Current employment status also correlated with treatment need in 2000. An estimated 7.7 percent of unemployed adults aged 18 or older needed treatment for illicit drugs, while only 1.6 percent of full-time employed adults needed treatment for an illicit drug problem.

Most of the adult population needing treatment for an illicit drug problem in 2000 was employed. Of the estimated 3.6 million persons aged 18 or older who needed treatment, 1.9 million were employed full time and 0.6 million were employed part time. Thus, an estimated 70 percent of adults needing treatment were employed. An estimated 359,000 unemployed adults needed treatment.