For African Americans, 50 years of high unemployment

In 2011, the African American unemployment rate averaged 15.8 percent – twice the white average of 7.9 percent. This disparity has persisted for the last half-century. In fact, the black unemployment rate has consistently been roughly twice the white rate. Data from the Census Bureau indicates this 2-to-1 relationship dates back to at least 1960 (Fairlie and Sundstrom 1999). [Read more]