Description

HRSWORK1 reports the total number of hours the respondent was at work during the previous week. For employers and the self-employed, this includes all hours spent attending to their operation(s) or enterprise(s). For employees, it is the number of hours they spent at work. For unpaid family workers, it is the number of hours they spent doing work directly related to the family business or farm.

See also EMPSTAT for definitions of key labor force and employment terminology.

HRSWORK1 is a 2-digit numeric variable that reports the total number of hours the respondent was at work during the previous week. For employers and the self-employed, this includes all hours spent attending to their operation(s) or enterprise(s). For employees, it is the number of hours they spent at work. For unpaid family workers, it is the number of hours they spent doing work directly related to the family business or farm. See also EMPSTAT for definitions of key labor force and employment terminology. HRSWORK1 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).

HRSWORK1 Specific Variable Codes
00 = N/A
98 = 98 hours (Top Code: 1940-1950)
99 = 99 hours (Top Code: 1980-1990)

Comparability

This variable means essentially the same thing for all years, but because the census was taken at different times of year, the reference week ("last week") varied somewhat from census to census and within censuses. In 1940, the reference week was March 24-30. In later years, the reference week was simply "last week," but since the census was administered over a period of time, "last week" was not the same week for every respondent. The holidays of Passover and Easter were part of some respondents' reference weeks in U.S. and Puerto Rican census samples in 1980 and 1990, which probably meant that some respondents reported fewer total work hours than they would have for most other weeks.

Census Bureau studies indicate that the number of people who worked only a few hours may be understated, since many such people do not consider themselves to be working.

HRSWORK2 allows users to compare the four years contained in HRSWORK1 with 1960 and 1970, which reported hours worked in intervals (1-14 hours, 15-29 hours, and so on), instead of as a precise number of hours. In 1980 and 1990, respondents were also asked to report their usual number of hours worked during the previous calendar year. This information is available in UHRSWORK.

Universe

Availability

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

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

Flags

Editing Procedure

There is no editing procedure available for this variable.