Description

AVAILBLE indicates whether or not persons who did not work during the previous week and were actively seeking a job or planning to open their own business or professional practice (collectively referred to as people "looking for work" - see LOOKING), were currently available to take any work they might find.

See EMPSTAT for further discussion of labor force and employment concepts.

People not at work and not absent from a job or business should have responded "no" to the question(s). While the 1980 and 1990 censuses collected information about layoffs and absences for other reasons using a single question, the ACS, the PRCS and census 2000 used two separate questions. Persons who did not work the previous week would be considered either unemployed or not in the labor force, depending on their responses to other questions. Persons who had worked during the previous week were excluded from the universe.

Comparability

The variable means the same thing for all years. Persons who should have answered the question but did not were placed in a separate "Not Reported" category in the 1980 samples and were placed in the "Not Applicable" category in 1990 and the 2000 samples. They were not allocated.

Starting with the 2008 ACS, the Census Bureau implemented changes to the survey questionnaire to bring ACS estimates of labor force statistics closer to estimates from other data sources. Researchers should use caution when comparing employment questions across the 2007-2008 period.

Universe

Availability

• 2023: All samples
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: All samples
• 2017: All samples
• 2016: All samples
• 2015: All samples
• 2014: All samples
• 2013: All samples
• 2012: All samples
• 2011: All samples
• 2010: ACS; ACS 3yr; ACS 5yr
• 2009: All samples
• 2008: All samples
• 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: --
• 1940: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --
• 1900: --
• 1880: --
• 1870: --
• 1860: --
• 1850: --

• 2023: All samples
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: All samples
• 2017: All samples
• 2016: All samples
• 2015: All samples
• 2014: All samples
• 2013: All samples
• 2012: All samples
• 2011: All samples
• 2010: PRCS; PRCS 3yr; PRCS 5yr
• 2009: All samples
• 2008: All samples
• 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

LOOKING, ABSENT, WRKRECAL, and AVAILBLE (Looking for work, Absent from work last week, Informed of work recall, and Available for work)
ACS Years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
ACS editing procedure:
In 2005, if a person who is less than 15 years old (AGE) has a value for LOOKING, ABSENT, WRKRECAL, or AVAILBLE, it will be replaced with a "Not in Universe" value.
If a person who is 15 or older (AGE) has "Blank, Don't Know, Refused, or Bad Value" for LOOKING, ABSENT, WRKRECAL, or AVAILBLE, it will be replaced with "Not Reported."
In 2006 and following years, if a person who is less than 16 years old (AGE) has a value for LOOKING, ABSENT, WRKRECAL, or AVAILBLE, it will be replaced with a "Not in Universe" value.
If a person who is 16 or older (AGE) has "Blank, Don't Know, Refused, or Bad Value" for LOOKING, ABSENT, WRKRECAL, or AVAILBLE, it will be replaced with "Not Reported."
Internal ACS variable : NWLK, NWAB, NWRE, and NWAV