The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unemployment crisis of historic magnitude. The national jobless rate more than tripled in a single month from 4.4% in March 2020 to 14.8% in April — a high not seen since the Great Depression. Though the majority of those jobs have since returned, the recovery has highlighted high levels of racial inequity.
According to a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute, the jobless rate among Hispanic Americans in the second quarter of 2021 exceeds the white unemployment rate in nearly every state with available data. Nationwide, Hispanic members of the workforce are nearly twice as likely to be out of work as their white counterparts.
Using Q2 2021 unemployment data from the EPI, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the unemployment rate for Hispanic Americans by state. Only 15 states had a large enough sample size for accurate estimates. We also considered for our list the median household income for Hispanic and white households from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
The uneven employment gains as the U.S. economy recovers from the pandemic shock are in many ways part of deeply entrenched historical patterns. Unemployment is just one of many measures that can expose the long-standing racial inequalities in the United States. Here is a look at the worst states for Hispanics.
Currently, the unemployment rate among Hispanics ranges from 3.2% to 11.0%, depending on the state. States are ranked from 15 to one, from the lowest Hispanic unemployment rate to the highest.
Click here to see the states with the highest Hispanic unemployment.
15. Georgia
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 3.2% (N/A Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 3.3% (3.8% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $52,661
> Median household income, white households: $70,832
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14. Idaho
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 3.4% (3.5% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 2.9% (3.2% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $52,827
> Median household income, white households: $61,761
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13. Florida
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 6.3% (6.1% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 3.5% (3.5% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $52,497
> Median household income, white households: $62,132
12. Washington
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 6.4% (6.1% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 5.0% (5.5% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $59,350
> Median household income, white households: $79,556
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11. Nevada
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 7.0% (8.1% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 6.4% (6.6% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $54,922
> Median household income, white households: $67,415
10. Arizona
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 7.2% (7.3% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 6.0% (5.8% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $53,061
> Median household income, white households: $63,828
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9. North Carolina
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 7.5% (8.2% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 3.5% (4.0% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $46,933
> Median household income, white households: $63,887
8. Texas
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 7.9% (8% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 4.6% (4.9% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $52,010
> Median household income, white households: $67,904
7. Illinois
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 8.6% (9.4% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 5.7% (6.1% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $60,252
> Median household income, white households: $74,728
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6. California
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 8.7% (10.3% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 6.3% (7.2% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $63,633
> Median household income, white households: $82,706
5. New Jersey
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 8.8% (8.8% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 6.6% (6.6% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $61,624
> Median household income, white households: $91,764
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4. New Mexico
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 8.8% (8.6% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 6.2% (6.2% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $45,049
> Median household income, white households: $54,315
3. Colorado
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 9.2% (8.3% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 4.7% (5.1% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $59,002
> Median household income, white households: $80,121
2. Massachusetts
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 10.4% (N/A Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 4.3% (6.0% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $51,175
> Median household income, white households: $90,758
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1. New York
> Hispanic unemployment, Q2 2021: 11.0% (11.8% Q1 2021)
> White unemployment, Q2 2021: 5.7% (6.7% Q1 2021)
> Median household income, Hispanic households: $53,350
> Median household income, white households: $80,589
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