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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.
Whites made up 79% of the labor force in 2015. White members of the U.S. workforce comprise disproportionately high shares of managerial positions. Nearly all (97%) of farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers are white, as are 91% of construction managers and 90% of chief executives.
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 | White | Black or African American |
Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4.3% | 10.6% | 6.5% | 6.1% |
| Alaska | 5.2% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 6.7% |
| Arizona | 5.7% | 9.1% | 8.3% | 6.0% |
| Arkansas | 4.3% | 10.3% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
| California | 6.0% | 11.0% | 7.6% | 6.2% |
| Colorado | 3.8% | 5.9% | 5.5% | 3.9% |
| Connecticut | 4.5% | 13.2% | 11.3% | 5.6% |
| Delaware | 4.3% | 8.0% | 6.0% | 5.0% |
| Florida | 4.6% | 9.0% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| Georgia | 4.0% | 9.3% | 5.1% | 5.8% |
| Hawaii | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 3.7% |
| Idaho | 4.2% | . | 5.9% | 4.3% |
| Illinois | 5.0% | 12.2% | 7.2% | 5.9% |
| Indiana | 4.5% | 7.0% | 5.6% | 4.8% |
| Iowa | 3.2% | 14.8% | 4.5% | 3.6% |
| Kansas | 4.1% | 6.6% | 4.5% | 4.3% |
| Kentucky | 4.9% | 11.2% | 9.7% | 5.4% |
| Louisiana | 4.8% | 9.7% | 7.6% | 6.2% |
| Maine | 4.2% | 10.1% | 12.0% | 4.4% |
| Maryland | 3.6% | 8.3% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Massachusetts | 4.4% | 10.6% | 11.0% | 4.9% |
| Michigan | 4.5% | 11.6% | 8.6% | 5.4% |
| Minnesota | 2.9% | 14.1% | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Mississippi | 4.7% | 9.4% | 5.4% | 6.5% |
| Missouri | 4.4% | 10.0% | 5.5% | 5.0% |
| Montana | 3.7% | . | 5.2% | 4.1% |
| Nebraska | 2.6% | 5.3% | 5.0% | 3.0% |
| Nevada | 6.1% | 13.5% | 8.0% | 6.9% |
| New Hampshire | 3.5% | 8.6% | 5.3% | 3.4% |
| New Jersey | 5.2% | 10.0% | 7.6% | 5.8% |
| New Mexico | 5.7% | 6.5% | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| New York | 4.5% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| North Carolina | 4.8% | 10.3% | 7.4% | 5.9% |
| North Dakota | 2.4% | . | . | 2.7% |
| Ohio | 4.0% | 10.9% | 5.8% | 4.9% |
| Oklahoma | 3.8% | 8.8% | 4.8% | 4.3% |
| Oregon | 5.7% | 7.4% | 6.5% | 5.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 4.5% | 10.5% | 7.7% | 5.2% |
| Rhode Island | 5.2% | 12.2% | 9.1% | 5.9% |
| South Carolina | 4.1% | 10.7% | 6.2% | 5.9% |
| South Dakota | 2.0% | . | 3.9% | 3.5% |
| Tennessee | 5.1% | 7.5% | 4.0% | 5.7% |
| Texas | 4.1% | 7.5% | 4.9% | 4.4% |
| Utah | 3.6% | . | 6.0% | 3.6% |
| Vermont | 3.6% | . | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Virginia | 3.6% | 7.9% | 6.0% | 4.5% |
| Washington | 5.3% | 8.9% | 6.1% | 5.6% |
| West Virginia | 6.8% | 10.6% | 2.0% | 6.9% |
| Wisconsin | 4.1% | 11.1% | 6.7% | 4.6% |
| Wyoming | 3.9% | . | 4.8% | 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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