The American labor force grew rapidly from 1971 to 2003. U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that the number of workers in the American civilian noninstitutionalized labor force, or workers not in the army, school, jail, or mental health facilities, almost doubled from 84.4 million men and women in 1971 to 146.5 million men and women in 2003. This labor force includes those who are working part-or full-time and those who are unemployed, but actively looking for jobs. During this period, the proportion of the civilian noninstitutional population in the labor force rose from 60.2 percent to 66.2 percent. (See Table 1.1.) This growth may be attributed to the influx of post–World War II baby-boom children into the labor force and an increase in the number of women in the workforce.

Gender, Age, Race, and Ethnic Origin

In 2003, 75.9 percent of the male population and 60.6 percent of the...