6 Facts: Unemployment Among African Americans
Black unemployment rate is consistently twice that of whites.
August 11, 2014
1. Since the 1960s, the unemployment rate for black Americans has been between two and 2.5 times higher than that of white Americans.
2. As of June 2014, the unemployment rate for all Americans stood at 6.1%.
3. The unemployment rate for white Americans was 5.3% — nearly a full percentage lower than the overall nationwide rate.
4. The unemployment rate for black Americans was 10.7% — more than double the rate for white Americans.
5. For young white Americans (ages 16-19), the unemployment rate in June 2014 was 18.9%.
6. For black Americans aged 16-19, the June 2014 unemployment rate was 33.4% — well above peak national unemployment rate of 25% during the Great Depression.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Economic Policy Institute, with additional data analysis by The Globalist Research Center.
Takeaways
The #unemployment rate for black Americans since the 1960s has been between two and 2.5 times that of white Americans.
The #unemployment rate for black Americans is 10.7%, more than double the rate for white Americans.
For young white Americans (ages 16-19), the #unemployment rate in June 2014 was 18.9%.
