In March 2020, the employment rate for female 25- to 34-year-olds with a bachelor's or higher degree was higher than for similar individuals who had not completed high school (83 percent vs. 41 percent). These data reference the period of early pandemic-related labor market impacts, just prior to the first major U.S. business and school closures.
This indicator focuses on 25- to 34-year-olds and examines recent trends in two distinct yet related measures of labor market conditions: the employment rate and the unemployment rate. The employment rate (also known as the employment to population ratio) is the percentage of persons in the civilian noninstitutionalized population who are employed.1 The unemployment rate is the percentage of persons in the civilian labor force (i.e., all civilians who are employed or seeking employment) who are not working and who made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the prior 4 weeks. It is important to note that the reference period for the data for this indicator is the week of March 8–14, 2020, which preceded many of the coronavirus-related business closures and other public health efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. As a result, the data only represent the initial labor market response to the effects of the coronavirus and efforts to contain it rather than the full extent of the pandemic’s impact on the labor market.2
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NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities) and all military personnel. The employment rate, or employment to population ratio, is the number of persons in each group who are employed as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population in that group. “Some college, no bachelor’s degree” includes persons with an associate’s degree. “High school completion” includes equivalency credentials, such as the GED. Caution should be used when comparing 2020 estimates to those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar20.pdf. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2020, tables 501.50, 501.60, and 501.70.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities) and all military personnel. The employment rate, or employment to population ratio, is the number of persons in each group who are employed as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutionalized population in that group. “Some college, no bachelor’s degree” includes persons with an associate's degree. “High school completion” includes equivalency credentials, such as the GED. Caution should be used when comparing 2020 estimates to those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar20.pdf.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2010 through 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020, table 501.50.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities) and all military personnel. The unemployment rate is the percentage of persons in the civilian labor force who are not working and who made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the prior 4 weeks. The civilian labor force consists of all civilians who are employed or seeking employment. “Some college, no bachelor’s degree” includes persons with an associate’s degree. “High school completion” includes equivalency credentials, such as the GED. Caution should be used when comparing 2020 estimates to those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar20.pdf. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2020, tables 501.80, 501.85, and 501.90.
NOTE: Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities) and all military personnel. The unemployment rate is the percentage of persons in the civilian labor force who are not working and who made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the prior 4 weeks. The civilian labor force consists of all civilians who are employed or seeking employment. “Some college, no bachelor’s degree” includes persons with an associate’s degree. “High school completion” includes equivalency credentials, such as the GED. Caution should be used when comparing 2020 estimates to those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar20.pdf.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2010 through 2020. See Digest of Education Statistics 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2020, table 501.80.
1 Data in this indicator are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities) and excludes all military personnel.
2 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Frequently Asked Questions: The Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on The Employment Situation for March 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020 from https://www.bls.gov/cps/employment-situation-covid19-faq-march-2020.pdf.
3 In this indicator, “some college” includes those who attended any college, including those who obtained an associate’s degree, but did not obtain a bachelor’s degree.
4 Includes equivalency credentials, such as the GED.
5 National Bureau of Economic Research. (2020). U.S. Business Cycle Expansions and Contractions. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from https://www.nber.org/research/data/us-business-cycle-expansions-and-contractions.
6 While significant differences are observed between 2019 and 2020, unless otherwise noted in the text, both years follow a similar trend when compared with prior years: in both cases, the employment rates in the most recent year are higher than the rates in 2010. In addition, caution should be used when comparing 2020 estimates with those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar20.pdf.
7 While significant differences are observed between 2019 and 2020, unless otherwise noted in the text, both years follow a similar trend when compared with prior years: in both cases, the unemployment rates in the most recent year are lower than the rates in 2010. In addition, caution should be used when comparing 2020 estimates with those of prior years due to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on interviewing and response rates. For additional information about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Current Population Survey data collection, please see https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsmar20.pdf.