Census Bureau Facts for Features
A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office
CB98-FF.04 April 14, 1998 Secretaries' Day: April 22 The Numbers -- Past, Present and Future In 1996, the United States had 3.2 million secretaries, down from 3.9 million in 1983, the earliest year for which comparable data are available. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html In 1996, 98.6 percent of secretaries were women, down slightly from 99.0 percent in 1983. That means 44,300 secretaries in 1996 were male, up from 38,900 in 1983. However, the changes between 1983 and 1996 for women and for men are not statistically significant. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html Also in 1996, 9.3 percent of secretaries were African American (up from 5.8 percent in 1983), and 6.2 percent were Hispanic (up from 4.0 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html According to projections, from 1996 to 2006 the number of secretaries is expected to climb 1 percent. The expected 13-percent rise in legal secretaries and 32-percent climb in medical secretaries will offset the 3-percent drop in other kinds of secretaries. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html Back in 1983, among employed civilians, it was more likely for women to be secretaries than pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, elementary, secondary or special-ed teachers 8.7 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. By 1996, the reverse was true: women were more likely to be teachers than secretaries (6.0 percent and 5.3 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html In 1996, the occupation of secretary, at 5.3 percent, was the fourth most common for employed civilian women. The occupation trailed retail and personal-services sales worker (including cashiers), at 7.5 percent, teacher below the college level, at 6.0 percent, and food preparation and service worker (including cooks and waitresses), at 5.7 percent. (The last two percentages are not significantly different from each other.) In 1983, secretary was tied for first with retail and personal services sales worker, at 8.7 percent each. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html Temp Agencies Perhaps your office's secretary is a "temp." If so, you can thank one of the nation's 35,584 personnel-supply services establishments (1995 data) for providing her (or him). Of these firms, 22,235 were temporary help-supply services firms and 13,150 were employment agencies. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-183.html Personnel-supply services firms generated $9.6 billion in 1996 receipts from referring secretaries to other businesses for temporary help, up 16 percent from 1995. Secretarial workers contributed 22 percent of the total receipts from these referrals, down from 25 percent in 1992. http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/svsd/www/sas.html Leading the nation's counties in the number of help-supply services firms in 1995 were Los Angeles, Calif. (752), Cook, Ill. (527), Harris, Texas (452), Dallas, Texas (438) and New York, N.Y. (369). Tops in the number of people employed in these firms were Los Angeles (113,376), Harris (60,503), Cook (59,439), Dallas (55,416) and Hillsborough, Fla. (44,298). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-183.html The preceding facts come from the Statistical Abstract of the United States, County Business Patterns and the Service Annual Survey. Data in this Census Bureau Facts for Features are subject to nonsampling errors. Some also are subject to sampling variability. See referenced sources for detailed limitations. Each month, the Census Bureau will provide previously released statistics pertaining to selected events or holidays occurring that month. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; Fax: 301-457-3670; E-mail: pio@census.gov). Previous 1998 Census Bureau Facts for Features were issued for African-American History Month (February 1-28), Valentine's Day (February 14) and Women's History Month (March 1-31).
