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1

Technical information:

(202) 691-6378
http://www.bls.gov/cps/

Media contact:

691-5902

USDL 04-2532
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Wednesday, December 22, 2004

WORK EXPERIENCE OF THE POPULATION IN 2003
A total of 150.7 million persons worked at some point during 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round
was unchanged from the previous 2 years. The number of persons who experienced some unemployment
during the year fell by 358,000 from 2002, to 16.4 million.
These data are based on information collected in the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the
Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Additional information about the CPS and the annual supplement, including
concepts and definitions, is provided in the Technical Note. Highlights from the 2003 data include:
• The proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 years old and over that worked at
some time during the year was 67.7 percent in 2003, down from 68.4 percent in 2002.
• The proportion of workers who worked full time, year round in 2003 (66.3 percent) was unchanged
from the previous 2 years. Although this proportion is lower than it had been in 2000, when it
peaked at 66.7 percent, it is still high by historical standards.
• The “work-experience unemployment rate”—defined as the number unemployed at some time during
the year as a proportion of the number who worked or looked for work during the year—edged down
by 0.3 percentage point over the year to 10.7 percent in 2003.
Persons with Employment
In 2003, the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years old and over that worked at
some point during the year was 67.7 percent—0.7 percentage point lower than the 2002 level. (See table
1.) This proportion had remained above 68.0 percent from 1984 through 2002, peaking at 70.6 percent in
1999. The proportion of men who worked at some time during the year was 74.2 percent in 2003, down
from 75.1 percent in 2002. The proportion of women who worked some time during the year, 61.7 percent,
was down from its peak of 64.5 percent in 1999.
Among those with work experience during 2003, 76.5 percent were employed year round (either full
or part time), up by 0.5 percentage point from 2002. Continuing a long-term growth trend, full-year employment among women edged up to 73.3 percent from 73.0 percent in 2002. The percentage of men
employed year round also was up over the year, increasing to 79.3 percent from 78.7 percent in 2002.
About 4 out of 5 of those who were employed at some time during 2003 worked full time, about the
same as in 2002. This proportion has been in the narrow range of 77.0 to 81.5 percent since the series

2

began in 1966. Among both men and women, the proportion who worked full time was little changed
between 2002 and 2003. (See table 1.)
Persons with Unemployment
Overall, 153.4 million persons worked or looked for work at some time in 2003. Of these, 16.4 million
experienced some unemployment during the year, down from 16.8 million in 2002. Men accounted for about
80 percent of the over-the-year decrease.
At 10.7 percent in 2003, the “work-experience unemployment rate” was down by 0.3 percentage point
from 2002. The rate is still low by historical standards, but is above the series low of 8.6 percent reached in
2000. The rate for blacks in 2003, 14.7 percent, was higher than the rates for Hispanics or Latinos (12.9
percent), Asians (10.2 percent), and whites (10.1 percent). (See tables 3 and 4.)
The “work-experience unemployment rate” for black men (16.3 percent) was somewhat higher than that
for black women (13.3 percent). Similarly, the rate for white men (10.8 percent) was higher than that for
white women (9.1 percent). In contrast, among Hispanics or Latinos and Asians, there was little difference
in the rates for men and women in 2003. (See table 4.)
Among those who experienced unemployment in 2003, the median number of weeks spent looking for
work was 16.6 weeks, up from 15.5 weeks the year before. About 2.8 million individuals had looked for
a job but did not work at all in 2003, about the same as a year earlier. Of the 13.7 million persons who
worked during the year and also experienced unemployment, 22.6 percent had two or more spells of joblessness, about the same proportion as in 2002.

