Although the employment rate for male 16- and 17-year-old students was lower in 2001 than in 1970 (28 vs. 32 percent), the employment rate showed no consistent pattern of change during that time period. The employment rate of female 16- and 17-year-old students increased from 28 percent in 1970 to 34 percent in 1980, with no detectable change since. Differences exist in the employment rates between Black and White 16- and 17-year-old students. In 2001, the employment rate for White male students was 18 percentage points higher than that of their Black classmates (32 vs. 14 percent), and the employment rate for White female students was 20 percentage points higher than that for Black female students (37 vs. 17 percent).