Black women still face significant drops in their employment relative to their peers nationwide and across the country: Pandemic change in employment-to-population ratios (EPOPs) for prime-age Black women and all other prime-age women by Census division
| Division | Change in EPOP for prime-age Black women (percentage points) | Change in EPOP for all other prime-age women (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| National | -3.4% | -2.3% |
| East South Central | -1.4% | -0.6% |
| South Atlantic | -2.6% | -2.5% |
| West South Central | -3.2% | -1.2% |
| Middle Atlantic | -3.5% | -3.0% |
| West North Central | -3.5% | -1.9% |
| Pacific | -3.8% | -2.6% |
| East North Central | -4.9% | -2.0% |
| New England | -6.4% | -2.4% |
| Mountain | -10.7% | -2.8% |
Note: The figures refer to prime-age women only (ages 25–54). The statistics for all other women exclude Black women. To address seasonality and sample size concerns, we compare data for one full year before the pandemic shutdowns began in the U.S. (March 2019–February 2020) with the past full year of available data (December 2020–November 2021).
Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI) analysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.24 (2021), https://microdata.epi.org.