February 19, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Work experience of teenagers by race, Hispanic origin, and age

Working while in school was common among high school and college students during the 2000-01 school year. Employment rates rose from 77 percent for those who were age 17 at the start of the 2000-01 school year to 84 percent for those age 19.

[Chart data—TXT]

Differences in employment among enrolled youths were apparent by race and Hispanic ethnicity. Non-Hispanic whites were more likely to be employed at all ages. Non-Hispanic white youths were more likely to combine schooling and employment then their non-Hispanic black or Hispanic counterparts. For example, among youths age 17 at the beginning of the school year, 85 percent of non-Hispanic white youths worked at some time during the school year compared to 66 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 72 percent of Hispanics. This difference was similar at older ages.

These data come from the National Longitudinal Surveys program. To learn more, see Employment of Teenagers during the School Year and Summer (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-217. "Employee jobs," also known as wage and salary jobs, are those jobs in which youths have an ongoing formal relationship with a particular employer; this excludes self-employed youths and those who performed unpaid work at a family business. The non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic categories are mutually exclusive. Hispanics can be of any race. "Age" means age as of September 1, 2000.