Description

WORKEDYR indicates whether the person had worked at all for profit, pay, or as an unpaid family worker during the previous year. For the census samples, the reference period is the previous calendar year; for the ACS and the PRCS, the reference period is the preceding 12 months.

Comparability

In 1960 and 1970, the question asked whether the person worked "at all, even for a few days?" In 1980 and 1990, the question read, "did this person work, even for a few days, at a paid job or in a business or farm?" In 2000, the question phrasing was, "did this person work at a job or business at any time?" The ACS and PRCS asked when the person last worked "even for a few days." While unpaid family workers were to be included in all years, the questions for 1980 on may have been more effective in eliciting affirmative responses from them.

Except for these differences in question wording and the different reference period for the censuses, the ACS, and the PRCS this variable is comparable across years.

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: All samples
• 1960: All samples
• 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: All samples
• 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