Technical Note
The data presented in this release were collected in the
Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current
Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly sample survey
conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Data from the CPS are used to obtain the monthly
estimates of the nation’s employment and unemployment
levels. The supplement, conducted in the months of February
through April, includes questions about work activity during
the prior calendar year. For instance, data collected in 2004 refer
to the 2003 calendar year. Because the reference period is a full
year, the number of persons with some employment or
unemployment greatly exceeds the average levels for any given
month, which are based on a 1-week reference period, and the
corresponding annual average of the monthly estimates. As
shown below, for example, the number experiencing any
unemployment during 2003 was about twice the number
unemployed in an average month during the year.
Employed
2003 estimates (in thousands)
Annual average of
monthly estimates
Annual supplement data

137,736
150,689

Unemployed

8,774
16,444

In addition, estimates from the supplement differ from
those obtained in the basic CPS because the questions used to
classify workers as either employed or unemployed are
different. More important, perhaps, is that fewer questions by
which to categorize respondents are asked in the supplement.
In regard to unemployment in particular, the supplement has no
questions on the type of job search activity or on the
respondent’s availability to work. Also, individuals can be
counted as both employed and unemployed in the work
experience data, whereas, for a specific reference week, each
person is only counted in one category and employment activity
takes precedence over job search activity.
Work experience data for 2003, which were collected in the
2004 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the CPS, are
not strictly comparable with data for 2002 and earlier years
because of the introduction in January 2004 of revised
population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the revised
population controls on the work experience estimates is
unknown. However, the effect of the new controls on the
monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the January 2004
employment level by 409,000 and the unemployment level by
27,000 relative to the December 2003 level. For additional
information, see “Adjustments to Household Survey
Population Estimates in January 2004” in the February 2004
issue of Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps04adj.pdf.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200;
TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and
nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire
population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample
estimates may differ from the “true” population values they
represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies
depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability
is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is
about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an
estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6
standard errors from the “true” population value because of
sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the
90-percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or
unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information,
and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the CPS
an d information on estimating standard errors, see the
“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of
Employment and Earnings.
Concepts and definitions
Persons who worked. In the 2004 supplement, persons are
considered to have worked if they responded “yes” to either the
question “Did you work at a job or business at any time during
2003?” or “Did you do any temporary, part-time, or seasonal
work even for a few days during 2003?”
Unemployed persons. Persons who worked during the year
but not in every week are counted as unemployed if they also
reported looking for work or being on layoff from a job during
the year. Those who reported no work activity during the year
are considered unemployed if they responded “yes” to the
question “Even though you did not work in 2003, did you spend
any time trying to find a job or on layoff?”
Labor force participants. Persons who either worked or
were unemployed during the year.
Usual full- and part-time employment. These data refer to
the number of hours a worker typically works during most weeks
of the year. Workers are classified as full time if they usually
worked 35 hours or more in a week; part-time employment refers
to workers whose typical workweek was between 1 and 34 hours.
Year-round and part-year employment. Workers are
classified as year round if they worked 50 to 52 weeks. Part-year
employment refers to workers who worked fewer than 50 weeks.

Table 1. Work experience of the population during the year by sex and extent of employment, 2002-03
Total

Men

Women

Extent of employment
2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Numbers (in thousands)
Civilian noninstitutional population .......................................................................
Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................
Percent of the population ..............................................................................
Total who worked during the year1 ...................................................................
Percent of the population ..............................................................................

220,285
153,411
69.6
150,755
68.4

222,509
153,448
69.0
150,689
67.7

105,973
80,933
76.4
79,564
75.1

107,241
81,023
75.6
79,539
74.2

114,312
72,478
63.4
71,191
62.3

115,269
72,425
62.8
71,150
61.7

Full time2 ......................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .........................................................................................
48 to 49 weeks .........................................................................................
40 to 47 weeks .........................................................................................
27 to 39 weeks .........................................................................................
14 to 26 weeks .........................................................................................
1 to 13 weeks ...........................................................................................

120,970
99,946
2,113
5,604
4,803
4,898
3,605

120,325
99,904
1,917
5,269
4,763
4,909
3,562

69,445
58,115
1,261
3,002
2,522
2,636
1,908

69,019
58,064
1,128
2,762
2,571
2,614
1,880

51,525
41,831
852
2,602
2,281
2,262
1,697

51,306
41,841
789
2,508
2,192
2,295
1,682

Part time3 ......................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .........................................................................................
48 to 49 weeks .........................................................................................
40 to 47 weeks .........................................................................................
27 to 39 weeks .........................................................................................
14 to 26 weeks .........................................................................................
1 to 13 weeks ...........................................................................................

