Total families with children under 18 ,percent with no parent employed

The Current Population Survey (CPS), frequently referred to as the household survey, is a monthly survey of about 60,000 eligible households. The CPS provides information about the civilian noninstitutional population age 16 years and over. All persons are classified as employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force. The CPS estimates are available by various demographic characteristics, including age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and marital status. The survey is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Each month, typically during the calendar week including the 19th day, Census interviewers contact households by telephone and in person and ask questions regarding the labor market activity of household members during the previous calendar week which included the 12th day of the month. Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. There is about a 90-percent chance that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the true population value because of sampling error.

Key definitions used in the survey: The civilian noninstitutional population includes all persons 16 years of age and older residing in the 50 States and the District of Columbia who are not confined to institutions and who are not on active duty in the Armed Forces. Employed persons are those who, during the survey reference week, did any work as paid civilians; worked in their own business or profession; worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family business or farm; or were temporarily absent from their jobs. Unemployed persons are those who had no employment during the survey week, were available for work, and made specific efforts to find employment in the prior 4 weeks.

The civilian labor force comprises all persons classified as employed or unemployed. The labor force participation rate represents the civilian labor force as a percent of the civilian noninstitutional population. The employment-population ratio represents the proportion of the population that is employed. Full-time workers usually work 35 hours or more per week; part-time workers usually work less than 35 hours per week. Persons who are not employed or unemployed are classified as not in the labor force — this group includes many who are retired, in school, or taking care of family members.

Marital status definitions: Married, spouse present, refers to husbands and wives living together in the same household. Other marital status includes persons who are never-married; married, spouse absent; separated; widowed; or divorced. Data on children refer to own children under age 18 that live in the household, including sons, daughters, stepchildren, and adopted children. Race categories (White, Black or African American, and Asian) include only persons who selected that single race group; other categories are included in totals but not shown separately due to small sample sizes. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity refers to persons who identified themselves in the survey as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino, and may be of any race.

At present, the database has data beginning with 2009 annual averages, calculated from not seasonally adjusted monthly data. Data series for families will be added in the future.

References: BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 1, "Labor force data derived from the Current Population Survey." http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch1_a.htm. Additional technical documentation is available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.