Between 1960 and 1980, the number of Americans who worked at home steadily declined, largely reflecting a drop in the number of family farmers who elected to give up farming. But the most recent decennial census in 1990 shows a dramatic increase in the number of people who worked at home, up 56 percent from 1980, to 3.4 million people.

This Census Brief analyzes trends in work-at-home patterns: who these workers are, what kind of work they do and how often they do it. Given the advancements in personal computers and Internet technology since these data were collected in the 1990 census, we expect even more significant increases in the proportion working at home by Census 2000.

Others in Series

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Disabilities Affect 1/5 of All Americans: Proportion Could Increase

December 1997

This brief explores the kinds and severity of disabilities of the American population and the trend in the coming decades.

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Children Without Health Insurance

March 01, 1998

This brief, based on March 1997 Current Population Survey data, reports on how well American children are protected by health insurance in 1996.

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Neighborhood Pride: Most People Like Where They Live

May 1998

This brief looks at the level of neighborhood satisfaction and problems, such as crime and traffic, which can undercut a sense of neighborhood in a community.

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Related Information

Work from Home

Decennial Census of Population and Housing Publications

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021

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