Download image Trends among white workers
For this reason, the number of states included in our map and data tables varies based on the analysis performed (unemployment rate, change in unemployment rate since the fourth quarter of 2007, and ratio of African American or Hispanic unemployment rate to white unemployment rate).Ĭopy the code below to embed this chart on your website. We report estimates only for states for which the sample size of these subgroups is large enough to create an accurate estimate. 4 State unemployment rates, by race and ethnicityĮPI analyzes state unemployment rates by race and ethnicity, and racial/ethnic unemployment rate gaps, on a quarterly basis to generate a sample size large enough to create reliable estimates of unemployment rates by race and ethnicity at the state level. 3 According to a previous EPI analysis of unemployment by state, from December 2018 to March 2019, 18 states saw their unemployment rates decline, 23 states and the District of Columbia saw unemployment rates rise, and nine states saw no change. 2 State unemployment rates in March ranged from a low of 2.3% in North Dakota to 6.5% in Alaska. In March 2019, the national unemployment rate was 3.8%, down slightly from 3.9% at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018.
The highest Hispanic state unemployment rate is in Washington (8.9%), followed by Pennsylvania (7.5%), Arizona (6.6%), Connecticut (6.6%), and Oregon (6.4%). The highest African American unemployment rate is in the District of Columbia (11.6%), followed by Illinois (9.4%), Indiana (9.1%), Louisiana (8.5%), and Pennsylvania (8.4%).The District of Columbia has a black–white unemployment rate ratio of 5.7-to-1, while Missouri and Indiana have the highest ratios among states (3.2-to-1 and 3.1-to-1, respectively).While the African American unemployment rate is at or below its pre-recession level in 17 states (of the 22 states and the District of Columbia for which these data are available), in 16 states and in the District of Columbia, African American unemployment rates exceed white unemployment rates by a ratio of 2.0-to-1 or higher.Following are some key highlights of the report: While there have been improvements in prospects for black and Hispanic workers in some states, unemployment rates for these groups increased in the majority of states for which data are available and remain high relative to those of white workers. Updated May 2019 Latest data: Black–white unemployment gaps widen or remain unchanged in majority of states.