Black Unemployment at 7.7%

The unemployment rate among black Americans remained well above the national average in August at 7.7%, compared to the 4.4% of the entire population.

The numbers for black Americans look even worse compared to other segments. The unemployment rate among white Americans was 3.9%. Among Asian Americans, the number was 4.0%. Among men over 20 years old, the rate is 3.5%. As a matter of fact, the 7.7% is higher than the unemployment rate in any state. The highest among states is Alaska at 7.0%.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics summary of unemployment by major race and age segments:

In August, the unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 7.1 million, were little changed. After declining earlier in the year, the unemployment rate has been either 4.3 or 4.4 percent since April.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (4.1 percent), adult women (4.0 percent), teenagers (13.6 percent), Whites (3.9 percent), Blacks (7.7 percent), Asians (4.0 percent), and Hispanics (5.2 percent) showed little or no change in August.

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24/7 Wall St.’s recent review of racial inequality in all 50 states pointed out that even decades after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, vast inequalities remain between whites and blacks in the United States. According to our review:

Today, the typical white household’s income is nearly double the typical black household’s income. Black Americans are twice as likely to be unemployed and two and a half times more likely to live in poverty compared to white Americans. Just 1 in 5 African American adults have a college education, compared to 1 in 3 white adults.

Racial inequalities are far more pronounced in some parts of the country than in others. Check out the full article to see how each of the states ranked on several measures.

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