Which states have the biggest Black unemployment gaps
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Sometimes overlooked in the big monthly jobs reports is a stark reality: The unemployment rate among Black Americans is consistently higher than the overall rate, and that gap is especially pronounced in some states.
Why it matters: Looking below surface-level at economic data can reveal important trends, differences and needs among specific groups.
Driving the news: The overall U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2% as of Q3 2024, but the rate among Black Americans was 6.5%, per the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank.
- That's a gap of 2.3 percentage points.
Zoom in: At the state level, Kentucky (6.1 percentage points); Washington, D.C. (5.2) and Ohio (4.8) have the widest Black unemployment gaps.
- Delaware (0.8), Mississippi (0.8) and Maryland (0.9) have the smallest.
Caveat: A small gap doesn't necessarily mean low unemployment.
- Delaware, for example, had a 5% unemployment rate among Black residents as of Q3 2024.
How it works: EPI's estimates are based on a combination of Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Population Survey data.
- Read more about the group's methodology here.
The big picture: Although a chasm clearly persists, the national Black unemployment gap is about the lowest it's been since at least late 1978 — the earliest period included in EPI's estimates.
- National Black unemployment hit an all-time low in 2023, and remains historically low amid a surprisingly equitable post-COVID economic recovery.
