Latest data: Black unemployment is at least twice as high as white unemployment at the national level and in 14 states including PA and the District of Columbia

While there have been state-by-state improvements in prospects for black and Hispanic workers, their unemployment rates remain high relative to those of white workers. Following are some key highlights of the report:

• While the African American unemployment rate is at or below its pre-recession level in 18 states (of the 21 states and the District of Columbia for which these data are available), in 14 states and in the District of Columbia, African American unemployment rates exceed white unemployment rates by a ratio of 2.0-to-1 or higher.
• The District of Columbia has a black–white unemployment rate ratio of 5.7-to-1, while Alabama and Mississippi have the highest ratios among states (3.0-to-1 and 2.8-to-1, respectively).

• The highest African American unemployment rate is in the District of Columbia (11.8%), followed by Pennsylvania (8.9%), Illinois (8.8%), Louisiana (8.0%), and Mississippi (7.7%). The highest Hispanic state unemployment rate is in Washington (7.5%), followed by Pennsylvania (7.1%), Arizona (6.3%), Connecticut (5.8%), and Oregon (5.8%). Meanwhile, the highest white state unemployment rate is 4.6%, in West Virginia.
The Hispanic unemployment rate is at or below its pre-recession level in 11 states (of the 16 states for which these data are available). There are three states in which the Hispanic unemployment rate is equal to or lower than the white rate (Georgia, 0.8-to-1, Oklahoma, 0.9-to-1 and New Jersey, 1-to-1).

The largest gaps between Hispanic and white unemployment rates are in Nebraska (2.4-to-1), Virginia (2.3-to-1), Connecticut and Pennsylvania (2.1-to-1 each).

See the report here: