Employment and Unemployment Rates by Gender for Young College Students

New data has been released from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the employment status of young Americans. The data includes statistics on gender and level of educational attainment.

In October 2016, there were 6,660,000 women ages 16 to 24 who were enrolled in college. Of these, 3,088,000, or 46.4 percent, also were employed. For men in this age group who were enrolled in college, 43.2 percent were also employed.

For 16- to 24-year-old women enrolled in college, 3.9 percent were actively seeking work but couldn’t find it. The unemployment rate for male college students in this age group was 8.1 percent, more than double the rate for women.

There were 1,165,000 women high school graduates in 2016 who were enrolled in college by October 2016. Of these, 600,000, or 33.9 percent also were employed. For similar males, the employment rate was slightly higher at 37 percent. But the unemployment rate – those actively seeking work but unable to find it – was 5.2 percent for newly enrolled women college students. For similar men, the unemployment rate was 10.7 percent, again more than double the rate of similar women.