"Home-Sweet-Home" ... and workplace, for 11.3 million workers

According to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of employees working from home (whether that be a 4th-floor apartment, house in the suburbs or local coffee shop) rose from about 9.5 million in 1999 to about 11.3 million in 2005. These workers made up 8 percent of the total U.S. workforce in 2005, an increase from 7 percent in 1999. Something else worth noting: Among the 11.3 million who worked at home in 2005, about 8.1 million did so exclusively - an increase from 6.7 million in 1999.

The most popular home-based occupations were professional (25%), executive, administrative and managerial (22%) and sales (18%). Some of the other findings regarding home-based workers:

=> Their average annual income was approximately $68,000
=> About 46 percent earned $75,000 a year or more
=> Those who split their time between work and an office had the highest number (54 percent) of high-paying jobs
=> They put in longer hours, with 11% reporting that they worked 11 or more hours in a typical day
=> Yet they enjoy more flexibility – about 23% reported that their weekly hours varied

And what does your typical "work from home" employee look like? (And no, I'm not talking about the PJs, sweats or baseball cap they may be sporting.) According to the report, that person is female (51 percent), age 35-54 (52 percent), white/non-Hispanic (82 percent) and college educated (47 percent).

Check out the full press release here.

"Home-Sweet-Home" ... and workplace, for 11.3 million workers