Underemployment rate of young high school graduates, by race and ethnicity, 2000–2015*

Date White Black Hispanic
2000-01-01 17.8% 37.8% 22.2%
2000-02-01 17.7% 36.8% 21.8%
2000-03-01 17.7% 37.0% 21.4%
2000-04-01 17.7% 36.5% 20.9%
2000-05-01 17.9% 36.7% 20.5%
2000-06-01 17.9% 36.5% 20.8%
2000-07-01 17.8% 35.9% 20.8%
2000-08-01 17.9% 36.1% 20.3%
2000-09-01 17.7% 35.3% 19.5%
2000-10-01 17.9% 34.7% 19.4%
2000-11-01 18.0% 33.7% 19.4%
2000-12-01 18.1% 33.6% 19.5%
2001-01-01 18.2% 33.3% 20.3%
2001-02-01 18.4% 33.4% 20.9%
2001-03-01 18.3% 32.9% 21.3%
2001-04-01 18.2% 33.3% 22.0%
2001-05-01 17.9% 32.6% 22.0%
2001-06-01 17.8% 33.6% 22.3%
2001-07-01 18.0% 33.6% 22.9%
2001-08-01 18.3% 33.4% 23.2%
2001-09-01 18.9% 34.8% 24.0%
2001-10-01 19.3% 35.3% 25.2%
2001-11-01 19.7% 37.3% 26.3%
2001-12-01 20.1% 38.6% 27.0%
2002-01-01 20.5% 39.5% 26.6%
2002-02-01 20.8% 40.4% 26.2%
2002-03-01 21.4% 40.5% 26.2%
2002-04-01 22.0% 40.3% 26.2%
2002-05-01 22.6% 40.0% 26.8%
2002-06-01 23.2% 39.8% 26.6%
2002-07-01 24.0% 41.1% 26.2%
2002-08-01 24.3% 42.2% 26.5%
2002-09-01 24.4% 43.3% 26.1%
2002-10-01 24.4% 43.4% 25.6%
2002-11-01 24.8% 42.3% 25.0%
2002-12-01 24.8% 41.4% 24.2%
2003-01-01 24.9% 42.0% 24.6%
2003-02-01 25.2% 42.1% 25.3%
2003-03-01 25.1% 42.1% 25.8%
2003-04-01 25.1% 42.8% 26.0%
2003-05-01 25.1% 44.5% 26.1%
2003-06-01 25.3% 45.2% 26.4%
2003-07-01 25.5% 45.2% 27.2%
2003-08-01 25.6% 44.7% 27.7%
2003-09-01 25.8% 43.5% 27.9%
2003-10-01 26.2% 43.7% 28.4%
2003-11-01 26.1% 44.0% 28.9%
2003-12-01 26.1% 44.6% 29.9%
2004-01-01 26.0% 44.2% 30.0%
2004-02-01 25.8% 44.1% 30.3%
2004-03-01 26.1% 44.5% 30.7%
2004-04-01 26.0% 44.7% 31.0%
2004-05-01 26.1% 44.3% 31.2%
2004-06-01 26.0% 43.3% 31.4%
2004-07-01 25.5% 43.5% 30.6%
2004-08-01 25.5% 42.7% 30.3%
2004-09-01 25.4% 42.2% 30.1%
2004-10-01 25.4% 42.0% 29.6%
2004-11-01 25.2% 42.2% 29.1%
2004-12-01 25.3% 41.6% 28.1%
2005-01-01 25.1% 41.2% 27.5%
2005-02-01 25.1% 40.8% 27.2%
2005-03-01 25.0% 40.6% 27.1%
2005-04-01 25.0% 40.2% 26.9%
2005-05-01 24.8% 41.0% 26.7%
2005-06-01 25.0% 41.5% 26.7%
2005-07-01 24.9% 41.5% 26.6%
2005-08-01 25.1% 42.7% 26.4%
2005-09-01 24.9% 42.8% 26.4%
2005-10-01 24.6% 42.4% 26.3%
2005-11-01 24.2% 42.7% 26.2%
2005-12-01 23.8% 42.2% 26.2%
2006-01-01 23.7% 42.2% 26.4%
2006-02-01 23.5% 42.1% 26.4%
2006-03-01 23.3% 41.4% 25.3%
2006-04-01 23.3% 41.6% 25.0%
2006-05-01 23.5% 40.5% 24.4%
2006-06-01 23.2% 40.2% 24.0%
2006-07-01 23.4% 40.0% 23.3%
2006-08-01 23.3% 40.1% 22.8%
2006-09-01 23.4% 40.7% 22.4%
2006-10-01 23.8% 41.2% 22.4%
2006-11-01 23.9% 40.6% 22.5%
2006-12-01 24.4% 41.7% 23.0%
2007-01-01 24.3% 41.7% 23.1%
2007-02-01 24.3% 41.6% 23.1%
2007-03-01 24.5% 41.8% 23.0%
2007-04-01 24.7% 41.5% 22.7%
2007-05-01 24.6% 41.6% 23.0%
2007-06-01 24.4% 42.2% 23.1%
2007-07-01 24.1% 42.3% 24.2%
2007-08-01 24.1% 41.9% 24.4%
2007-09-01 24.1% 41.0% 24.3%
2007-10-01 24.0% 40.2% 24.3%
2007-11-01 24.1% 40.0% 23.9%
2007-12-01 24.3% 40.8% 24.2%
2008-01-01 24.7% 41.0% 24.1%