29,785
14,615
820
2,547
2,807
4,488
4,508

30,364
15,325
782
2,611
2,632
4,386
4,628

10,120
4,499
294
811
929
1,769
1,818

10,520
5,034
236
813
821
1,684
1,932

19,666
10,116
526
1,737
1,878
2,719
2,690

19,844
10,291
546
1,798
1,810
2,702
2,696

Percent distribution
Total who worked during the year1 .......................................................................

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

Full time2 ..........................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .............................................................................................
48 to 49 weeks .............................................................................................
40 to 47 weeks .............................................................................................
27 to 39 weeks .............................................................................................
14 to 26 weeks .............................................................................................
1 to 13 weeks ...............................................................................................

80.2
66.3
1.4
3.7
3.2
3.2
2.4

79.8
66.3
1.3
3.5
3.2
3.3
2.4

87.3
73.0
1.6
3.8
3.2
3.3
2.4

86.8
73.0
1.4
3.5
3.2
3.3
2.4

72.4
58.8
1.2
3.7
3.2
3.2
2.4

72.1
58.8
1.1
3.5
3.1
3.2
2.4

Part time3 ..........................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .............................................................................................
48 to 49 weeks .............................................................................................
40 to 47 weeks .............................................................................................
27 to 39 weeks .............................................................................................
14 to 26 weeks .............................................................................................
1 to 13 weeks ...............................................................................................

19.8
9.7
.5
1.7
1.9
3.0
3.0

20.2
10.2
.5
1.7
1.7
2.9
3.1

12.7
5.7
.4
1.0
1.2
2.2
2.3

13.2
6.3
.3
1.0
1.0
2.1
2.4

27.6
14.2
.7
2.4
2.6
3.8
3.8

27.9
14.5
.8
2.5
2.5
3.8
3.8

1

Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
Usually worked 35 hours or more per week.
3 Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 16 years and over. Data for 2003, which
were collected in the 2004 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the
Current Population Survey, are not strictly comparable with data for 2002
2

and earlier years because of the introduction in January 2004 of revised
population controls used in the survey. For additional information, see the
Technical Note and "Adjustments to Household Survey Population
Estimates in January 2004" in the February 2004 issue of
Employment
and
Earnings,
available
on
the
Internet
at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps04adj.pdf.

Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2002-03
(Numbers in thousands)
Total

Men

Women

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Civilian noninstitutional population ...................................................................
Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................
Total who worked during the year1 ...............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................

180,648
126,416
70.0
124,727
69.0

181,964
126,232
69.4
124,362
68.3

87,873
67,836
77.2
66,966
76.2

88,600
67,807
76.5
66,803
75.4

92,776
58,580
63.1
57,761
62.3

93,364
58,425
62.6
57,560
61.7

Percent who worked during the year1 ..........................................................
Full time2 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................
Part time3 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................

100.0
79.9
66.1
8.3
5.4
20.1
10.0
4.2
5.9

100.0
79.3
66.1
7.9
5.3
20.7
10.6
4.2
5.9

100.0
87.5
73.5
8.5
5.5
12.5
5.6
2.5
4.4

100.0
86.9
73.4
8.1
5.4
13.1
6.3
2.4
4.4

100.0
71.0
57.6
8.1
5.3
29.0
15.2
6.2
7.7

100.0
70.6
57.6
7.7
5.3
29.4
15.5
6.2
7.7

Civilian noninstitutional population ...................................................................
Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................
Total who worked during the year1 ...............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................

25,547
17,176
67.2
16,471
64.5

25,931
17,161
66.2
16,520
63.7

11,385
7,862
69.1
7,494
65.8

11,589
7,829
67.6
7,488
64.6

14,162
9,314
65.8
8,976
63.4

14,343
9,331
65.1
9,032
63.0

Percent who worked during the year1 ..........................................................
Full time2 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................
Part time3 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................

