The likelihood of being unemployed in the United States depends to some degree on race and ethnicity. In 2015, 5.3% of the U.S. labor force was unemployed. For black or African American workers, the jobless rate was 9.6%, more than double the 4.6% jobless rate for whites and considerably higher than the 3.8% rate for Asians.
To highlight not just how labor force statistics can vary between demographic groups, but also the pattern of these differences across the country, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the latest annual unemployment statistics by race and ethnicity in every state.
Black or African Americans tend to report higher unemployment rates than members of other racial or ethnic groups in nearly all states. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, labor force characteristics vary between demographic groups for a host of reasons, some of which can be quantified while others cannot be measured. Factors that help explain unemployment include educational attainment, the occupations in which the demographic groups tends to work, the tendency to live in urban or rural settings, and hiring discrimination. Although for black Americans some of these factors have arisen from years of race-based policy discrimination, they still help explain higher unemployment rate among blacks.
Overall unemployment rates came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and are for 2015. People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
2015 Unemployment by Race and Ethnicity
| State | Black or African American |
Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity |
White | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10.6% | 6.5% | 4.3% | 6.1% |
| Alaska | 4.6% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 6.7% |
| Arizona | 9.1% | 8.3% | 5.7% | 6.0% |
| Arkansas | 10.3% | 6.7% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| California | 11.0% | 7.6% | 6.0% | 6.2% |
| Colorado | 5.9% | 5.5% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Connecticut | 13.2% | 11.3% | 4.5% | 5.6% |
| Delaware | 8.0% | 6.0% | 4.3% | 5.0% |
| Florida | 9.0% | 5.8% | 4.6% | 5.4% |
| Georgia | 9.3% | 5.1% | 4.0% | 5.8% |
| Hawaii | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| Idaho | . | 5.9% | 4.2% | 4.3% |
| Illinois | 12.2% | 7.2% | 5.0% | 5.9% |
| Indiana | 7.0% | 5.6% | 4.5% | 4.8% |
| Iowa | 14.8% | 4.5% | 3.2% | 3.6% |
| Kansas | 6.6% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.3% |
| Kentucky | 11.2% | 9.7% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Louisiana | 9.7% | 7.6% | 4.8% | 6.2% |
| Maine | 10.1% | 12.0% | 4.2% | 4.4% |
| Maryland | 8.3% | 5.4% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Massachusetts | 10.6% | 11.0% | 4.4% | 4.9% |
| Michigan | 11.6% | 8.6% | 4.5% | 5.4% |
| Minnesota | 14.1% | 3.8% | 2.9% | 3.8% |
| Mississippi | 9.4% | 5.4% | 4.7% | 6.5% |
| Missouri | 10.0% | 5.5% | 4.4% | 5.0% |
| Montana | . | 5.2% | 3.7% | 4.1% |
| Nebraska | 5.3% | 5.0% | 2.6% | 3.0% |
| Nevada | 13.5% | 8.0% | 6.1% | 6.9% |
| New Hampshire | 8.6% | 5.3% | 3.5% | 3.4% |
| New Jersey | 10.0% | 7.6% | 5.2% | 5.8% |
| New Mexico | 6.5% | 6.4% | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| New York | 8.2% | 6.7% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| North Carolina | 10.3% | 7.4% | 4.8% | 5.9% |
| North Dakota | . | . | 2.4% | 2.7% |
| Ohio | 10.9% | 5.8% | 4.0% | 4.9% |
| Oklahoma | 8.8% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| Oregon | 7.4% | 6.5% | 5.7% | 5.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 10.5% | 7.7% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Rhode Island | 12.2% | 9.1% | 5.2% | 5.9% |
| South Carolina | 10.7% | 6.2% | 4.1% | 5.9% |
| South Dakota | . | 3.9% | 2.0% | 3.5% |
| Tennessee | 7.5% | 4.0% | 5.1% | 5.7% |
| Texas | 7.5% | 4.9% | 4.1% | 4.4% |
| Utah | . | 6.0% | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Vermont | . | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.6% |
| Virginia | 7.9% | 6.0% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Washington | 8.9% | 6.1% | 5.3% | 5.6% |
| West Virginia | 10.6% | 2.0% | 6.8% | 6.9% |
| Wisconsin | 11.1% | 6.7% | 4.1% | 4.6% |
| Wyoming | . | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| Note: People whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. | ||||
| Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | ||||
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