Change Indicator

Children under age 6 with all available parents in work force, detailed in Maine

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Why This Indicator Matters

Higher rates of participation in the workforce are good for household income and helps address Maine's workforce shortage. Also, knowing how many children have all parents in the work force is needed to project the capacity needed for child care services. 

What the data shows
The rate of all parents of children under age 6 in the work force statewide has dipped slightly since the peak 5-year time period of 2014-2018 of 71.1% to 69.7% for the 5-year time period 2017-2021.

At the county level, for the most recent 5-year annual average, from 2017-2021, seven counties had rates that exceeded the state rate of 69.7%. These were: Sagadahoc (79.8%), Androscoggin (75.4%), Cumberland (73.8%), Kennebec (72.9%), Waldo (71.5%), and York (70.2%). The counties with the lowest rate of children under age 6 with all available parents in the workforce were: Franklin (51.1%), Knox (54.3%) and Somerset (57.7%).
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Definition and Source

PROVIDER

Definition

The number and percentage of children under age 6 with all parents in the family in the work force. For children living in a home with two parents this means that both parents are in the labor force. For children living in a single-parent family, this means the resident parent is in the labor force. A person is considered in the workforce if they are employed part time or full time or if they are unemployed but actively looking for work. 

Notes

Note that 5-year annual estimates are used to obtain county level data. Thus, 2021 represents an annual average for the years 2017-2021.

Updated December 2022.

Last Updated

January 2023