Labor Force Status refers to employment, unemployment, and not in labor force. Labor force status can be computed for the entire population or the civilian population. In this project the civilian labor force definition is used.
In 1970 labor force status was determined for all persons aged 14 or over, but our data use only the population aged 16 and over. Persons are employed if he or she worked for pay at least 15 hours during the week prior to the census or had a job and was not at work due to temporary absence, such as illness, vacation, etc.. Persons are unemployed if he or she were neither at work nor with a job during the week prior to the census, but were looking for work any time during a designated time period. In 1970 that designated time period was the last 60 days, in 1980 the designated time period was the last 4 weeks and the ability to accept a job was added as a criteria. In 1990 the definition was the same as 1980 but added civilians who did not work at all during the reference week but were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off. Other persons aged 16 and over are classed as not in the labor force.
The unemployment rate is calculated using the persons in the civilian labor force and the number of those persons classed as being unemployed.