Employment Status by Industry, 1929–1998
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
(in millions of persons unless specified)
| Category | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1990 | 1985 | 1980 | 1970 | 1950 | 1945 | 1932 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Status1 | ||||||||||||
| Civilian noninstitutional population | 205.2 | 203.1 | 200.6 | 198.6 | 189.2 | 178.2 | 167.7 | 137.1 | 105.0 | 94.1 | — | — |
| Civilian labor force | 137.7 | 136.3 | 133.9 | 132.3 | 125.8 | 115.5 | 106.9 | 82.8 | 62.2 | 53.9 | — | — |
| Civilian labor force participation rate (percent) | 67.1% | 67.1% | 66.8% | 66.6% | 66.5% | 64.8% | 63.8% | 60.4% | 59.2% | 57.2% | — | — |
| Employed | 131.5 | 129.6 | 126.7 | 124.9 | 118.8 | 107.2 | 99.3 | 78.7 | 58.9 | 52.8 | 38.9 | 47.6 |
| Employment-population ratio | 64.1 | 63.8 | 63.2 | 62.9 | 62.8 | 60.1 | 59.2 | 57.4 | 56.1 | 56.1 | — | — |
| Agriculture | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 7.2 | 8.6 | 10.2 | 10.5 |
| Nonagricultural industries | 128.1 | 126.2 | 123.3 | 121.5 | 115.6 | 104.0 | 95.9 | 75.2 | 51.8 | 44.2 | 28.8 | 37.2 |
| Unemployed | 6.2 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 12.1 | 1.6 |
| Unemployment rate (percent) | 4.5% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 7.2% | 7.1% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 1.9% | 23.6% | 3.2% |
| Not in labor force | 67.6 | 66.8 | 66.7 | 66.3 | 63.3 | 62.7 | 60.8 | 54.3 | 42.8 | 40.2 | — | — |
| Industry | ||||||||||||
| Total nonfarm employment | 128.0 | 122.3 | 119.5 | 117.2 | 109.4 | 97.4 | 90.4 | 70.9 | 45.2 | 40.4 | 23.6 | 31.3 |
| Goods-producing industries | 33.2 | 24.7 | 24.3 | 24.2 | 24.9 | 24.8 | 25.7 | 23.6 | 18.5 | 17.5 | 8.6 | 13.3 |
| Mining | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
| Construction | 8.5 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Manufacturing: durable goods | 12.6 | 10.9 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 11.5 | 12.2 | 11.2 | 8.1 | 9.1 | — | — |
| Nondurable goods | 8.2 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 6.4 | — | — |
| Services-producing industries | 98.2 | 97.5 | 95.3 | 93.0 | 84.5 | 72.5 | 64.7 | 47.3 | 26.7 | 22.9 | 15.0 | 18.0 |
| Transportation and public utilities | 7.5 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 2.8 | 3.9 |
| Trade, wholesale | 5.1 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 2.0 | — | — |
| Retail | 22.1 | 22.1 | 21.6 | 21.2 | 19.6 | 17.3 | 15.0 | 11.0 | 6.7 | 5.4 | — | — |
| Finance, insurance, and real estate | 8.6 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 1.5 | — | — |
| Services | 47.2 | 35.6 | 34.4 | 33.1 | 27.9 | 21.9 | 17.9 | 11.5 | 5.4 | 4.2 | — | — |
| Federal government | — | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 2.8 | — | — |
| State and local government | — | 17.0 | 16.7 | 16.5 | 15.2 | 13.5 | 13.4 | 9.8 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Public Administration | 5.9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1. For 1929–45, figures on employment status relate to persons 14 years and over; beginning in 1950, 16 years and over. Data beginning in 1990, 1994, and 1998 are not directly comparable with earlier years due to the introduction of census-based population controls, the introduction of a major redesign of the Current Population Survey, and new composite estimation procedures, respectively.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Monthly Labor Review.
| Distribution of Extended Mass Layoff Events and Separations by Size of Layoff, 1999–2000 | Labor and Employment | Government Employment and Payrolls |
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