100.0
83.0
67.9
8.1
7.0
17.0
7.7
3.1
6.2

100.0
82.8
67.9
7.8
7.1
17.2
7.9
3.1
6.1

100.0
85.9
70.0
8.4
7.5
14.1
6.0
2.5
5.6

100.0
86.1
70.7
8.0
7.4
13.9
6.5
2.1
5.3

100.0
80.6
66.0
7.9
6.7
19.4
9.1
3.7
6.7

100.0
80.1
65.6
7.7
6.8
19.9
9.2
3.9
6.9

Civilian noninstitutional population ...................................................................
Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................
Total who worked during the year1 ...............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................

9,141
6,294
68.9
6,139
67.2

9,429
6,411
68.0
6,273
66.5

4,317
3,357
77.8
3,282
76.0

4,516
3,457
76.6
3,378
74.8

4,824
2,937
60.9
2,857
59.2

4,913
2,954
60.1
2,895
58.9

Percent who worked during the year1 ..........................................................
Full time2 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................
Part time3 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................

100.0
82.8
70.2
7.4
5.2
17.2
8.5
3.2
5.5

100.0
83.0
70.5
6.5
5.9
17.0
8.4
2.9
5.7

100.0
87.8
76.0
7.6
4.2
12.2
5.6
2.4
4.2

100.0
87.4
75.3
6.7
5.4
12.6
5.6
1.8
5.2

100.0
77.1
63.5
7.3
6.3
22.9
11.8
4.1
7.0

100.0
77.8
65.0
6.2
6.5
22.2
11.8
4.1
6.3

WHITE

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN

ASIAN

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 2. Work experience of the population during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2002-03 —
Continued
(Numbers in thousands)
Total

Men

Women

Extent of employment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Civilian noninstitutional population ...................................................................
Total who worked or looked for work ............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................
Total who worked during the year1 ...............................................................
Percent of the population ..........................................................................

27,184
18,990
69.9
18,606
68.4

27,783
19,357
69.7
18,969
68.3

13,903
11,194
80.5
11,030
79.3

14,240
11,445
80.4
11,246
79.0

13,281
7,795
58.7
7,576
57.0

13,543
7,912
58.4
7,723
57.0

Percent who worked during the year1 ..........................................................
Full time2 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................
Part time3 ..................................................................................................
50 to 52 weeks .....................................................................................
27 to 49 weeks .....................................................................................
1 to 26 weeks .......................................................................................

100.0
84.2
68.2
9.4
6.5
15.8
8.1
3.0
4.7

100.0
83.7
67.7
9.2
6.7
16.3
8.3
2.8
5.2

100.0
89.3
73.5
10.0
5.8
10.7
5.6
2.0
3.1

100.0
89.4
73.5
9.6
6.3
10.6
5.4
1.7
3.5

100.0
76.6
60.4
8.6
7.6
23.4
11.9
4.4
7.1

100.0
75.4
59.3
8.7
7.4
24.6
12.7
4.3
7.6

HISPANIC OR LATINO

1

Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
Usually worked 35 hours or more per week.
Usually worked 1 to 34 hours per week.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African
American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in table 1 because data
2
3

are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is
identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are
classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Data refer to persons 16 years
and over. Also, see Note, table 1.

Table 3. Extent of unemployment during the year by sex, 2002-03
Total

Men

Women

Extent of unemployment
2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Numbers (in thousands)
Total who worked or looked for work .................................................................... 153,411
Percent with unemployment .............................................................................
11.0

153,448
10.7

80,933
11.9

81,023
11.5

72,478
9.9

72,425
9.8

Total with unemployment ..................................................................................
Did not work but looked for work ..................................................................
1 to 14 weeks ...........................................................................................
15 weeks or more .....................................................................................
Worked during the year ................................................................................
Year-round workers1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment .......................
Part-year workers2 with unemployment ....................................................
1 to 4 weeks .........................................................................................
5 to 10 weeks .......................................................................................
11 to 14 weeks .....................................................................................
15 to 26 weeks .....................................................................................
27 weeks or more .................................................................................

