................................................................................. 36.0 35.6 41.4 31.0 30.1

Leisure and hospitality.............................................................................................................. 10.0 9.9 8.9 11.7 14.5

Other services.................................................................................................................... 5.6 5.5 4.3 9.1 6.8

Other services, except private households...................................................................................... 4.6 4.5 3.7 8.3 4.1

Private households............................................................................................................................. 1.0 1.0 0.6 0.7 2.7

Public administration........................................................................................................... 4.6 4.1 7.0 3.6 3.6

 Note: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because 

data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

30
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 39

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Table 10. Employment and unemployment in families by type of family, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 

2012 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Family type and employment status of family members Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total families ..................................................................................... 80,141 64,246 9,671 4,024 11,769 

With at least one family member employed ................................................................................ 64,091 51,491 7,290 3,546 9,962 

As a percent of total families .............................................................................. 80.0 80.1 75.4 88.1 84.6 

With at least one family member unemployed .......................................................................... 8,444 6,133 1,629 370 1,707 

As a percent of total families ....................................................................... 10.5 9.5 16.8 9.2 14.5 

Some family member(s) employed ............................................................................... 5,702 4,321 885 292 1,197 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed .............................................................. 67.5 70.5 54.3 78.9 70.1 

Some family member(s) employed full time ........................................................................................... 4,902 3,719 752 259 1,020 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed.............................................................. 58.1 60.6 46.2 70.0 59.8 

Married-couple families ............................................................... 58,431 49,583 4,391 3,193 7,292 

With at least one family member employed ................................................................................ 47,830 40,233 3,646 2,840 6,491 

As a percent of total families .............................................................................. 81.9 81.1 83.0 88.9 89.0 

With at least one family member unemployed .......................................................................... 5,140 4,120 593 268 1,011 

As a percent of total families ....................................................................... 8.8 8.3 13.5 8.4 13.9 

Some family member(s) employed ............................................................................... 4,123 3,308 462 227 827 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed .............................................................. 80.2 80.3 77.9 84.7 81.8 

Some family member(s) employed full time ........................................................................................... 3,631 2,906 411 204 721 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed.............................................................. 70.6 70.5 69.3 76.1 71.3 

Families maintained by women ............................................................ 15,517 10,044 4,285 516 3,051 

With at least one family member employed ................................................................................ 11,236 7,438 2,926 424 2,231 

As a percent of total families .............................................................................. 72.4 74.1 68.3 82.2 73.1 

With at least one family member unemployed .......................................................................... 2,372 1,370 827 61 476 

As a percent of total families ....................................................................... 15.3 13.6 19.3 11.8 15.6 

Some family member(s) employed ............................................................................... 1,081 657 332 37 232 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed .............................................................. 45.6 48.0 40.1 60.7 48.7 

Some family member(s) employed full time ........................................................................................... 842 507 263 30 183 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed.............................................................. 35.5 37.0 31.8 49.2 38.4 

Families maintained by men ................................................... 6,192 4,619 995 315 1,426 

With at least one family member employed ................................................................................ 5,025 3,820 718 282 1,239 

As a percent of total families .............................................................................. 81.2 82.7 72.2 89.5 86.9 

With at least one family member unemployed .......................................................................... 932 643 209 40 220 

As a percent of total families ....................................................................... 15.1 13.9 21.0 12.7 15.4 

Some family member(s) employed ............................................................................... 497 357 90 28 138 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed .............................................................. 53.3 55.5 43.1 70.0 62.7 

Some family member(s) employed full time ........................................................................................... 428 306 78 25 116 

 As a percent of families with at least one member unemployed.............................................................. 45.9 47.6 37.3 62.5 52.7 

 

 Note: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because

data are not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

31
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Table 11. Labor force participation rates by presence and age of youngest child, gender, race, and Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity, 1994–2012 annual averages

(Percent)

Total White Black or African American

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

With no children under 18 years

1994........................... 60.2 67.1 53.6 60.6 67.7 53.8 57.2 62.0 52.4

1995........................60.2 67.0 53.5 60.5 67.6 53.6 57.5 62.3 52.7

1996........................... 60.1 66.8 53.5 60.5 67.6 53.6 56.9 61.5 52.3

1997........................60.4 67.0 53.8 60.8 67.8 53.8 57.3 61.2 53.5

1998.....................60.3 67.0 53.9 60.6 67.6 53.8 58.0 62.0 54.2

1999....................... 60.4 66.8 54.1 60.7 67.5 53.9 58.3 62.1 54.6

2000.....................60.6 67.0 54.3 60.9 67.7 54.3 58.4 62.5 54.5

2001.....................60.4 66.7 54.3 60.8 67.4 54.3 57.9 61.7 54.4

2002...................60.0 66.2 53.9 60.4 66.8 54.0 56.8 61.0 52.7

2003......................... 59.7 65.4 54.1 60.1 66.1 54.1 56.5 60.0 53.2

2004...................... 59.6 65.3 54.0 60.0 66.1 54.0 56.4 59.5 53.5

2005........................59.8 65.5 54.2 60.1 66.2 54.1 57.3 60.8 53.9

2006.......................... 60.0 65.8 54.2 60.4 66.5 54.2 57.1 60.5 53.9

2007........................59.8 65.6 54.0 60.3 66.4 54.1 56.5 60.1 53.0

2008....................... 59.9 65.6 54.3 60.3 66.3 54.3 56.9 60.4 53.6

2009....................... 59.3 64.6 54.0 59.9 65.4 54.3 55.9 59.3 52.7

2010....................... 58.7 63.8 53.6 59.1 64.5 53.7 56.0 59.1 52.9

2011....................58.1 63.1 53.0 58.6 63.8 53.2 55.1 58.4 51.8

2012....................57.7 62.9 52.6 58.1 63.7 52.4 55.2 57.6 52.8

With children under 18 years

1994........................... 79.8 94.1 69.0 80.9 94.8 69.5 74.9 89.5 68.4

1995........................... 80.3 94.1 69.8 81.3 94.9 70.3 76.3 89.6 70.3

1996........................... 81.1 94.5 70.8 81.8 95.3 70.7 78.5 89.7 73.3

1997........................81.8 94.6 71.9 82.4 95.4 71.7 79.6 89.6 75.0

1998.....................81.8 94.6 71.8 82.2 95.3 71.3 81.0 90.4 76.7

1999....................... 82.0 94.6 72.2 82.3 95.4 71.5 82.0 89.3 78.5

2000.....................82.1 94.7 72.3 82.3 95.3 71.6 82.2 90.3 78.2

2001.....................81.9 94.6 72.1 82.2 95.3 71.5 81.8 89.7 77.9

2002...................81.6 94.3 71.8 81.9 94.8 71.1 81.9 90.3 77.7

2003......................... 81.2 94.1 71.1 81.4 94.7 70.3 81.5 89.7 77.5

2004...................... 80.7 94.1 70.4 81.1 94.8 69.8 80.5 88.4 76.5

2005........................80.7 94.1 70.5 81.1 94.8 69.8 80.4 88.7 76.3

2006.......................... 81.0 94.1 70.9 81.4 94.9 70.2 80.5 88.1 76.9

2007........................81.4 94.3 71.0 81.7 95.0 70.3 81.2 89.6 76.6

2008....................... 81.5 94.1 71.4 81.8 94.8 70.8 81.1 89.7 76.7

2009....................... 81.3 93.8 71.4 81.8 94.5 70.9 80.2 87.7 76.3

2010....................... 80.9 93.7 70.8 81.4 94.5 70.5 79.7 89.0 74.9

2011...................80.6 93.5 70.6 81.1 94.3 70.2 79.6 87.9 75.3

2012...................80.5 93.3 70.5 81.0 94.0 70.3 80.0 88.9 75.4

See note at end of table.

Year

Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Total 

Char

Chara Percent Total 

Char

Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total 

Chara

Chara

32
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Latino ethnicity, 1994–2012 annual averages—Continued

(Percent)

Total White Black or African American

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

With children 6 to 17 years, none younger

1994........................... 83.5 93.1 76.1 84.3 93.9 76.5 79.6 88.0 75.5

1995........................83.7 93.0 76.6 84.6 93.7 77.2 80.1 88.1 76.4

1996........................... 84.5 93.5 77.5 85.3 94.4 77.7 81.3 87.9 78.1

1997........................84.7 93.6 77.9 85.4 94.4 78.0 81.8 88.1 78.7

1998.....................84.5 93.5 77.6 84.9 94.2 77.3 83.1 88.2 80.6

1999....................... 84.8 93.4 78.2 85.4 94.4 78.1 83.2 86.7 81.4

2000.....................85.1 93.5 78.7 85.7 94.3 78.6 83.3 87.8 81.0

2001.....................85.0 93.6 78.3 85.5 94.5 78.1 83.3 87.5 81.1

2002...................84.8 93.3 78.2 85.1 94.0 77.8 84.3 89.2 81.8

2003......................... 84.5 93.1 77.8 84.7 93.7 77.3 84.0 88.0 82.1

2004...................... 84.1 93.1 77.3 84.5 93.9 76.9 82.7 86.3 80.9

2005........................83.7 93.0 76.5 84.1 93.8 76.3 82.4 86.9 80.2

2006.......................... 83.8 93.1 76.7 84.3 94.0 76.3 82.4 85.7 80.8

2007........................84.3 93.2 77.2 84.6 94.0 76.7 83.7 87.7 81.5

2008....................... 84.3 93.1 77.3 84.7 93.9 77.0 83.1 87.8 80.6

2009....................... 84.2 92.7 77.3 84.7 93.7 77.0 82.2 85.7 80.3

2010....................... 83.7 92.8 76.5 84.2 93.6 76.3 81.9 87.1 79.2

2011................ 83.3 92.6 76.1 83.9 93.5 76.0 81.5 86.5 78.8

2012................ 82.7 92.3 75.1 83.2 93.0 75.1 81.9 87.3 79.1

With children under 6 years

1994........................... 75.8 95.2 61.2 77.1 95.9 61.6 70.0 91.3 61.2

1995........................76.6 95.5 62.3 77.7 96.1 62.6 72.0 91.4 63.9

1996........................... 77.2 95.6 63.2 77.9 96.3 62.7 75.4 91.9 68.2

1997........................78.3 95.8 64.8 78.8 96.5 64.1 77.1 91.3 70.8

1998.....................78.6 96.1 64.9 78.9 96.6 64.1 78.5 93.0 72.0

1999....................... 78.5 96.1 64.8 78.5 96.7 63.4 80.6 92.5 74.9

2000.....................78.4 96.1 64.6 78.2 96.5 63.0 80.9 93.3 74.9

2001.....................78.1 95.8 64.3 78.1 96.2 63.0 80.0 92.5 73.9

2002...................77.7 95.5 63.7 77.9 95.9 62.7 78.9 91.8 72.5

2003......................... 77.2 95.4 62.8 77.3 96.0 61.5 78.2 92.1 71.8

2004...................... 76.5 95.4 61.8 76.8 96.0 60.7 77.6 91.1 70.8

2005........................77.0 95.4 62.8 77.2 96.1 61.6 77.8 91.2 71.4

2006.......................... 77.5 95.4 63.5 77.7 95.9 62.5 78.0 91.1 71.8

2007........................77.8 95.7 63.3 77.9 96.2 62.3 77.9 92.3 70.4

2008....................... 77.9 95.4 64.0 78.0 95.9 62.9 78.6 92.4 71.7

2009....................... 77.8 95.1 64.2 78.1 95.6 63.3 77.7 90.4 71.4

2010....................... 77.5 94.7 63.9 78.0 95.5 63.4 77.1 91.3 69.8

2011................ 77.4 94.5 63.9 77.7 95.2 63.0 77.4 89.7 71.1

2012................ 77.7 94.6 64.8 78.2 95.1 64.3 77.6 91.0 71.0

See note at end of table.

Year

Table 11. Labor force participation rates by presence and age of youngest child, gender, race, and Hispanic or 

Percent Total Chara

Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Chara

Chara

33
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Latino ethnicity, 1994–2012 annual averages—Continued

(Percent)

Total White Black or African American

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

With children under 3 years

1994........................... 74.0 95.3 57.7 75.6 96.0 58.6 66.0 91.5 55.6

1995........................74.8 95.5 58.9 76.0 96.2 59.2 68.9 90.9 60.0

1996........................... 75.4 95.8 59.4 76.2 96.5 59.2 72.1 92.2 63.1

1997........................76.6 95.9 61.4 77.5 96.5 61.4 73.6 92.1 65.1

1998.....................77.2 96.2 61.9 77.7 96.7 61.5 75.8 93.2 67.5

1999....................... 77.0 96.4 61.5 77.0 97.0 60.1 78.7 92.4 72.0

2000.....................76.3 96.4 60.4 76.3 96.7 59.0 77.6 93.6 69.8

2001.....................76.0 95.9 60.2 76.1 96.4 58.9 77.3 92.6 69.7

2002...................76.1 95.8 60.2 76.3 96.2 59.2 76.9 93.2 68.6

2003......................... 75.2 95.7 58.9 75.6 96.2 57.8 74.7 91.4 67.0

2004...................... 74.4 95.7 57.5 74.9 96.3 56.8 74.7 91.0 66.4

2005........................74.8 95.5 58.4 75.1 96.4 57.2 74.7 90.6 67.0

2006.......................... 75.8 95.5 60.2 76.2 96.2 59.3 75.0 90.6 67.2

2007........................75.6 95.9 59.2 76.0 96.4 58.3 74.8 92.8 65.7

2008....................... 76.1 95.7 60.4 76.4 96.2 59.4 75.0 92.4 66.7

2009....................... 76.1 95.0 61.1 76.6 95.5 60.5 74.5 90.2 66.6

2010....................... 75.7 94.7 60.7 76.4 95.7 60.3 74.2 91.0 65.6

2011................ 75.7 94.7 60.6 76.1 95.3 60.0 75.0 89.2 67.5

2012................ 76.0 95.0 61.4 76.6 95.5 61.2 75.5 92.2 67.0

See note at end of table.

Table 11. Labor force participation rates by presence and age of youngest child, gender, race, and Hispanic or 

Year

Chara Percent Total 

Char

Percent Total 

Chara Char

Percent Total 

Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total 

Chara Char Percent Total 

Percent Total Percent Total Percent Total 

Percent Total 

Chara Percent Total Char

Percent Total 

Percent Total Chara Percent Char Percent 

Percent Total 

Percent Total Chara Percent Char Percent 

Percent Percent Total 

Chara Percent Total Char

Percent Percent Total 

Chara Char

Percent Total 

Chara

Percent Percent Total 

Chara Percent Total Char

Percent Percent Total 

Chara

Percent Percent Total 

Chara Percent Total Char Percent Total Percent Chara Percent Char Percent Chara Percent Char Percent 

Percent Total 

Chara

Percent 

Char

Percent 

Chara

Percent 

Char

Percent Percent Total 

Chara

Percent 

Char

Percent 

Chara

Percent Total Percent Percent Percent Percent Chara Char

Chara

34
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Latino ethnicity, 1994–2012 annual averages—Continued

(Percent)

Asian Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women Total Men Women

With no children under 18 years

1994................................................. — — — 62.3 71.5 51.5

1995............................................................. — — — 61.2 70.9 50.2

1996................................................. — — — 61.6 71.3 50.5

1997............................................................. — — — 62.6 72.1 51.4

1998.............................................................. — — — 62.8 72.1 51.7

1999.................................................................. — — — 62.5 71.6 52.2

2000............................................. — — — 63.7 73.2 52.6

2001............................................... — — — 63.0 72.4 52.6

2002...................................................... 61.2 67.8 55.0 63.9 72.7 53.2

2003............................................... 59.7 66.4 53.7 62.8 72.1 51.5

2004.............................................. 59.1 65.0 53.5 63.5 72.6 52.5

2005......................................................... 59.9 66.0 54.3 63.0 72.1 51.9

2006....................................................... 60.0 66.2 54.1 63.7 73.0 52.2

2007..................................................... 60.2 66.6 54.0 63.7 72.8 52.4

2008................................................................... 60.3 66.6 54.4 63.5 72.7 52.1

2009................................................................... 59.0 65.3 53.1 62.6 70.7 52.8

2010................................................................... 58.1 64.3 52.4 62.0 69.8 52.3

2011..................... 58.0 63.9 52.6 60.8 68.3 51.6

2012..................... 58.1 63.2 53.4 60.7 68.1 52.0

With children under 18 years

1994................................................. — — — 70.2 92.1 54.7

1995........................................... — — — 71.0 92.2 55.6

1996................................................. — — — 72.3 93.7 56.7

1997........................................... — — — 74.0 93.4 59.6

1998........................................... — — — 74.2 92.9 60.2

1999............................................. — — — 74.6 93.8 60.3

2000............................................. — — — 75.7 93.8 62.0

2001............................................... — — — 75.7 93.6 62.0

2002...................................................... 78.3 93.2 66.6 75.8 93.2 62.7

2003............................................... 78.9 93.5 67.0 75.1 93.4 61.2

2004.............................................. 77.9 93.8 64.9 74.9 93.9 60.4

2005......................................................... 77.9 93.1 65.6 74.5 94.2 59.6

2006....................................................... 78.3 93.2 66.3 75.3 94.2 60.9

2007..................................................... 78.9 93.1 67.1 76.5 94.8 61.4

2008................................................................... 80.0 93.0 68.8 76.4 94.4 61.4

2009................................................................... 80.1 94.1 68.0 76.5 94.2 61.5

2010................................................................... 78.2 92.2 66.2 76.6 93.9 62.1

2011..................... 78.3 93.0 65.4 76.1 93.5 61.8

2012..................... 76.7 93.0 63.2 76.4 93.7 63.2

See note at end of table.

Year

Table 11. Labor force participation rates by presence and age of youngest child, gender, race, and Hispanic or NOTE: Beginning Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent in 2003, estimates Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent for Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent White, BlackTotal women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 or Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent African Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent American, Total women, 16 Total women, 16 andPercent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Asian race groups Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent include personsTotal women, 16 Total women, 16 Total women, 16 whoPercent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Percent Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Total women, 16 Percent Percent 

Percent Total women, 16 Percent Total women, 16 Percent 

Char

Chara

Char

Chara

Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Percent Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Percent Total women, 16 Percent 

35
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L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 11. Labor force participation rates by presence and age of youngest child, gender, race, and Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity, 1994–2012 annual averages—Continued

(Percent)

Asian Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women Total Men Women

With children 6 to 17 years, none younger

1994........................................... — — — 74.9 89.7 64.5

1995............................................. — — — 75.4 89.7 65.5

1996................................................. — — — 77.3 92.3 66.7

1997........................................... — — — 77.6 91.2 68.2

1998........................................... — — — 77.5 90.6 68.1

1999............................................. — — — 78.6 91.2 69.5

2000............................................. — — — 79.3 91.5 70.5

2001............................................... — — — 79.6 91.7 70.9

2002...................................................... 82.6 91.6 75.7 79.0 91.1 70.2

2003............................................... 82.9 93.5 74.3 78.8 91.5 69.4

2004.............................................. 82.6 93.8 73.4 79.6 92.8 70.2

2005......................................................... 80.7 92.3 71.2 78.8 92.9 68.7

2006....................................................... 80.8 91.8 72.0 79.1 92.6 69.4

2007..................................................... 81.8 91.7 73.6 80.5 93.1 70.4

2008................................................................... 82.7 91.8 74.9 80.4 93.2 70.0

2009................................................................... 82.7 92.9 74.0 80.7 93.6 69.9

2010................................................................... 81.8 92.2 73.1 80.1 92.6 69.9

2011..................... 80.8 92.2 71.2 79.2 91.9 69.0

2012..................... 78.4 91.6 67.7 79.4 92.7 69.1

With children under 6 years

1994........................................... — — — 66.6 94.0 47.0

1995............................................. — — — 67.6 94.1 47.7

1996................................................. — — — 68.5 94.8 48.7

1997........................................... — — — 70.9 95.1 52.3

1998........................................... — — — 71.3 94.9 53.0

1999............................................. — — — 71.2 95.9 52.1

2000............................................. — — — 72.5 95.7 54.5

2001............................................... — — — 72.2 95.2 53.8

2002...................................................... 73.5 94.8 56.3 73.1 94.8 56.1

2003............................................... 74.2 93.4 58.5 71.9 94.9 53.4

2004.............................................. 73.1 93.8 56.0 70.6 94.8 51.2

2005......................................................... 74.9 94.0 59.3 70.6 95.4 50.9

2006....................................................... 75.6 94.8 59.9 71.7 95.6 52.7

2007..................................................... 75.8 94.8 59.9 72.9 96.1 53.0

2008................................................................... 77.1 94.3 61.9 72.7 95.5 53.0

2009................................................................... 77.3 95.4 61.4 72.4 94.9 53.1

2010................................................................... 74.3 92.2 58.3 73.2 95.2 54.6

2011..................... 75.4 93.8 58.4 73.2 95.0 54.7

2012..................... 74.7 94.5 57.8 73.3 94.6 57.0

See note at end of table.

Year

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Percent Chara

Chara Percent 

Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Total women, 16 Percent 

Total women, 16 Percent Percent Total women, 16 Percent 

Chara

36
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 45

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

Table 11. Labor force participation rates by presence and age of youngest child, gender, race, and Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity, 1994–2012 annual averages—Continued

(Percent)

Asian Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women Total Men Women

With children under 3 years

1994........................................... — — — 64.4 94.1 42.2

1995............................................. — — — 65.7 94.1 43.7

1996................................................. — — — 66.2 94.6 44.7

1997........................................... — — — 68.6 94.6 48.0

1998........................................... — — — 69.5 95.0 48.9

1999............................................. — — — 68.8 96.2 47.4

2000............................................. — — — 70.4 96.2 50.0

2001............................................... — — — 69.7 95.3 48.7

2002...................................................... 72.1 95.4 53.5 70.3 95.1 50.3

2003............................................... 73.0 94.5 55.1 69.5 95.2 47.9

2004.............................................. 70.2 93.8 50.4 68.2 95.2 46.0

2005......................................................... 72.4 92.9 55.8 67.7 96.0 45.0

2006....................................................... 73.4 94.2 56.8 69.5 95.9 48.6

2007..................................................... 73.6 94.2 56.2 69.9 96.0 47.6

2008................................................................... 75.9 94.4 59.5 70.3 95.9 47.9

2009................................................................... 76.1 95.9 58.2 70.0 94.4 49.1

2010................................................................... 72.2 91.2 55.3 71.3 95.3 50.8

2011..................... 73.8 95.3 54.1 71.3 95.5 50.1

2012..................... 72.4 94.3 53.7 71.2 95.5 52.4

 Note: Beginning in 2003, estimates for White, Black or African American, and Asian race groups include people who selected 

that race group only; persons who selected more than one race group are not included in these groups. Prior to 2003, people 

who reported more than one race were included in the group they identified as the main race. Asian estimates for 2000–2002 are 

for Asians and Pacific Islanders; beginning in 2003, Asian is a separate category. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as 

Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Children are "own" children and include sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted 

children. Not included are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other related and unrelated children. Dash indicates data not 

available.

Year

Percent Total women, 16 Percent Total women, 16 Percent Chara

Chara

Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Percent Percent Percent Total women, 16 Total women, 16 Percent Percent 

37
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Table 12. Unemployment rates by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1972–2012 annual averages 

(Percent)

White Asian Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

1972.................. 5.6 5.0 6.6 5.1 4.5 5.9 10.4 9.3 11.8 — — — — — —

1973.................... 4.9 4.2 6.0 4.3 3.8 5.3 9.4 8.0 11.1 — — — 7.5 6.7 9.0

1974..................... 5.6 4.9 6.7 5.0 4.4 6.1 10.5 9.8 11.3 — — — 8.1 7.3 9.4

1975................ 8.5 7.9 9.3 7.8 7.2 8.6 14.8 14.8 14.8 — — — 12.2 11.4 13.5

1976.................... 7.7 7.1 8.6 7.0 6.4 7.9 14.0 13.7 14.3 — — — 11.5 10.8 12.7

1977.................... 7.1 6.3 8.2 6.2 5.5 7.3 14.0 13.3 14.9 — — — 10.1 9.0 11.9

1978.................. 6.1 5.3 7.2 5.2 4.6 6.2 12.8 11.8 13.8 — — — 9.1 7.7 11.3

1979.................. 5.8 5.1 6.8 5.1 4.5 5.9 12.3 11.4 13.3 — — — 8.3 7.0 10.3

1980................... 7.1 6.9 7.4 6.3 6.1 6.5 14.3 14.5 14.0 — — — 10.1 9.7

1981..................... 7.6 7.4 7.9 6.7 6.5 6.9 15.6 15.7 15.6 — — — 10.4 10.2 10.8

1982................ 9.7 9.9 9.4 8.6 8.8 8.3 18.9 20.1 17.6 — — — 13.8 13.6 14.1

1983................. 9.6 9.9 9.2 8.4 8.8 7.9 19.5 20.3 18.6 — — — 13.7 13.6 13.8

1984................ 7.5 7.4 7.6 6.5 6.4 6.5 15.9 16.4 15.4 — — — 10.7 10.5 11.1

1985.................. 7.2 7.0 7.4 6.2 6.1 6.4 15.1 15.3 14.9 — — — 10.5 10.2 11.0

1986.................. 7.0 6.9 7.1 6.0 6.0 6.1 14.5 14.8 14.2 — — — 10.6 10.5 10.8

1987................... 6.2 6.2 6.2 5.3 5.4 5.2 13.0 12.7 13.2 — — — 8.8 8.7 8.9

1988...................... 5.5 5.5 5.6 4.7 4.7 4.7 11.7 11.7 11.7 — — — 8.2 8.1 8.3

1989.................... 5.3 5.2 5.4 4.5 4.5 4.5 11.4 11.5 11.4 — — — 8.0 7.6 8.8

1990......................... 5.6 5.7 5.5 4.8 4.9 4.7 11.4 11.9 10.9 — — — 8.2 8.0 8.4

1991..................6.8 7.2 6.4 6.1 6.5 5.6 12.5 13.0 12.0 — — — 10.0 10.3 9.6

1992...................... 7.5 7.9 7.0 6.6 7.0 6.1 14.2 15.2 13.2 — — — 11.6 11.7 11.4

1993.................6.9 7.2 6.6 6.1 6.3 5.7 13.0 13.8 12.1 — — — 10.8 10.6 11.0

1994........................ 6.1 6.2 6.0 5.3 5.4 5.2 11.5 12.0 11.0 — — — 9.9 9.4 10.7

1995........................ 5.6 5.6 5.6 4.9 4.9 4.8 10.4 10.6 10.2 — — — 9.3 8.8 10.0

1996............................. 5.4 5.4 5.4 4.7 4.7 4.7 10.5 11.1 10.0 — — — 8.9 7.9 10.2

1997...................... 4.9 4.9 5.0 4.2 4.2 4.2 10.0 10.2 9.9 — — — 7.7 7.0 8.9

1998....................... 4.5 4.4 4.6 3.9 3.9 3.9 8.9 8.9 9.0 — — — 7.2 6.4 8.2

1999......................... 4.2 4.1 4.3 3.7 3.6 3.8 8.0 8.2 7.8 — — — 6.4 5.6 7.6

2000........................ 4.0 3.9 4.1 3.5 3.4 3.6 7.6 8.0 7.1 3.6 3.6 3.6 5.7 5.0 6.8

2001............... 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.2 4.2 4.1 8.6 9.3 8.1 4.5 4.5 4.4 6.6 5.9 7.5

2002............. 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.1 5.3 4.9 10.2 10.7 9.8 5.9 6.1 5.7 7.5 7.2 8.0

2003.............. 6.0 6.3 5.7 5.2 5.6 4.8 10.8 11.6 10.2 6.0 6.2 5.7 7.7 7.2 8.4

2004.............. 5.5 5.6 5.4 4.8 5.0 4.7 10.4 11.1 9.8 4.4 4.5 4.3 7.0 6.5 7.6

2005..................5.1 5.1 5.1 4.4 4.4 4.4 10.0 10.5 9.5 4.0 4.0 3.9 6.0 5.4 6.9

2006.............. 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.0 4.0 4.0 8.9 9.5 8.4 3.0 3.0 3.1 5.2 4.8 5.9

2007.................... 4.6 4.7 4.5 4.1 4.2 4.0 8.3 9.1 7.5 3.2 3.1 3.4 5.6 5.3 6.1

2008......................... 5.8 6.1 5.4 5.2 5.5 4.9 10.1 11.4 8.9 4.0 4.1 3.7 7.6 7.6 7.7

2009......................... 9.3 10.3 8.1 8.5 9.4 7.3 14.8 17.5 12.4 7.3 7.9 6.6 12.1 12.5 11.5

2010......................... 9.6 10.5 8.6 8.7 9.6 7.7 16.0 18.4 13.8 7.5 7.8 7.1 12.5 12.7 12.3

2011................ 8.9 9.4 8.5 7.9 8.3 7.5 15.8 17.8 14.1 7.0 6.8 7.3 11.5 11.2 11.8

2012..................8.1 8.2 7.9 7.2 7.4 7.0 13.8 15.0 12.8 5.9 5.8 6.1 10.3 9.9 10.9

See note at end of table.

Year

Total Black or African American

38
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Table 12. Unemployment rates by gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1972–2012 annual averages 

—Continued

(Percent)

American Indian and Alaska Native Two or More Races

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

2003.............. 10.5 11.2 9.6 7.7 6.9 8.6 9.1 9.3 8.9 

2004.............. 9.6 9.7 9.4 6.1 6.8 5.4 8.7 8.7 8.7 

2005.................. 9.3 8.7 10.1 4.3 4.8 3.9 8.0 7.9 8.2 

2006.............. 7.9 7.9 8.0 5.3 6.3 4.3 6.7 7.3 6.0 

2007.................... 8.1 7.9 8.4 4.8 5.4 4.3 7.1 7.4 6.8 

2008......................... 9.9 10.8 8.8 6.4 7.7 4.9 9.5 10.1 8.7 

2009......................... 13.3 15.5 10.8 10.8 11.6 10.0 13.6 14.2 12.9 

2010.................................... 15.1 17.3 12.7 12.0 13.6 10.4 13.6 14.2 13.0 

2011.................. 14.6 15.4 13.7 10.4 11.4 9.3 13.6 14.0 13.1 

2012.................. 12.3 11.9 12.7 11.8 12.4 11.2 11.9 12.1 11.5 

Year

 Note: Beginning in 2003, estimates for White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian 

and Other Pacific Islander race groups include people who selected that race group only; people who selected more than one race group are 

included in the Two or More Races category. Prior to 2003, people who reported more than one race were included in the group they identified 

as the main race. Asian estimates for 2000–2002 are for Asians and Pacific Islanders; beginning in 2003, Asian is a separate category, as is 

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash indicates 

data not available.

