The jobless rate among all household heads reached 6 percent in April 1975, double the average rate over the 1963-74 period (2.8 percent), and half again as high as the previous peak (4 percent) recorded during the first half of 1963. The number of unemployed household heads increased from 1.4 to 3.2 million from October 1973 to April 1975, from 34 percent to 39 percent of the unemployed. About three-quarters of the household heads in the labor force are men heading families of two or more persons and one-tenth are female family heads. The unemployment rate for male family heads has increased two and one half times since October 1973 to 5.3 percent in April 1975, but was still much lower than the 9.3 percent rate for female family heads. The financial effects of unemployment on the family can be cushioned by the presence of other wage earners. According to the latest information available on this subject, in March 1974 about 30 percent of the families with an unemployed head had a full-time earner, usually the wife. However it is doubtful that the additional worker compensated for the loss of income incurred by the unemployment of the household head. (Author/JR)