16,802
2,656
931
1,725
14,146
581
13,565
1,997
2,371
1,966
3,847
3,383

16,444
2,759
1,014
1,745
13,684
530
13,154
1,836
2,263
1,748
3,777
3,530

9,603
1,369
373
996
8,234
361
7,873
1,071
1,340
1,182
2,282
1,998

9,321
1,484
463
1,021
7,837
354
7,483
954
1,313
1,038
2,177
2,001

7,199
1,287
558
729
5,912
220
5,692
927
1,031
784
1,566
1,385

7,122
1,275
550
725
5,847
176
5,671
882
950
710
1,600
1,530

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers .......................................

15.5

16.6

15.9

16.5

15.0

16.6

With 2 spells or more of unemployment ...................................................
2 spells .................................................................................................
3 spells or more ....................................................................................

3,222
1,553
1,669

3,088
1,584
1,504

1,916
911
1,006

1,877
945
932

1,306
642
664

1,211
639
572

Percent distribution
Did not work but looked for work ..........................................................................
1 to 14 weeks ...................................................................................................
15 weeks or more .............................................................................................
Worked during the year ........................................................................................
Year-round workers1 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ...............................
Part-year workers2 with unemployment ............................................................
1 to 4 weeks .................................................................................................
5 to 10 weeks ...............................................................................................
11 to 14 weeks .............................................................................................
15 to 26 weeks .............................................................................................
27 weeks or more .........................................................................................

100.0
35.1
64.9
100.0
4.1
95.9
14.1
16.8
13.9
27.2
23.9

100.0
36.7
63.3
100.0
3.9
96.1
13.4
16.5
12.8
27.6
25.8

100.0
27.2
72.8
100.0
4.4
95.6
13.0
16.3
14.4
27.7
24.3

100.0
31.2
68.8
100.0
4.5
95.5
12.2
16.8
13.2
27.8
25.5

100.0
43.4
56.6
100.0
3.7
96.3
15.7
17.4
13.3
26.5
23.4

100.0
43.2
56.8
100.0
3.0
97.0
15.1
16.3
12.1
27.4
26.2

With 2 spells or more of unemployment ...............................................
2 spells .............................................................................................
3 spells or more ................................................................................

22.8
11.0
11.8

22.6
11.6
11.0

23.3
11.1
12.2

24.0
12.1
11.9

22.1
10.9
11.2

20.7
10.9
9.8

1
2

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

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

Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2002-03
(Numbers in thousands)
Total

Men

Women

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................
Percent with unemployment .........................................................................

126,416
10.3

126,232
10.1

67,836
11.2

67,807
10.8

58,580
9.1

58,425
9.1

Total with unemployment ..............................................................................
Did not work but looked for work ..............................................................
Worked during the year ............................................................................

12,962
1,689
11,273

12,691
1,870
10,821

7,624
870
6,753

7,348
1,004
6,344

5,339
819
4,520

5,342
866
4,477

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ...................................

14.7

15.7

15.3

15.9

14.0

15.5

Percent who worked during the year1 ......................................................
Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ...................
Part-year workers3 with unemployment ................................................
1 to 4 weeks .....................................................................................
5 to 14 weeks ...................................................................................
15 weeks or more .............................................................................

100.0
4.5
95.5
14.0
32.5
49.0

100.0
4.3
95.7
13.9
30.3
51.5

100.0
4.7
95.3
13.0
31.7
50.6

100.0
4.9
95.1
12.3
30.9
51.8

100.0
4.2
95.8
15.6
33.7
46.5

100.0
3.3
96.7
16.2
29.4
51.1

With 2 spells or more of unemployment .......................................

22.3

22.6

22.9

24.3

21.3

20.2

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................
Percent with unemployment .........................................................................

