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Table 5. Percent of weeks individuals were employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force from age 18 through age 32 in 1998-2017 by age, educational attainment, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity Percent of total weeks Age and characteristic Not in labor Employed Unemployed force Total, ages 18 to 32 in 1998-2017 ............... 74.8 6.0 19.2 Ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 ..................... 68.3 6.4 25.3 Ages 23 to 27 in 2003-2012 ..................... 78.1 6.0 15.9 Ages 28 to 32 in 2008-2017 ..................... 78.0 5.8 16.3 Men, ages 18 to 32 in 1998-2017 ................. 77.9 6.6 15.5 Ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 ..................... 69.1 7.0 23.9 Ages 23 to 27 in 2003-2012 ..................... 81.4 6.7 11.9 Ages 28 to 32 in 2008-2017 ..................... 83.1 6.2 10.7 Women, ages 18 to 32 in 1998-2017 ............... 71.6 5.5 23.0 Ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 ..................... 67.5 5.8 26.8 Ages 23 to 27 in 2003-2012 ..................... 74.7 5.4 20.0 Ages 28 to 32 in 2008-2017 ..................... 72.6 5.4 22.0 White, non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 32 in 1998-2017 . 77.1 5.0 17.9 Ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 ..................... 71.5 5.2 23.4 Ages 23 to 27 in 2003-2012 ..................... 80.1 5.1 14.7 Ages 28 to 32 in 2008-2017 ..................... 79.8 4.7 15.5 Black, non-Hispanic, ages 18 to 32 in 1998-2017 . 65.6 10.8 23.7 Ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 ..................... 56.9 11.2 31.9 Ages 23 to 27 in 2003-2012 ..................... 69.5 10.3 20.2 Ages 28 to 32 in 2008-2017 ..................... 70.2 10.9 18.9 Hispanic or Latino, ages 18 to 32 in 1998-2017 .. 73.9 6.1 20.0 Ages 18 to 22 in 1998-2007 ..................... 67.6 7.0 25.5 Ages 23 to 27 in 2003-2012 ..................... 77.7 5.9 16.4 Ages 28 to 32 in 2008-2017 ..................... 76.4 5.5 18.1 NOTE: This table excludes individuals who had not yet turned age 33 when interviewed in 2017-18. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 consists of young men and women who were ages 12 to 16 on December 31, 1996. Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity groups are mutually exclusive but not exhaustive. Other race groups, which are included in the overall totals, are not shown separately because their representation in the survey sample is not sufficiently large to provide statistically reliable estimates.