Public K–12 education employment has collapsed: Local public education employment and employment needed to keep up with enrollment, 2003–2021

Date Local public education employment Local public education employment needed to keep up with student enrollment Local public education employment at 2008 levels
Jan-2003 7,697.4
Feb-2003 7,697.4
Mar-2003 7,691.2
Apr-2003 7,698.5
May-2003 7,695.0
Jun-2003 7,731.5
Jul-2003 7,779.1
Aug-2003 7,725.2
Sep-2003 7,667.5
Oct-2003 7,716.5
Nov-2003 7,702.5
Dec-2003 7,703.1
Jan-2004 7,712.0
Feb-2004 7,719.9
Mar-2004 7,748.3
Apr-2004 7,753.8
May-2004 7,776.7
Jun-2004 7,760.7
Jul-2004 7,757.5
Aug-2004 7,766.9
Sep-2004 7,774.3
Oct-2004 7,782.8
Nov-2004 7,797.5
Dec-2004 7,803.2
Jan-2005 7,821.9
Feb-2005 7,831.1
Mar-2005 7,820.9
Apr-2005 7,829.4
May-2005 7,840.2
Jun-2005 7,818.8
Jul-2005 7,904.7
Aug-2005 7,907.3
Sep-2005 7,878.7
Oct-2005 7,864.6
Nov-2005 7,875.6
Dec-2005 7,883.0
Jan-2006 7,882.2
Feb-2006 7,886.9
Mar-2006 7,890.6
Apr-2006 7,896.1
May-2006 7,883.9
Jun-2006 7,867.8
Jul-2006 7,899.9
Aug-2006 7,935.2
Sep-2006 7,972.6
Oct-2006 7,950.2
Nov-2006 7,954.5
Dec-2006 7,956.8
Jan-2007 7,959.8
Feb-2007 7,953.3
Mar-2007 7,956.3
Apr-2007 7,965.4
May-2007 7,974.3
Jun-2007 7,964.6
Jul-2007 7,945.7
Aug-2007 7,991.8
Sep-2007 8,008.6
Oct-2007 8,023.0
Nov-2007 8,034.4
Dec-2007 8,054.7
Jan-2008 8,053.5
Feb-2008 8,064.7
Mar-2008 8,067.9
Apr-2008 8,062.0
May-2008 8,078.1
Jun-2008 8,086.2
Jul-2008 8,119.4
Aug-2008 8,091.9
Sep-2008 8,085.3 8,085.3 8,085
Oct-2008 8,089.8 8,086.7 8,085
Nov-2008 8,082.8 8,088.1 8,085
Dec-2008 8,083.6 8,089.5 8,085
Jan-2009 8,084.0 8,090.9 8,085
Feb-2009 8,096.7 8,092.3 8,085
Mar-2009 8,093.7 8,093.7 8,085
Apr-2009 8,091.6 8,095.1 8,085
May-2009 8,088.2 8,096.5 8,085
Jun-2009 8,108.4 8,097.9 8,085
Jul-2009 8,066.7 8,099.3 8,085
Aug-2009 8,061.9 8,100.7 8,085
Sep-2009 8,012.3 8,102.1 8,085
Oct-2009 8,073.7 8,103.5 8,085
Nov-2009 8,099.1 8,105.0 8,085
Dec-2009 8,071.6 8,106.4 8,085
Jan-2010 8,068.5 8,107.8 8,085
Feb-2010 8,057.0 8,109.2 8,085
Mar-2010 8,058.0 8,110.6 8,085
Apr-2010 8,056.3 8,112.0 8,085
May-2010 8,062.4 8,113.4 8,085
Jun-2010 8,048.6 8,114.8 8,085
Jul-2010 8,026.3 8,116.2 8,085
Aug-2010 7,997.1 8,117.6 8,085
Sep-2010 7,919.2 8,119.0 8,085
Oct-2010 7,963.7 8,120.4 8,085
Nov-2010 7,961.5 8,121.8 8,085
Dec-2010 7,953.5 8,123.2 8,085
Jan-2011 7,943.6 8,124.6 8,085
Feb-2011 7,929.6 8,126.1 8,085
Mar-2011 7,924.9 8,127.5 8,085
Apr-2011 7,936.7 8,128.9 8,085
May-2011 7,898.7 8,130.3 8,085
Jun-2011 7,960.5 8,131.7 8,085
Jul-2011 7,862.0 8,133.1 8,085
Aug-2011 7,821.2 8,134.5 8,085
Sep-2011 7,798.0 8,135.9 8,085
Oct-2011 7,827.9 8,137.3 8,085
Nov-2011 7,814.7 8,138.7 8,085
Dec-2011 7,804.2 8,140.2 8,085
Jan-2012 7,797.4 8,141.6 8,085
Feb-2012 7,799.8 8,143.0 8,085
Mar-2012 7,794.5 8,144.4 8,085
Apr-2012 7,785.7 8,145.8 8,085
May-2012 7,774.0 8,147.2 8,085
Jun-2012 7,778.2 8,148.6 8,085
Jul-2012 7,771.8 8,150.0 8,085
Aug-2012 7,770.8 8,151.5 8,085
Sep-2012 7,768.8 8,152.9 8,085
Oct-2012 7,759.3 8,154.3 8,085
Nov-2012 7,755.3 8,155.7 8,085
Dec-2012 7,771.2 8,157.1 8,085
Jan-2013 7,769.8 8,158.5 8,085
Feb-2013 7,770.3 8,159.9 8,085
Mar-2013 7,774.6 8,161.4 8,085
Apr-2013 7,769.0 8,162.8 8,085
May-2013 7,781.2 8,164.2 8,085
Jun-2013 7,757.8 8,165.6 8,085
Jul-2013 7,765.4 8,167.0 8,085
Aug-2013 7,774.4 8,168.4 8,085
Sep-2013 7,773.2 8,169.9 8,085
Oct-2013 7,776.1 8,171.3 8,085
Nov-2013 7,778.6 8,172.7 8,085
Dec-2013 7,760.7 8,174.1 8,085
Jan-2014 7,762.4 8,175.5 8,085
Feb-2014 7,767.7 8,176.9 8,085
Mar-2014 7,778.0 8,178.4 8,085
Apr-2014 7,798.8 8,179.8 8,085
May-2014 7,767.2 8,181.2 8,085
Jun-2014 7,815.9 8,182.6 8,085
Jul-2014 7,847.6 8,184.0 8,085
Aug-2014 7,812.2 8,185.5 8,085
Sep-2014 7,837.6 8,186.9 8,085
Oct-2014 7,845.0 8,188.3 8,085
Nov-2014 7,844.7 8,189.7 8,085
Dec-2014 7,849.0 8,191.1 8,085
Jan-2015 7,854.1 8,192.6 8,085
Feb-2015 7,864.3 8,194.0 8,085
Mar-2015 7,852.6 8,195.4 8,085
Apr-2015 7,863.4 8,196.8 8,085
May-2015 7,870.2 8,198.2 8,085
Jun-2015 7,872.8 8,199.7 8,085
Jul-2015 7,896.4 8,201.1 8,085
Aug-2015 7,892.5 8,202.5 8,085
Sep-2015 7,849.4 8,203.9 8,085
Oct-2015 7,867.5 8,205.3 8,085
Nov-2015 7,875.9 8,206.8 8,085
Dec-2015 7,875.4 8,208.2 8,085
Jan-2016 7,878.7 8,209.6 8,085
Feb-2016 7,886.3 8,211.0 8,085
Mar-2016 7,904.5 8,212.5 8,085
Apr-2016 7,903.6 8,213.9 8,085
May-2016 7,913.6 8,215.3 8,085
Jun-2016 7,867.8 8,216.7 8,085
Jul-2016 7,962.4 8,218.2 8,085
Aug-2016 7,942.7 8,219.6 8,085
Sep-2016 7,938.5 8,221.0 8,085
Oct-2016 7,919.1 8,222.4 8,085
Nov-2016 7,899.8 8,223.9 8,085
Dec-2016 7,910.5 8,225.3 8,085
Jan-2017 7,912.5 8,226.7 8,085
Feb-2017 7,910.4 8,228.1 8,085
Mar-2017 7,918.0 8,229.6 8,085
Apr-2017 7,921.2 8,231.0 8,085
May-2017 7,919.2 8,232.4 8,085
Jun-2017 7,908.7 8,233.8 8,085
Jul-2017 7,914.5 8,235.3 8,085
Aug-2017 7,933.5 8,236.7 8,085
Sep-2017 7,949.1 8,238.1 8,085
Oct-2017 7,942.9 8,239.6 8,085
Nov-2017 7,946.6 8,241.0 8,085
Dec-2017 7,945.2 8,242.4 8,085
Jan-2018 7,919.7 8,243.8 8,085
Feb-2018 7,951.2 8,245.3 8,085
Mar-2018 7,949.8 8,246.7 8,085
Apr-2018 7,951.2 8,248.1 8,085
May-2018 7,955.7 8,249.6 8,085
Jun-2018 7,966.6 8,251.0 8,085
Jul-2018 7,971.5 8,252.4 8,085
Aug-2018 7,975.6 8,253.9 8,085
Sep-2018 7,968.0 8,255.3 8,085
Oct-2018 7,970.4 8,256.7 8,085
Nov-2018 7,965.1 8,258.2 8,085
Dec-2018 7,978.9 8,259.6 8,085
Jan-2019 7,989.8 8,261.0 8,085
Feb-2019 7,965.3 8,262.5 8,085
Mar-2019 7,981.2 8,263.9 8,085
Apr-2019 7,997.8 8,265.3 8,085
May-2019 7,989.4 8,266.8 8,085
Jun-2019 7,977.4 8,268.2 8,085
Jul-2019 7,997.3 8,269.6 8,085
Aug-2019 8,004.4 8,271.1 8,085
Sep-2019 8,016.2 8,272.5 8,085
Oct-2019 8,015.4 8,273.9 8,085
Nov-2019 8,020.1 8,275.4 8,085
Dec-2019 8,016.9 8,276.8 8,085
Jan-2020 8,024.5 8,278.2 8,085
Feb-2020 8,029.6 8,279.7 8,085
Mar-2020 8,009.3 8,281.1 8,085
Apr-2020 7,571.9 8,282.5 8,085
May-2020 7,280.4 8,284.0 8,085
Jun-2020 7,335.7 8,285.4 8,085
Jul-2020 7,492.3 8,286.8 8,085
Aug-2020 7,672.0 8,288.3 8,085
Sep-2020 7,443.5 8,289.7 8,085
Oct-2020 7,341.4 8,291.2 8,085
Nov-2020 7,334.8 8,292.6 8,085
Dec-2020 7,326.4 8,294.0 8,085
Jan-2021 7,394.7 8,295.5 8,085
Feb-2021

7,359.7

8,296.9 8,085
Mar-2021 7,389.0 8,298.3 8,085
Apr-2021 7,411.2 8,299.8 8,085
May-2021 7,457.0 8,301.2 8,085
Jun-2021 7,590.8 8,302.7 8,085
Jul-2021 7,848.1 8,304.1 8,085
Aug-2021 7,789.0 8,305.5 8,085
Sep-2021 7,705.1 8,307.0 8,085
Oct-2021 7,666.9 8,308.4 8,085
Nov-2021 7,655.1 8,309.9 8,085
Dec-2021 7,653.3 8311.3 8,085

Source: Reproduced from Gould 2020, “Public Education Job Losses in April Are Already Greater Than in All of the Great Recession.” EPI analysis of data from the Current Employment Statistics public data series and U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

View the underlying data on epi.org.