Native Hawaiian and 

Other Pacific Islander

39
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Table 13. Unemployed people by duration of unemployment, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 

2012 annual averages

Duration of unemployment Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total, 16 years and older (In thousands).............................................................................. 12,506 8,915 2,544 483 2,514

Percent............................................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Less than 5 weeks.................................................................................................. 21.1 22.5 16.9 17.7 23.8

5 to 14 weeks.............................................................................................................. 22.9 23.7 20.6 20.8 23.6

15 to 26 weeks................................................................................................. 14.9 14.6 15.6 15.4 14.3

27 weeks and over...................................................................................................................... 41.1 39.2 47.0 46.2 38.3

Average (mean) duration, in weeks 1.................................................... 39.4 37.7 44.9 45.0 36.7

Median duration, in weeks................................................................ 19.3 17.6 24.7 24.0 16.7

Men, 16 years and older (In thousands)........................................ 6,771 4,931 1,292 249 1,383

Percent............................................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Less than 5 weeks.................................................................................................. 21.3 22.7 16.6 17.5 24.6

5 to 14 weeks.............................................................................................................. 22.6 23.4 20.5 20.1 24.0

15 to 26 weeks................................................................................................. 14.5 14.3 15.2 14.6 13.5

27 weeks and over...................................................................................................................... 41.6 39.7 47.7 47.8 37.9

Average (mean) duration, in weeks 1.................................................... 39.9 38.1 45.7 47.3 35.9

Median duration, in weeks................................................................... 19.5 17.8 25.1 25.4 15.8

Women, 16 years and older (In thousands)........................................ 5,734 3,985 1,252 234 1,130

Percent............................................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Less than 5 weeks.................................................................................................. 21.0 22.3 17.2 17.8 22.8

5 to 14 weeks.............................................................................................................. 23.3 24.1 20.7 21.4 23.1

15 to 26 weeks................................................................................................. 15.3 15.0 15.9 16.2 15.3

27 weeks and over...................................................................................................................... 40.4 38.6 46.2 44.5 38.8

Average (mean) duration, in weeks 1................................................... 38.9 37.2 44.0 42.6 37.8

Median duration, in weeks................................................................. 19.0 17.3 24.3 22.6 17.8

 

1 Beginning in January 2011, this series reflects a change to the collection of data on unemployment duration. For more 

information, see http://www.bls.gov/cps/duration.htm.

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

not presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov 49

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Table 14. Unemployed people by reason for unemployment, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity,

2012 annual averages

Reason for unemployment Total White Black or African 

American Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total, 16 years and older (In thousands)................................... 12,506 8,915 2,544 483 2,514

Percent............................................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs................................................ 55.0 57.1 49.9 50.9 55.3

On temporary layoff........................................................................... 9.5 11.0 5.4 5.7 10.8

Not on temporary layoff........................................................................ 45.5 46.2 44.5 45.1 44.5

Permanent job losers.........................................................................35.6 36.5 32.8 38.5 32.4

Persons who completed temporary jobs......................................... 10.0 9.7 11.6 6.6 12.1

Job leavers............................................................................................ 7.0 8.2 6.1 7.0 6.5

Reentrants............................................................................................... 26.7 25.2 31.0 28.3 25.8

New entrants.......................................................................................... 10.5 9.5 12.9 13.9 12.4

Men, 16 years and older (In thousands).................................... 6,771 4,931 1,292 249 1,383

Percent............................................................................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs................................................ 60.6 62.9 54.6 56.2 63.3

 On temporary layoff........................................................................... 11.2 12.8 6.3 6.0 13.6

 Not on temporary layoff........................................................................ 49.4 50.1 48.3 50.2 49.7

 Permanent job losers......................................................................... 37.8 38.9 33.7 43.0 36.0

 Persons who completed temporary jobs......................................... 11.6 11.1 14.6 7.2 13.7

Job leavers............................................................................................ 7.2 7.4 6.0 7.2 5.8

Reentrants............................................................................................... 21.9 20.4 26.2 24.5 19.4

New entrants.......................................................................................... 10.3 9.3 13.2 12.0 11.6

Women, 16 years and older (In thousands) .................................... 5,734 3,985 1,252 234 1,130

Percent..................................................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs................................................ 48.4 50.0 45.0 45.3 45.5

On temporary layoff........................................................................... 7.5 8.6 4.6 5.6 7.4

Not on temporary layoff........................................................................ 40.9 41.4 40.5 39.7 38.1

Permanent job losers.........................................................................32.9 33.5 31.9 33.8 27.9

Persons who completed temporary jobs......................................... 8.0 7.9 8.6 6.0 10.2

Job leavers............................................................................................ 8.4 9.2 6.4 6.8 7.4

Reentrants............................................................................................... 32.5 31.1 36.0 32.1 33.6

New entrants.......................................................................................... 10.8 9.7 12.6 15.8 13.5

 

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

presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

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Table 15. People in the labor force and not in the labor force by selected characteristics, 2012 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Total

Total, 16 years and older............................................................ 154,975 88,310 6,558 3,168 2,516 909 1,608 81,752

 16 to 24 years.................................................................... 21,285 17,499 2,115 1,052 770 217 553 15,383

 25 to 54 years............................................................................... 101,253 23,061 2,813 1,484 1,196 451 746 20,248

 55 years and older............................................................................. . 32,437 47,750 1,630 632 550 241 309 46,120

Men, 16 years and older....................................................................................................... 82,327 35,017 3,028 1,537 1,285 541 743 31,989

 16 to 24 years........................................................................................................................................ 11,050 8,496 1,101 550 424 133 292 7,395

 25 to 54 years.................................... 54,053 6,907 1,157 680 586 269 318 5,750

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 17,224 19,614 770 307 274 140 134 18,844

Women, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 72,648 53,293 3,530 1,630 1,232 368 864 49,763

 16 to 24 years.............................................................................................................................. 10,235 9,003 1,015 502 346 84 261 7,988

 25 to 54 years............................................................................................................................... 47,200 16,154 1,656 804 610 182 428 14,499

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 15,213 28,136 860 324 276 101 175 27,276

White

Total, 16 years and older............................... 123,684 69,520 4,577 2,144 1,683 589 1,094 64,943

 16 to 24 years................................. 16,584 12,363 1,434 699 496 134 362 10,929

 25 to 54 years.................................... 79,635 17,139 1,871 963 764 277 487 15,268

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 27,466 40,018 1,272 482 423 178 245 38,746

Men, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 66,921 27,345 2,128 1,049 866 356 510 25,217

 16 to 24 years................................... 8,721 5,976 753 369 274 82 191 5,223

 25 to 54 years.................................... 43,395 4,847 765 439 379 167 212 4,082

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 14,805 16,522 610 241 214 106 107 15,913

Women, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 56,763 42,175 2,450 1,095 816 233 584 39,725

 16 to 24 years.............................................................................................................................. 7,863 6,387 681 329 223 51 171 5,706

 25 to 54 years............................................................................................................................... 36,240 12,292 1,106 524 385 110 275 11,186

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 12,661 23,496 662 242 209 72 137 22,834

Black or African American

Total, 16 years and older............................... 18,400 11,508 1,295 688 588 241 348 10,212

 16 to 24 years...................................................................................................................................... 2,921 3,047 452 238 195 67 128 2,595

 25 to 54 years.................................... 12,510 3,498 614 256 312 134 178 2,884

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 2,968 4,963 229 94 82 40 41 4,733

Men, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 8,594 4,913 598 330 298 141 158 4,315

 16 to 24 years........................................................................................................................................ 1,392 1,513 230 120 106 39 67 1,283

 25 to 54 years......................................................................................................................................... 5,823 1,408 270 168 153 79 74 1,138

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 1,380 1,992 97 42 40 23 17 1,895

Women, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 9,805 6,595 698 359 290 100 190 5,897

 16 to 24 years......................................................................... 1,529 1,534 222 118 89 28 61 1,313

 25 to 54 years............................................................................................................................... 6,687 2,090 344 189 159 55 105 1,746

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 1,588 2,970 132 52 42 17 24 2,839

See note at end of table.

