From 1979 to 2000, prime-age men became less attached to the labor force; after 2000, both men and women became less attached: Share of adults ages 25--54 that are nonearners, by gender, race, and ethnicity, 1979–2016
| White men | Black men | Hispanic men | White women | Black women | Hispanic women | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 5.4% | 12.8% | 6.5% | 29.1% | 29.7% | 39.4% |
| 1980 | 5.4% | 16.8% | 8.1% | 28.6% | 30.6% | 40.5% |
| 1981 | 6.2% | 15.5% | 7.2% | 27.7% | 30.4% | 40.4% |
| 1982 | 6.9% | 19.3% | 10.1% | 28.1% | 30.8% | 42.1% |
| 1983 | 7.1% | 19.5% | 10.8% | 26.7% | 30.7% | 41.2% |
| 1984 | 6.4% | 17.9% | 10.3% | 24.9% | 28.8% | 38.8% |
| 1985 | 6.5% | 16.1% | 11.1% | 24.2% | 27.3% | 39.6% |
| 1986 | 6.0% | 16.4% | 8.5% | 22.9% | 25.5% | 37.9% |
| 1987 | 6.1% | 15.5% | 10.2% | 21.6% | 26.6% | 36.6% |
| 1988 | 6.0% | 16.4% | 8.8% | 20.7% | 25.0% | 35.2% |
| 1989 | 4.5% | 13.7% | 8.3% | 20.3% | 24.0% | 34.8% |
| 1990 | 4.9% | 13.6% | 8.9% | 19.8% | 26.2% | 35.5% |
| 1991 | 5.5% | 16.0% | 8.9% | 19.6% | 25.4% | 35.3% |
| 1992 | 6.0% | 16.6% | 10.5% | 20.0% | 26.4% | 35.7% |
| 1993 | 6.5% | 19.2% | 10.5% | 19.5% | 25.0% | 37.4% |
| 1994 | 6.2% | 18.9% | 10.1% | 18.9% | 24.3% | 35.3% |
| 1995 | 6.2% | 18.9% | 10.7% | 18.5% | 23.9% | 34.8% |
| 1996 | 6.0% | 17.7% | 9.2% | 18.6% | 22.8% | 34.3% |
| 1997 | 5.9% | 16.6% | 9.4% | 18.5% | 20.4% | 32.8% |
| 1998 | 6.3% | 16.0% | 8.5% | 18.3% | 19.6% | 32.0% |
| 1999 | 6.3% | 15.2% | 7.9% | 17.5% | 17.3% | 30.8% |
| 2000 | 6.3% | 16.3% | 8.7% | 18.2% | 18.2% | 29.2% |
| 2001 | 7.0% | 17.0% | 9.2% | 18.9% | 20.3% | 30.3% |
| 2002 | 7.5% | 19.2% | 9.2% | 19.3% | 20.9% | 32.4% |
| 2003 | 8.4% | 21.1% | 9.6% | 20.3% | 20.9% | 32.8% |
| 2004 | 8.6% | 18.7% | 9.1% | 20.5% | 22.5% | 33.8% |
| 2005 | 7.9% | 19.8% | 9.4% | 20.8% | 21.6% | 33.5% |
| 2006 | 8.2% | 19.0% | 7.8% | 20.7% | 21.0% | 31.8% |
| 2007 | 8.4% | 19.6% | 9.0% | 20.4% | 21.9% | 32.1% |
| 2008 | 9.0% | 20.4% | 10.2% | 20.6% | 22.5% | 31.8% |
| 2009 | 10.5% | 25.0% | 13.0% | 21.9% | 26.0% | 33.0% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | 26.5% | 13.6% | 22.9% | 26.8% | 34.5% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | 25.6% | 13.3% | 23.2% | 27.0% | 33.8% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | 23.9% | 12.7% | 22.8% | 26.3% | 33.9% |
| 2013 | 11.6% | 23.4% | 12.7% | 22.6% | 25.9% | 33.4% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | 23.7% | 11.2% | 22.8% | 24.9% | 33.9% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | 22.2% | 10.7% | 21.9% | 24.0% | 32.9% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | 21.1% | 11.1% | 21.5% | 22.2% | 31.4% |
Notes: Nonearners are those who reported that they did not work any hours or earn any wages over the course of an entire year. Shaded areas denote recessions.
Source: Authors’ analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata