A rising share of prime-age white men are not working due to illness or disability: Distribution of earners and nonearners by reason, white men ages 25--54, selected years, 1978--2016
| Year | Working | Ill/disabled | Taking care of home/family | Going to school | Could not/unable to find work | Retired | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 96.2% | 2.4% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 1979 | 96.1% | 2.5% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 1980 | 95.9% | 2.5% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 1988 | 95.2% | 2.8% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 1989 | 95.5% | 2.7% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 1990 | 95.1% | 2.8% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 1994 | 93.8% | 3.6% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| 1995 | 93.8% | 3.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| 1996 | 94.0% | 3.7% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| 1999 | 93.7% | 3.9% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| 2000 | 93.7% | 4.0% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| 2001 | 93.0% | 4.2% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| 2006 | 91.9% | 4.6% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| 2007 | 91.6% | 4.6% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.5% |
| 2008 | 91.0% | 4.8% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| 2013 | 88.4% | 5.7% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| 2014 | 88.7% | 5.8% | 1.0% | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 0.5% |
| 2015 | 89.4% | 5.3% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| 2016 | 89.6% | 5.2% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 0.7% |
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