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Chapter: 2/Postsecondary Education
Section: Postsecondary Students
College Student Employment
The percentage of full-time undergraduate students who were employed was
lower in 2018 (43 percent) than in 2000 (53 percent). Similarly, the percentage of
part-time undergraduates who were employed was lower in 2018 (81 percent)
than in 2000 (85 percent).
Many undergraduate students ages 16 to 64 are employed
at the same time they are in enrolled in school. In
2018, the percentage of undergraduate students who
were employed was higher among part-time students
(81 percent) than among full-time students (43 percent). 1
Being employed can help a student pay for classes and
other living expenses; it can also be associated, either
positively or negatively, with a student’s academic
performance. 2 , 3 Thus, it is important to examine
employment patterns among undergraduate students and
how these patterns vary by student characteristics.
Figure 1. Percentage of undergraduate students who were employed, by attendance status and hours worked per week:
2000, 2010, and 2018
Hours worked per week
2000 2010 2018
Total Less than 10 10 to 19 20 to 34 35 or more
Percent
Total Less than 10 10 to 19 20 to 34 35 or more
Percent
Full-time students Part-time students
NOTE: Students were classified as full time if they were taking at least 12 hours of classes during an average school week and as part time if they were taking fewer hours. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Detail may not sum to totals because the percentages of hours worked per week exclude those who were employed but not at work during the survey week. Includes students ages 16 through 64. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 2000, 2010, and 2018. See Digest of Education Statistics 2019 , table 503.40.
Chapter: 2/Postsecondary Education
Section: Postsecondary Students
The percentage of full-time undergraduate students who
were employed in 2018 (43 percent) was lower than in
2000 (53 percent) but was not measurably different from
the percentage in 2010. Similarly, among those enrolled
part time, the percentage of undergraduates who were
employed in 2018 (81 percent) was lower than in 2000
(85 percent). However, in 2018, the percentage of part-time
undergraduates who were employed was higher than in
2010 (75 percent).
In 2018, some 6 percent of full-time undergraduates
were employed less than 10 hours per week, 7 percent
were employed 10 to 19 hours per week, 17 percent
were employed 20 to 34 hours per week, and 10 percent
were employed 35 hours or more per week. There was
no measurable difference between 2018 and 2000 in
the percentages of full-time undergraduates employed 35 hours or more per week, but the percentages for all other categories of hours worked per week were lower in 2018 than in 2000 for full-time undergraduates who were employed. Among undergraduates enrolled part time in 2018, 3 percent were employed less than 10 hours per week, 5 percent were employed 10 to 19 hours per week, 24 percent were employed 20 to 34 hours per week, and 47 percent were employed 35 hours or more per week. The percentage of part-time undergraduates who were employed 20 to 34 hours per week was higher in 2018 than in 2000 (24 vs. 20 percent), but the percentage of part-time undergraduates who were employed 35 hours or more per week was lower in 2018 than in 2000 (47 vs. 57 percent).
Chapter: 2/Postsecondary Education
Section: Postsecondary Students
Figure 3. Percentage of undergraduate students who were employed, by attendance status and age group: 2018
Age group Age group
Percent
Percent
Full-time students Part-time students
16 to 24 25 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 64
16 to 24 25 to 29 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 64
NOTE: Students were classified as full time if they were taking at least 12 hours of classes during an average school week and as part time if they were taking fewer hours. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 2018. See Digest of Education Statistics 2019, table 503.40.
In 2018, the percentage of full-time undergraduates
who were employed was lower for those ages 16 to 24
(40 percent) than for those ages 25 to 29 (56 percent), ages
30 to 39 (56 percent), ages 40 to 49 (61 percent), and ages
50 to 64 (72 percent). Among undergraduates enrolled
part time, the percentage who were employed was higher for those ages 25 to 29 and ages 30 to 39 (85 percent each) than for those ages 16 to 24 (78 percent) and ages 50 to 64 (70 percent).
Chapter: 2/Postsecondary Education
Section: Postsecondary Students
Figure 4. Percentage of undergraduate students who were employed, by attendance status and selected student
characteristics: 2018
Yes No
Percent
Percent
Full-time students Part-time students
Student is householder^1
Own children present^2
Spouse present 3
Student is householder^1
Own children present^2
Spouse present 3
(^1) Householders are persons in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented. Never-married students living away from home in college dormitories are not
considered householders. (^2) Own children are never-married sons and daughters of the student who are under 18, including stepchildren and adopted children. (^3) Students with no spouse present are all students who did not live with a spouse, including students who are single, divorced, separated, or widowed. NOTE: Students were classified as full time if they were taking at least 12 hours of classes during an average school week and as part time if they were taking fewer hours. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes persons in the military and persons living in institutions (e.g., prisons or nursing facilities). Includes students ages 16 through 64. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October, 2018. See Digest of Education Statistics 2019, table 503.40.
In addition, the percentage of undergraduates who
were employed varied by the characteristics of the
households in which they lived. For example, among
full-time undergraduates in 2018, a higher percentage
of householders than of nonhouseholders were
employed (56 vs. 38 percent). 4 The percentage of full-
time undergraduates who were employed was higher
for those who lived with one or more of their own
children (59 percent) than for those who lived with no
children (41 percent). 5 Also, the percentage of full-time undergraduates who were employed was higher for those who lived with a spouse (58 percent) than for those who did not live with a spouse (41 percent). Among undergraduates enrolled part time, the percentages of those who were employed did not measurably differ either by householder status, the presence of own children, or the presence of a spouse.
Endnotes:
1 Students ages 16 to 64 were classified as employed if they
worked during any part of the survey week as paid employees.
Those who were employed but not at work during the survey
week were also included.
2 Dundes, L., and Marx, J. (2006). Balancing Work and
Academics in College: Why Do Students Working 10 to 19 Hours
per Week Excel? Journal of College Student Retention, 8 (1):
107–120. Retrieved January 6, 2020, from http://journals.
sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2190/7UCU-8F9M-94QG-5WWQ.
3 Pike, G.R., Kuh, G.D., and Massa-McKinley, R.C. (2008).
First-Year Students’ Employment, Engagement, and Academic
Achievement: Untangling the Relationship Between Work
and Grades. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 45 (4): 560–582. Retrieved January 6, 2020, from https:// naspa.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2202/1949-6605.2011#. W4an6c5KhhF. 4 Householders are persons in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented. Never-married students living away from home in college dormitories are not considered householders. 5 Own children are never-married sons and daughters of the student who are under 18, including stepchildren and adopted children.
Reference tables: Digest of Education Statistics 2019 , table 503.
Related indicators and resources: Characteristics of
Postsecondary Students
Glossary: College; Employment status; Full-time enrollment; Household; Part-time enrollment; Postsecondary institutions (basic classification by level); Racial/ethnic group; Undergraduate students