17,176
14.9

17,161
14.7

7,862
16.3

7,829
16.3

9,314
13.7

9,331
13.3

Total with unemployment ..............................................................................
Did not work but looked for work ..............................................................
Worked during the year ............................................................................

2,557
706
1,851

2,520
641
1,879

1,282
368
915

1,279
341
938

1,274
338
936

1,240
299
941

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ...................................

20.4

21.2

19.7

21.2

21.1

21.1

Percent who worked during the year1 ......................................................
Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ...................
Part-year workers3 with unemployment ................................................
1 to 4 weeks .....................................................................................
5 to 14 weeks ...................................................................................
15 weeks or more .............................................................................

100.0
2.3
97.7
12.4
22.9
62.4

100.0
2.5
97.5
10.1
24.2
63.2

100.0
2.9
97.1
10.6
25.9
60.6

100.0
3.2
96.8
10.4
23.2
63.2

100.0
1.7
98.3
14.1
19.9
64.2

100.0
1.9
98.1
9.7
25.2
63.2

With 2 spells or more of unemployment .......................................

25.2

22.8

25.8

23.7

24.6

22.0

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................
Percent with unemployment .........................................................................

6,294
10.8

6,411
10.2

3,357
10.4

3,457
10.8

2,937
11.3

2,954
9.7

Total with unemployment ..............................................................................
Did not work but looked for work ..............................................................
Worked during the year ............................................................................

681
155
527

657
138
519

350
75
276

372
79
293

331
80
251

285
59
226

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ...................................

17.3

17.0

17.4

15.3

17.2

18.4

......................................................
Percent who worked during the
Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ...................
3
Part-year workers with unemployment ................................................
1 to 4 weeks .....................................................................................
5 to 14 weeks ...................................................................................
15 weeks or more .............................................................................

100.0
2.5
97.5
19.6
22.3
55.6

100.0
2.4
97.6
14.6
28.4
54.6

100.0
1.3
98.7
19.1
23.2
56.4

100.0
1.5
98.5
16.7
31.3
50.5

100.0
3.9
96.1
20.1
21.4
54.6

100.0
3.4
96.6
11.9
24.6
60.0

With 2 spells or more of unemployment .......................................

19.7

15.9

17.8

14.3

21.7

18.0

WHITE

BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN

ASIAN

year1

See footnotes at end of table.

Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2002-03 — Continued
(Numbers in thousands)
Total

Men

Women

Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2002

2003

2002

2003

2002

2003

Total who worked or looked for work ................................................................
Percent with unemployment .........................................................................

18,990
12.8

19,357
12.9

11,194
12.8

11,445
13.1

7,795
12.9

7,912
12.5

Total with unemployment ..............................................................................
Did not work but looked for work ..............................................................
Worked during the year ............................................................................

2,436
384
2,053

2,494
388
2,106

1,430
164
1,266

1,502
199
1,303

1,006
220
786

991
189
803

Median weeks of unemployment for all workers ...................................

16.7

17.6

15.7

16.9

18.5

18.5

Percent who worked during the year1 ......................................................
Year-round workers2 with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment ...................
Part-year workers3 with unemployment ................................................
1 to 4 weeks .....................................................................................
5 to 14 weeks ...................................................................................
15 weeks or more .............................................................................

100.0
4.2
95.8
14.1
28.1
53.6

100.0
3.7
96.3
13.0
27.4
55.9

100.0
4.1
95.9
13.8
30.6
51.5

100.0
4.2
95.8
12.2
29.6
54.1

100.0
4.2
95.8
14.6
24.2
57.0

100.0
2.9
97.1
14.4
24.0
58.7

With 2 spells or more of unemployment .......................................

22.7

23.9

24.5

25.3

19.9

21.8

HISPANIC OR LATINO

1

Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
Worked 50 or 51 weeks.
3 Worked less than 50 weeks.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African
American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in table 3 because data
2

are not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is
identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are
classified by ethnicity as well as by race. Data refer to persons 16 years
and over. Also, see Note, table 1.