Civilian labor 

force1

Age, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Total

Total

Total

Not in the labor force

Want a job

Searched for work in previous year, but 

not in past 4 weeks

Marginally attached 

(available to work now)2

Total Discouraged 

workers3 Other4

Do not 

want a 

job now

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Table 15. People in the labor force and not in the labor force by selected characteristics, 2012 annual averages

—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Asian

Total, 16 years and older.................................................................................................................................... 8,188 4,627 374 180 128 45 83 4,254

 16 to 24 years...................................................................................................................................... 770 1,183 101 51 31 6 25 1,082

 25 to 54 years......................................................................................................................................... 5,978 1,547 185 90 64 22 42 1,362

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 1,439 1,897 88 40 33 17 16 1,809

Men, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 4,334 1,666 157 80 58 22 36 1,508

 16 to 24 years........................................................................................................................................ 405 582 53 26 18 4 14 530

 25 to 54 years......................................................................................................................................... 3,179 353 63 38 27 11 16 290

 55 years and older........................................................................................... 750 730 42 17 14 8 6 689

Women, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 3,853 2,962 216 100 23 47 30 2,745

 16 to 24 years.............................................................................................................................. 365 601 48 25 13 2 11 553

 25 to 54 years............................................................................................................................... 2,799 1,194 122 52 38 11 27 1,072

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 689 1,166 46 23 19 9 10 1,120

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Total, 16 years and older.................................................................................................................................... 24,391 12,368 1,203 549 438 177 260 11,164

 16 to 24 years...................................................................................................................................... 4,336 3,822 459 204 154 52 102 3,363

 25 to 54 years......................................................................................................................................... 17,358 4,536 579 281 227 95 132 3,957

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 2,697 4,010 165 64 56 29 27 3,844

Men, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 14,026 4,408 521 261 218 107 111 3,887

 16 to 24 years........................................................................................................................................ 2,457 1,763 234 104 82 31 50 1,530

 25 to 54 years......................................................................................................................................... 10,074 1,083 205 122 105 60 46 877

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 1,495 1,562 82 35 30 16 14 1,480

Women, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... 10,365 7,959 683 288 220 70 150 7,277

 16 to 24 years.............................................................................................................................. 1,879 2,058 225 100 72 21 51 1,833

 25 to 54 years............................................................................................................................... 7,284 3,454 374 159 122 36 86 3,080

 55 years and older......................................................................................................................... 1,202 2,448 84 29 26 13 12 2,364

 1 The sum of the employed plus the unemployed. 

Other4

 2 People "marginally attached to the labor force" are those who want a job, have searched for work during the prior 12 months, and 

were available to take a job during the reference week, but had not looked for work in the past 4 weeks.

 3 Discouraged workers are people marginally attached to the labor force who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for 

reasons such as thinks no work available, could not find work, lacks school or training, employer thinks too young or old, and other types 

of discrimination.

 4 Includes those who did not actively look for work in the prior 4 weeks for such reasons as child-care and transportation problems, as 

well as a small number for which reason nonparticipation was not ascertained.

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

presented for all races. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Age, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity

Civilian labor 

force1

Total

Do not 

want a 

Total job now

Total

Not in the labor force

Want a job

Searched for work in previous year, but 

not in past 4 weeks

Marginally attached 

(available to work now)2

Total Discouraged 

workers3
52 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

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Table 16. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1979–2012 annual averages

Total White Black or African 

American Asian Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity

Total

1979.............................................$241 $248 $199 — $194

1980..................................... 262 269 212 — 209

1981................................... 284 291 235 — 223

1982..................................... 302 310 245 — 240

1983................................... 313 320 261 — 250

1984.................................... 326 336 269 — 259

1985...................................... 344 356 277 — 270

1986...................................... 359 371 291 — 277

1987....................................... 374 384 301 — 285

1988........................................ 385 395 314 — 290

1989.......................................... 399 409 319 — 298

1990.................................. 412 424 329 — 304

1991..................................... 426 442 348 — 312

1992......................................... 440 458 357 — 321

1993..................................... 459 475 369 — 331

1994.................................... 467 484 371 — 324

1995............................. 479 494 383 — 329

1996................................................ 490 506 387 — 339

1997.................................. 503 519 400 — 351

1998.............................. 523 545 426 — 370

1999.............................. 549 573 445 — 385

2000............................... 576 590 474 $615 399

2001............................. 596 610 491 639 417

2002............................. 608 623 498 658 424

2003................................. 620 636 514 693 440

2004..................................... 638 657 525 708 456

2005.................................. 651 672 520 753 471

2006.............................. 671 690 554 784 486

2007.............................. 695 716 569 830 503

2008.............................. 722 742 589 861 529

2009.............................. 739 757 601 880 541

2010.............................. 747 765 611 855 535

2011............................... 756 775 615 866 549

2012.............................. 768 792 621 920 568

See note at end of table.

Years

44
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Table 16. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1979–2012 annual averages—Continued 

Total White Black or African 

American Asian Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity

Men

1979.............................................$292 $298 $227 — $219

1980..................................... 313 320 244 — 234

1981................................... 340 350 268 — 251

1982..................................... 364 375 278 — 269

1983................................... 379 387 294 — 274

1984.................................... 392 401 303 — 287

1985...................................... 407 418 305 — 296

1986...................................... 419 433 319 — 299

1987....................................... 434 450 327 — 306

1988........................................ 449 465 348 — 308

1989.......................................... 468 482 348 — 315

1990.................................. 481 494 361 — 318

1991..................................... 493 506 375 — 323

1992......................................... 501 514 380 — 339

1993..................................... 510 524 392 — 346

1994.................................... 522 547 400 — 343

1995............................. 538 566 411 — 350

1996................................................ 557 580 412 — 356

1997.................................. 579 595 432 — 371

1998.............................. 598 615 468 — 390

1999.............................. 618 638 488 — 406

2000............................... 641 662 510 $685 417

2001............................. 670 689 529 732 440

2002............................. 679 702 524 756 451

2003................................. 695 715 555 772 464

2004................................... 713 732 569 802 480

2005.................................. 722 743 559 825 489

2006.............................. 743 761 591 882 505

2007.............................. 766 788 600 936 520

2008.............................. 798 825 620 966 559

2009.............................. 819 845 621 952 569

2010.............................. 824 850 633 936 560

2011.................................... 832 856 653 970 571

2012............................... 854 879 665 1,055 592

See note at end of table.

Years

45
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Table 16. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1979–2012 annual averages—Continued 

Total White Black or African 

American Asian Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity

Women

1979.............................................$182 $184 $169 — $157

1980..................................... 201 203 185 — 172

1981................................... 219 221 206 — 190

1982..................................... 239 242 217 — 203

1983................................... 252 254 232 — 215

1984.................................... 265 268 241 — 223

1985...................................... 277 281 252 — 230

1986...................................... 291 294 264 — 241

1987....................................... 303 307 276 — 251

1988........................................ 315 318 288 — 260

1989.......................................... 328 334 301 — 269

1990.................................. 346 353 308 — 278

1991..................................... 366 373 323 — 292

1992......................................... 380 387 335 — 302

1993..................................... 393 401 348 — 313

1994.................................... 399 408 346 — 305

1995............................. 406 415 355 — 305

1996................................................ 418 428 362 — 316

1997.................................. 431 444 375 — 318

1998.............................. 456 468 400 — 337

1999.............................. 473 483 409 — 348

2000............................... 493 502 429 $547 366

2001............................... 512 522 454 563 388

2002............................ 529 547 473 566 397

2003................................. 552 567 491 598 410

2004...................................... 573 584 505 613 419

2005.................................. 585 596 499 665 429

2006.............................. 600 609 519 699 440

2007.............................. 614 626 533 731 473

2008.............................. 638 654 554 753 501

2009.............................. 657 669 582 779 509

2010.............................. 669 684 592 773 508

2011.................................. 684 703 595 751 518

2012...................................... 691 710 599 770 521

See note at end of table.

