Description

WKSWORK1 reports the number of weeks that the respondent worked for profit, pay, or as an unpaid family worker during the previous year. For the census, the reference period is the previous calendar year; for the ACS and the PRCS, the reference period is the previous 12 months. For employers, WKSWORK1 covers all weeks that the business or farm was in operation, even if the employer was absent. For all other workers, the total includes paid vacations and other paid absences. See EMPSTAT and CLASSWKR for definitions of key labor force and employment terminology.

WKSWORK1 is a 2-digit numeric variable that reports the number of weeks that the respondent worked for profit, pay, or as an unpaid family worker during the previous year. For the census, the reference period is the previous calendar year; for the ACS and the PRCS, the reference period is the previous 12 months. For employers, WKSWORK1 covers all weeks that the business or farm was in operation, even if the employer was absent. For all other workers, the total includes paid vacations and other paid absences. See EMPSTAT and CLASSWKR for definitions of key labor force and employment terminology. WKSWORK1 specific variable codes for missing, edited, or unidentified observations, observations not applicable (N/A), observations not in universe (NIU), top and bottom value coding, etc. are provided below if applicable by Census year (and data sample if specified).

WKSWORK1 Specific Variable Codes
00 = N/A

Comparability

In the 2019 ACS 5-year file, WKSWORK1 is only available for 2019, which can be identified using MULTYEAR.

The 1940 WKSWORK1 and WKSWORK2 values are not comparable with later years. In 1940, respondents were asked to give the number of weeks worked in terms of "equivalent full-time weeks." It was up to respondents to determine what "full-time" meant in their locality, occupation, and industry. If respondents did not know how many hours should be regarded as a full-time week, enumerators were instructed to suggest that 40 hours was a reasonable figure. In essence, respondents were told to estimate how many hours they had averaged per week, multiply this figure by 52 weeks, then divide by about 40, the Census Bureau acknowledged that many people would simply estimate their answers, and instructed enumerators to accept this. Thus, in 1940, a person who had worked about 20 hours per week throughout the year should have responded 26 weeks. In later years, respondents were instructed to give the number of weeks in which they had done any work (including, as in 1940, paid vacation and other paid absences).

In 1940, schoolteachers were instructed not to count their summer vacations as time worked. In 1950, teachers were instructed to report all weeks paid (including paid absences, vacations, and sick leave). In the absence of specific instructions for 1960 on, teachers who received pay over the summer probably considered this time to be paid vacation and therefore included it as weeks worked.

WKSWORK2 allows users to compare the years contained in WKSWORK1 with 1960, 1970, and the 2008-2018 ACS/PRCS samples, which reported weeks worked in intervals (1-13 weeks, 14-26 weeks, and so on).

Universe

Availability

• 2023: All samples
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: --
• 2017: --
• 2016: --
• 2015: --
• 2014: --
• 2013: --
• 2012: --
• 2011: --
• 2010: --
• 2009: --
• 2008: --
• 2007: All samples
• 2006: All samples
• 2005: All samples
• 2004: All samples
• 2003: All samples
• 2002: All samples
• 2001: All samples
• 2000: All samples
• 1990: All samples
• 1980: All samples
• 1970: --
• 1960: --
• 1950: All samples
• 1940: All samples
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --
• 1900: --
• 1880: --
• 1870: --
• 1860: --
• 1850: --

• 2023: All samples
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: --
• 2017: --
• 2016: --
• 2015: --
• 2014: --
• 2013: --
• 2012: --
• 2011: --
• 2010: --
• 2009: --
• 2008: --
• 2007: All samples
• 2006: All samples
• 2005: All samples
• 2000: All samples
• 1990: All samples
• 1980: All samples
• 1970: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --

Flags

Editing Procedure

WKSWORK1 (Weeks worked last year, for 2005-2007)
UHRSWORK (Usual hours worked per week)
WORKEDYR (Worked last year)
ACS Years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
ACS editing procedure:
Note: WKSWORK1, UHRSWORK, and WORKEDYR are also edited and allocated with the earnings variables. See INCWAGE for more editing and allocation procesures.
If a person has a "Not in universe" value for employment status (EMPSTAT) and weeks worked in the past 12 months is 0 (WKSWORK1), WKSWORK1 will be replaced with "Not in universe." If a person has a "Not in universe" value for employment status (EMPSTAT) and hours usually worked is 0 (UHRSWORK), UHRSWORK will be replaced with "Not in universe."
If a person has a value for employment status (EMPSTAT) and hours usually worked is over 99, UHRSWORK will be replaced with "99." When this occurs,
If a person has a value for employment status (EMPSTAT) but has no value for when they last worked (WORKEDYR) but they indicate they worked last week (WRKLSTWK) and weeks worked in the past 12 months (WKSWORK1) is positive or hours worked per week (UHRSWORK) is positive, WORKEDYR will be replaced with "Worked within past 12 months." When this occurs,
If a person has a value for employment status (EMPSTAT) and reports having worked in the past 12 months (WORKEDYR), but has "Not in the labor force" in their industry (IND) and doesn't report any earnings (INCWAGE, INCBUS00), WORKEDYR will be replaced with a missing value.
If a person reports being employed (EMPSTAT) but reports not having worked in the past 12 months (WORKEDYR), WORKEDYR will be replaced with a "Worked within past 12 months." When this occurs,
If a person has a value for employment status (EMPSTAT), reports not having worked in the past 12 months or this value is missing (WORKEDYR), but they report having earnings (INCWAGE, INCBUS00), WORKEDYR will be replaced with "Worked in the past 12 months."
If a person reports being not employed (EMPSTAT), reports not having worked in the past 12 months (WORKEDYR), they do not report having earnings (INCWAGE, INCBUS00), but has a positive value for weeks worked in the past 12 months (WKSWORK1), hours worked per week (UHRSWORK) is positive, class of worker (CLASSWKR) is not "Worked at home" and age is less than 60, WORKEDYR will be replaced with "Worked in the past 12 months."
If a person who is not self-employed (CLASSWKR) reports that they worked between 5 and 10 hours a week (UHRSWORK) and their computed hourly wage is greater than $50, replace hours per week with 5 time their reported hours per week. (The hourly wage used here is computed by dividing their income for the past year from wage or salary (INCWAGE) by the product of their reported hours per week and weeks worked per year)
After all the previous steps have occurred, if a person reports that they have not worked in the past year (WORKEDYR), but has a positive value for weeks worked in the past 12 months (WKSWORK1) or hours worked per week (UHRSWORK), it will be replaced with a "Not in universe."
Internal ACS variable : WKL WKWX WKW WKH