January 23, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Moonlighting across the U.S.

In 2001, 5.4 percent of U.S. workers held more than one job, down from 5.6 percent in 2000.

[Chart data—TXT]

The U.S. multiple jobholding rate has edged downward every year since its recent peak of 6.2 percent in 1996. Over that 5-year span, 42 States and the District of Columbia experienced decreases in multiple jobholding, while only 6 States had increases. The largest drops in multiple jobholding rates were registered in Missouri (–2.5 percentage points), Massachusetts (–2.4 points), and New Mexico (–2.3 points).

Once again in 2001, States continued to show a clear geographic pattern from North to South, as well as considerable variation around the U.S. multiple jobholding rate. All seven States in the West North Central division continued to register multiple jobholding rates considerably above that of the Nation, with Nebraska and North Dakota recording the highest (10.4 and 9.9 percent, respectively). 

In contrast, 7 of the 11 States with the lowest multiple jobholding rates were along the Southern border of the United States. The lowest rates were recorded in Alabama and Georgia, 4.1 percent each, and Florida and Louisiana, 4.2 percent each.

Multiple jobholding statistics are prepared by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program using data from the Current Population Survey . Multiple jobholders are employed persons who had either two or more jobs as a wage and salary worker, were self-employed and also held a wage and salary job, or worked as an unpaid family worker and also held a wage and salary job. Find out more information on multiple jobholding by State in "Regional Trends," Monthly Labor Review, November 2002.

Related Articles:

• Moonlighting in 2001