Economy
Employment-to-Population Ratio
Description: The employment-to-population ratio, a proxy for the workforce participation rate, is an important determinant of average income in an area. It is calculated as total employment divided by total population.
Total employment includes an estimate of the number of proprietors as well as the total number of wage and salary workers. Estimates of annual average employment are available since 1969. State and national data are reported nine months after the end of a year. County data are released 16 months after the end of a year.
Estimates of the population, expressed as of July 1, are available annually. State and national data are reported in December. County data are released in March.
Data Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, for population. However, population is more easily accessed from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), which is the source of the employment estimates. Total employment and population are available from Table CA4 http://www.bea.gov/regional/reis/default.cfm?catable=CA04.
Comments on the Quality of the Data: The employment figures are estimates. The primary source is the Census of Employment and Wages, but the BEA must estimate employment for those not counted in the census. No distinction is made between full-time and part-time employment. The population is estimated, benchmarked to the latest decennial census count. Estimates may be revised substantially after the next decennial census count becomes available.