2008-02-01 25.3% 41.9% 23.9%
2008-03-01 25.7% 43.1% 24.4%
2008-04-01 25.9% 43.1% 25.5%
2008-05-01 26.5% 43.7% 26.0%
2008-06-01 27.5% 43.4% 26.4%
2008-07-01 28.6% 43.8% 27.1%
2008-08-01 29.1% 43.5% 27.9%
2008-09-01 29.6% 43.6% 29.4%
2008-10-01 30.4% 44.3% 30.5%
2008-11-01 31.4% 44.1% 31.8%
2008-12-01 32.5% 43.9% 32.1%
2009-01-01 33.1% 44.8% 33.2%
2009-02-01 33.8% 45.7% 34.5%
2009-03-01 34.6% 46.2% 35.8%
2009-04-01 35.2% 47.7% 37.0%
2009-05-01 35.8% 48.9% 38.7%
2009-06-01 36.4% 49.4% 40.2%
2009-07-01 37.8% 49.8% 41.1%
2009-08-01 39.2% 51.2% 42.6%
2009-09-01 40.0% 53.4% 43.6%
2009-10-01 41.1% 54.8% 44.8%
2009-11-01 41.5% 56.8% 45.8%
2009-12-01 41.6% 57.5% 47.6%
2010-01-01 42.3% 57.4% 48.6%
2010-02-01 42.6% 57.6% 49.9%
2010-03-01 42.6% 57.1% 50.5%
2010-04-01 43.2% 56.7% 50.1%
2010-05-01 43.6% 55.5% 49.5%
2010-06-01 43.7% 55.6% 49.6%
2010-07-01 43.1% 55.6% 50.0%
2010-08-01 43.2% 56.7% 49.2%
2010-09-01 43.4% 56.8% 48.6%
2010-10-01 43.2% 56.6% 48.1%
2010-11-01 43.5% 57.4% 47.9%
2010-12-01 43.5% 57.6% 47.5%
2011-01-01 43.5% 58.0% 47.0%
2011-02-01 43.4% 57.6% 46.4%
2011-03-01 43.7% 57.6% 46.1%
2011-04-01 43.7% 57.7% 46.7%
2011-05-01 43.3% 58.6% 47.1%
2011-06-01 42.9% 59.9% 47.3%
2011-07-01 43.3% 60.8% 48.3%
2011-08-01 42.7% 60.4% 49.6%
2011-09-01 42.3% 60.5% 49.6%
2011-10-01 42.1% 60.6% 49.5%
2011-11-01 41.6% 60.1% 50.0%
2011-12-01 41.4% 60.0% 49.6%
2012-01-01 41.1% 59.6% 49.4%
2012-02-01 41.0% 59.7% 48.9%
2012-03-01 40.4% 60.0% 48.0%
2012-04-01 40.4% 59.9% 46.9%
2012-05-01 40.6% 60.4% 46.2%
2012-06-01 40.7% 60.0% 45.8%
2012-07-01 40.4% 59.7% 43.7%
2012-08-01 40.6% 59.7% 42.7%
2012-09-01 41.0% 59.8% 42.3%
2012-10-01 40.9% 59.9% 42.5%
2012-11-01 40.9% 59.6% 41.8%
2012-12-01 40.7% 58.9% 42.2%
2013-01-01 40.5% 57.4% 42.4%
2013-02-01 40.1% 57.2% 42.9%
2013-03-01 40.2% 57.0% 43.2%
2013-04-01 39.9% 57.6% 43.5%
2013-05-01 39.8% 58.3% 43.2%
2013-06-01 39.9% 58.9% 43.0%
2013-07-01 39.4% 59.1% 42.9%
2013-08-01 39.2% 58.8% 43.0%
2013-09-01 38.5% 57.7% 44.2%
2013-10-01 38.0% 57.4% 43.8%
2013-11-01 37.9% 56.8% 43.5%
2013-12-01 37.4% 56.6% 42.8%
2014-01-01 37.1% 56.8% 42.4%
2014-02-01 37.2% 56.7% 41.9%
2014-03-01 36.8% 56.6% 41.9%
2014-04-01 36.5% 55.4% 41.7%
2014-05-01 36.2% 53.4% 41.4%
2014-06-01 35.9% 52.4% 41.2%
2014-07-01 36.0% 52.2% 41.3%
2014-08-01 35.8% 51.7% 40.1%
2014-09-01 35.8% 51.7% 38.6%
2014-10-01 35.4% 51.8% 38.3%
2014-11-01 35.2% 52.6% 37.7%
2014-12-01 34.7% 52.2% 37.0%
2015-01-01 34.5% 52.4% 36.4%
2015-02-01 34.0% 52.0% 36.2%
2015-03-01 33.8% 51.3% 36.1%

 

* Data reflect 12-month moving averages; data for 2015 represent 12-month average from April 2014 to March 2015.

Note: Data are for high school graduates age 17–20 who are not enrolled in further schooling. Shaded areas denote recessions. Race/ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic any race).

Source: EPI analysis of basic monthly Current Population Survey microdata

View the underlying data on epi.org.