Unemployment in the US – The rate varied across race and ethnicity groups BLS finds

In 2013, the overall unemployment rate for the United States was 7.4 percent; however, the rate varied across race and ethnicity groups. The rates were highest for Blacks (13.1 percent) and for American Indians and Alaska Natives (12.8 percent) and lowest for Asians (5.2 percent) and for Whites (6.5 percent). The jobless rate was 9.1 percent for Hispanics, 10.2 percent for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and 11.0 percent for people of Two or More Races.

Labor market differences among the race and ethnicity groups are associated with many factors, not all of which are measurable. These factors include variations across the groups in educational attainment; the occupations and industries in which the groups work; the geographic areas of the country in which the groups are concentrated, including whether they tend to reside in urban or rural settings; and the degree of discrimination encountered in the workplace.

Unemployment

Jobless rates varied considerably by race and ethnicity. Blacks (13.1 percent) and American Indians and Alaska Natives (12.8 percent) had the highest unemployment rates, while Asians (5.2 percent) and Whites (6.5 percent) had the lowest. The unemployment rate was 9.1 percent for Hispanics, 10.2 percent for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and 11.0 percent for individuals of Two or More Races.

Educational attainment 

Among people age 25 and older, over 90 percent of Whites, Blacks, and Asians in the labor force had at least a high school diploma. In contrast, 71 percent of Hispanics in the labor force had completed high school. Asians were the most likely group to have graduated from college; 59 percent of Asians in the labor force had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 37 percent of Whites, 27 percent of Blacks, and 18 percent of Hispanics.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity, 2013