CPS Factsheet

Unemployment Rate for Persons
25 Years and Older, by Education

Percentage of Persons Employed
(Annual averages)

(Annual averages for 2015)

Men, age 16+
Women, age 16+
72.0

71.7

70.9

72.0

71.9

70.8

69.6
63.7

54.3

57.5

55.6

56.2
53.6

8.0

Less than
high school

65.3

53.7

50.4
47.7

Fact Sheet for the
Current Population Survey

High school
graduate

5.4

Some college,
no degree

5.0

42.0

Associate degree

Bachelor's
degree or more
1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

3.8

2.6

2015

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unemployment Rate for 2005 to 2015
Annual averages
12
9.3

9.6

8.9
8.1

9

7.4
6.2

5.8
6

5.1

4.6

4.6

2006

2007

5.3

3

0

2005

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2005 to 2015: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Issued April 2016
BC-1433

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

People who have jobs......those who want jobs......and those not in the job market.
What this survey is about
This survey is the Current Population Survey.
Its main purpose is to collect up-to-date
figures on people who have jobs, those
who want jobs, and those who are not in
the market for jobs. The U.S. Census Bureau
collects the information and the
U.S. Department of Labor publishes the
results. The survey results include a number
of high-profile economic statistics, including
the Nation’s unemployment rate that you
read or hear about monthly in the news.

Why we need the Current
Population Survey
In a nation as large as ours and one that
is changing so rapidly, we need up-to-date
facts in order to plan effective programs
for the future. In addition to a complete
census, taken every 10 years, and the
American Community Survey, taken
annually, it is essential that we obtain
some items of information much more
frequently. We collect information on the
number of persons working, the kind of
work they do, and the number of persons
looking for work (the unemployed) on a
monthly basis in the Current Population
Survey so that we can keep abreast of
changes.

Legal authorization
Congress authorized the collection of
most of the information requested
in this survey under Title 13, U.S.
Code, Sections 8(b), 141, and 182;
and Title 29, U.S. Code, Section 2. In
some months, the survey may contain
questions authorized under laws other
than those cited. You can obtain

further information concerning the authority for
any particular portion of the survey from the
Field Representative who
visits your household.

Why your answers are important
People in government and private
organizations need the statistics that we
obtain from this survey to develop and
evaluate economic policies that are consistent
with the current needs of the nation. For this
reason, it is extremely important that these
statistics be as reliable as possible. The only
way we can achieve this needed reliability is
through the cooperation of sample households
such as yours in providing complete and
accurate information. Your answers represent
your household and approximately 2,000
other households similar to yours. In all,
we select about 59,000 households to be
interviewed each month.

Additional questions
In addition to questions about jobs, from
time to time we ask questions about other
important areas concerning the economic and

social health of our nation. We may ask how
much schooling people in your household
have had, how many of them are attending
school now, what kinds of work different
members have done, whether or not you
have moved in the past year, and other questions of a similar nature.

Number of times we will visit you
We will visit this address each month for 4
months this year and again for 4 months a
year from now.

How you are chosen
We chose this address, not you as a person
or a family. If you should move during the
period, we will interview the new family that
moves to this address.

The Census Bureau never
reveals information about you
All information given by you to the Census
Bureau for this survey is confidential by law
(Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). Every Census
Bureau employee takes an oath to this effect
and is subject to a jail penalty and a fine if
he/she discloses any census information
given to him/her. We use computers to
collect the survey data, but the information
is encrypted to ensure its confidentiality.
We present published information only in
the form of statistical summaries, and we
never release any information that could
identify individuals. The Census Bureau has
established rigid procedures and guidelines
to ensure data confidentiality and is proud
of the excellent reputation it has earned in
this regard.

Thank you for your participation in the Current Population Survey!