Years

46
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Table 16. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 1979–2012 annual averages—Continued 

Total White Black or African 

American Asian Hispanic or 

Latino ethnicity

Women's earnings as a percent of men's

1979.............................................62.3 61.7 74.4 — 71.7

1980..................................... 64.2 63.4 75.8 — 73.5

1981................................... 64.4 63.1 76.9 — 75.7

1982..................................... 65.7 64.5 78.1 — 75.5

1983................................... 66.5 65.6 78.9 — 78.5

1984.................................... 67.6 66.8 79.5 — 77.7

1985...................................... 68.1 67.2 82.6 — 77.7

1986...................................... 69.5 67.9 82.8 — 80.6

1987....................................... 69.8 68.2 84.4 — 82.0

1988........................................ 70.2 68.4 82.8 — 84.4

1989.......................................... 70.1 69.3 86.5 — 85.4

1990.................................. 71.9 71.5 85.3 — 87.4

1991..................................... 74.2 73.7 86.1 — 90.4

1992......................................... 75.8 75.3 88.2 — 89.1

1993..................................... 77.1 76.5 88.8 — 90.5

1994.................................... 76.4 74.6 86.5 — 88.9

1995............................. 75.5 73.3 86.4 — 87.1

1996................................................75.0 73.8 87.9 — 88.8

1997.................................. 74.4 74.6 86.8 — 85.7

1998.............................. 76.3 76.1 85.5 — 86.4

1999.............................. 76.5 75.7 83.8 — 85.7

2000............................... 76.9 75.8 84.1 79.9 87.8

2001............................. 76.4 75.8 85.8 76.9 88.2

2002............................. 77.9 77.9 90.3 74.9 88.0

2003................................. 79.4 79.3 88.5 77.5 88.4

2004..................................... 80.4 79.8 88.8 76.4 87.3

2005.................................. 81.0 80.2 89.3 80.6 87.7

2006.............................. 80.8 80.0 87.8 79.3 87.1

2007.............................. 80.2 79.4 88.8 78.1 91.0

2008.............................. 79.9 79.3 89.4 78.0 89.6

2009.............................. 80.2 79.2 93.7 81.8 89.5

2010.............................. 81.2 80.5 93.5 82.6 90.7

2011................................ 82.2 82.1 91.1 77.4 90.7

2012.................................... 80.9 80.8 90.1 73.0 88.0

Years

 Note: Beginning in 2003, estimates for White, Black or African American, and Asian race groups include people who selected that race 

group only; persons who selected more than one race group are not included in these groups. Prior to 2003, people who reported more than 

one race were included in the group they identified as the main race. Asian estimates for 2000–2002 are for Asians and Pacific Islanders; 

beginning in 2003, Asian is a separate category. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Dash 

indicates data not available. 

47
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Educational attainment and gender Total White Black or 

African American Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total, 25 years and older.............................................................................................. $815 $842 $657 $954 $597 

Less than a high school diploma.................................................................................. 471 482 408 446 437

High school graduates, no college1......................................................................... 652 680 548 589 582

Some college, no degree............................................................................................................. 727 753 611 705 657

Associate degree.............................................................................................................. 785 813 662 727 728

Bachelor's degree and higher2......................................................................................... 1,165 1,178 972 1,290 967

Men, 25 years and older........................................................................................... 910 932 702 1,119 619

Less than a high school diploma.................................................................................. 508 515 446 479 486

High school graduates, no college1......................................................................... 735 760 604 665 624

Some college, no degree............................................................................................................. 826 871 676 779 730

Associate degree.............................................................................................................. 905 936 745 795 822

Bachelor's degree and higher2......................................................................................... 1,371 1,399 1,086 1,426 1,103

Women, 25 years and older........................................................................................ 727 743 621 802 554

Less than a high school diploma.................................................................................. 386 389 377 398 369

High school graduates, no college1......................................................................... 561 581 499 504 501

Some college, no degree............................................................................................................. 634 654 580 616 603

Associate degree.............................................................................................................. 697 714 623 696 626

Bachelor's degree and higher2......................................................................................... 1,001 1,012 913 1,077 902

 1 Includes people with a high school diploma or equivalent.

 2 Includes people with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.

 Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Table 17. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by educational attainment, gender, race, and 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

48
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Occupation and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Total, 16 years and older..................................................................................................................... $768 $792 $621 $920 $568

Management, professional, and related occupations.................................. 1,108 1,123 892 1,350 905

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 1,171 1,195 971 1,337 931

 Management occupations........................................................................................ 1,248 1,265 984 1,440 926

 Business and financial operations occupations................................................................ 1,058 1,058 954 1,223 940

 Professional and related occupations.................................................................................... 1,053 1,061 847 1,355 891

 Computer and mathematical occupations................................................................... 1,349 1,333 1,006 1,478 1,065

 Architecture and engineering occupations.................................................................... 1,337 1,338 997 1,509 1,220

 Life, physical, and social science occupations.................................................................. 1,134 1,147 964 1,161 882

 Community and social services occupations.................................................................... 838 849 788 966 715

 Legal occupations....................................................................................................... 1,328 1,359 961 1,569 961

 Education, training, and library occupations...................................................................... 915 930 792 1,055 851

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations.................................................. 969 969 904 1,130 789

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations.............................................................. 1,028 1,044 812 1,245 875

Service occupations............................................................................................................................ 485 494 458 487 419

 Healthcare support occupations............................................................................... 482 496 454 482 481

 Protective service occupations................................................................................ 791 854 646 729 834

 Food preparation and serving related occupations...................................................................... 410 408 401 472 386

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations........................................................ 465 475 432 511 413

 Personal care and service occupations........................................................................................ 468 480 439 469 411

Sales and office occupations....................................................................................... 655 671 593 653 575

 Sales and related occupations................................................................................................... 689 733 497 611 518

 Office and administrative support occupations..................................................................... 643 648 618 672 592

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................................................... 740 751 661 765 550

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................................................... 435 438 434 367 402

 Construction and extraction occupations............................................................................. 740 750 656 851 584

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................................................. 808 820 712 782 639

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations........................................................... 624 642 560 598 511

 Production occupations................................................................................................................... 627 647 547 571 509

 Transportation and material-moving occupations................................................................ 621 636 573 646 513

See note at end of table.

Table 18. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity, 2012 annual averages 

49
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Occupation and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Men, 16 years and older......................................................................................$854 $879 $665 $1,055 $592

Management, professional, and related occupations.................................. 1,328 1,339 1,021 1,464 985

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 1,387 1,411 1,137 1,463 996

 Management occupations........................................................................................ 1,428 1,444 1,115 1,585 964

 Business and financial operations occupations................................................................ 1,274 1,288 1,186 1,342 1,156

 Professional and related occupations.................................................................................... 1,267 1,270 974 1,465 974

 Computer and mathematical occupations................................................................... 1,414 1,404 1,080 1,545 1,227

 Architecture and engineering occupations.................................................................... 1,358 1,360 1,016 1,555 1,201

 Life, physical, and social science occupations.................................................................. 1,226 1,245 1,077 1,429 819

 Community and social services occupations.................................................................... 869 903 736 1,138 701

 Legal occupations....................................................................................................... 1,884 1,897 1,179 2,101 1,335

 Education, training, and library occupations...................................................................... 1,133 1,140 954 1,270 973

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations.................................................. 1,055 1,056 1,051 1,167 832

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations.............................................................. 1,245 1,269 917 1,370 883

Service occupations............................................................................................................................ 543 569 498 515 453

 Healthcare support occupations............................................................................... 529 582 478 549 522

 Protective service occupations................................................................................ 841 891 673 740 850

 Food preparation and serving related occupations...................................................................... 433 437 407 482 407

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations........................................................ 501 508 461 585 431

 Personal care and service occupations........................................................................................ 569 606 499 497 517

Sales and office occupations....................................................................................... 768 802 606 748 620

 Sales and related occupations................................................................................................... 838 888 591 751 626

 Office and administrative support occupations..................................................................... 700 716 619 739 615

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................................................... 749 759 671 787 567

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................................................... 457 460 491 319 417

 Construction and extraction occupations............................................................................. 741 750 660 834 585

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................................................. 809 821 707 789 641

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations........................................................... 675 689 598 646 557

 Production occupations................................................................................................................... 695 709 596 641 566

 Transportation and material moving occupations................................................................ 650 664 599 661 541

See note at end of table.

Table 18. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued 

50
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Occupation and gender Total White

Black or 

African 

American

Asian

Hispanic 

or Latino 

ethnicity

Women, 16 years and older............................................................................................... $691 $710 $599 $770 $521

Management, professional, and related occupations.................................. 951 958 838 1,143 825

 Management, business, and financial operations occupations................... 993 999 921 1,149 855

 Management occupations........................................................................................ 1,036 1,055 938 1,168 858

 Business and financial operations occupations................................................................ 952 944 905 1,122 850

 Professional and related occupations.................................................................................... 928 937 797 1,140 797

 Computer and mathematical occupations................................................................... 1,146 1,133 951 1,285 876

 Architecture and engineering occupations.................................................................... 1,136 1,144 836 1,311 1,318

 Life, physical, and social science occupations.................................................................. 1,015 1,046 947 956 933

 Community and social services occupations.................................................................... 820 828 798 934 720

 Legal occupations....................................................................................................... 1,013 1,019 932 1,169 748

 Education, training, and library occupations...................................................................... 858 875 742 912 761

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations.................................................. 885 886 785 1,015 764

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations.............................................................. 980 991 794 1,189 871

Service occupations............................................................................................................................ 435 433 437 463 397

 Healthcare support occupations............................................................................... 477 491 451 470 478

 Protective service occupations................................................................................ 658 689 610 606 792

 Food preparation and serving related occupations...................................................................... 389 386 394 455 355

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations........................................................ 407 405 413 480 392

 Personal care and service occupations........................................................................................ 428 429 420 442 392

Sales and office occupations....................................................................................... 610 617 588 611 533

 Sales and related occupations................................................................................................... 521 561 419 491 425

 Office and administrative support occupations..................................................................... 629 632 618 657 580

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.................................................... 550 556 580 470 370

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.......................................................................... 377 370 405 374 356

 Construction and extraction occupations............................................................................. 723 746 563 1,134 535

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations.................................................................. 757 765 827 385 612

Production, transportation, and material-moving occupations........................................................... 493 498 478 480 405

 Production occupations................................................................................................................... 496 501 481 465 410

 Transportation and material-moving occupations................................................................ 487 491 474 574 394

 Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.

Table 18. Median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by occupation, gender, race, and Hispanic or Latino 

ethnicity, 2012 annual averages—Continued 

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to total because data are not presented for
Technical Notes

L A B O R F O R C E C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S B Y R A C E A N D E T H N I C I T Y, 2 0 1 2

60 BLS Reports │ October 2013 • www.bls.gov

The estimates in this report were obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), a national monthly 

sample survey of approximately 60,000 eligible 

households that provides a wide range of information 

on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. 

Earnings data are collected from one-fourth of the 

CPS monthly sample. The survey is conducted for 

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

Census Bureau using a scientifically selected national 

sample with coverage in all 50 states and the District of 

Columbia.

Material in this report is in the public domain and, with 

appropriate credit, may be reproduced without permission. 

This information is available to sensory-impaired 

individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; 

Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Concepts and definitions

Civilian noninstitutional population. Included are people 

16 years of age and older residing in the 50 states and the 

District of Columbia who are not confined to institutions,

such as nursing homes and prisons, and who are not on 

active duty in the Armed Forces.

Employed. Employed people are all those who, during 

the survey reference week (which is generally the week 

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

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

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

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

People who were temporarily absent from their jobs or 

businesses because of illness, vacation, labor dispute, or 

another reason also are counted as employed. 

Unemployed. The unemployed are people who had no 

employment during the reference week, were available 

for work (except for temporary illness), and had made 

specific efforts to find employment sometime during the

4-week period ending with the reference week. People who 

were waiting to be recalled to a job from which they had 

been laid off need not have been looking for work to be 

classified as unemployed.

Duration of unemployment. This represents the length of 

time (through the reference week) that people classified

as unemployed had been looking for work. For people on 

layoff, duration of unemployment represents the number 

of full weeks they had been on layoff. Mean duration 

is the arithmetic average computed from single weeks 

of unemployment; median duration is the midpoint of a 

distribution of weeks of unemployment.

Reason for unemployment. Unemployment also is 

categorized according to the status of individuals at 

the time they began to look for work. The reasons for 

unemployment are divided into four major groups:

1. Job losers, comprising (a) people on temporary 

layoff, who have been given a date to return to work 

or who expect to return within 6 months (people 

on layoff need not be looking for work to qualify 

as unemployed), (b) permanent job losers, whose 

employment ended involuntarily and who began 

looking for work, and (c) people who completed 

temporary jobs, who began looking for work after the 

jobs ended.

2. Job leavers, people who quit or otherwise terminated 

their employment voluntarily and immediately began 

looking for work.

3. Reentrants, people who previously worked but who 

were out of the labor force prior to beginning their job 

search.

4. New entrants, people who had never worked.

Civilian labor force. This group comprises all people 

classified as employed or unemployed in accordance with

the criteria described above.

Unemployment rate. This rate is the number unemployed as 

a percent of the civilian labor force.

Labor force participation rate. This rate is the labor force 

as a percent of the population.
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Employment-population ratio. This ratio is the number of 

employed as a percentage of the population.

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

people in the civilian noninstitutional population 

who are neither employed nor unemployed. People 

marginally attached to the labor force are those 

individuals who are not in the labor force who wanted 

and were available for work and had looked for a job 

sometime in the prior 12 months (or since the end of 

their last job if they held one within the past 12 months). 

They were not counted as unemployed because they 

had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the 

survey. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally 

attached, were not looking for work because they 

believed no jobs were available for them.

Occupation and industry. This information applies to the 

job held during the reference week. People with two or 

more jobs are classified in the occupation and industry

in which they worked the greatest number of hours. The 

occupational and industry classification of CPS data is

based on the 2010 Census Occupational Classification

system and the 2007 Census Industrial Classification

system, which are derived from the 2010 Standard 

Occupation Classification (SOC) and the 2007 North

American Industry Classification (NAICS). Additional

information about these classifications is available online at

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

White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian 

and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific 

Islander. In accordance with the Office of Management

and Budget guidelines, these terms are used to describe 

the race of people. Beginning in 2003, people in these 

categories are those who selected that race group only. 

Those who identify multiple race groups are categorized 

as people of Two or More Races. (Previously, people 

identified a group as their main race.) Estimates for

American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians 

and Other Pacific Islanders, and people of Two or More

Races are not shown separately in all tables because the 

number of survey respondents is too small to develop 

estimates of sufficient quality. In the enumeration process,

race is determined by the household respondent. More 

information on the 2003 changes to questions on race 

and Hispanic ethnicity is available on the BLS website at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf.

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. This refers to people who 

identified themselvesin the enumeration process as being Spanish,

Hispanic, or Latino. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic 

or Latino may be of any race. More information on the 2003 

changes in questions on race and Hispanic ethnicity is 

available online at http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf.

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions, and include any overtime pay, 

commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job, in 

the case of multiple jobholders). Earnings reported on a 

basis other than weekly (for example, annual, monthly, 

hourly) are converted to weekly. The term “usual” is as 

perceived by the respondent. If the respondent asks for a 

definition of usual, interviewers are instructed to define

the term as more than half the weeks worked during the 

past 4 or 5 months. Data refer to the sole or primary job 

of wage and salary workers (excluding all self-employed 

people regardless of whether their businesses were 

incorporated).

Median earnings. These figures indicate the value that

divides the earnings distribution into two equal parts, one 

part having values above the median and the other having 

values below the median. The medians shown in this 

publication are calculated by linear interpolation of the $50 

centered interval within which each median falls.

Family. A family is defined as a group of two or more

people residing together who are related by birth, marriage, 

or adoption; all such people are considered as members of 

one family. Families are classified either as married-couple

families or as families maintained by women or men 

without spouses.

Children. Data on children refer to one’s own children 

under age 18 that live in the household. Included are sons, 

daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children. Not included 
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are nieces, nephews, grandchildren, other related children, 

and all unrelated children living in the household.

Reliability of the estimates

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling 

and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than an 

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

sample estimates may differ from the true population 

values they represent. The component of this difference 

that occurs because samples differ by chance is known 

as sampling error, and its variability is measured by the 

standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90 percent 

chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a

sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from 

the true population value because of sampling error. BLS 

analyses are generally conducted at the 90 percent level of 

confidence.

All other types of error are referred to as 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 data.

A more detailed discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS 

and information on estimating standard errors is available online at 

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