Black employment-to-population ratio rose in the recovery, but remains lower than white when adjusting for age distribution: Employment-to-population ratio (EPOP) by age group and race, under alternative scenarios
| Black | White | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 58.1% | 59.9% |
| 2023 (actual) | 59.5% | 59.0% |
| 2023 (age adjusted only) | 57.2% | 58.8% |
| 2023 (EPOP adjusted only) | 60.4% | 60.1% |
| 2023 (apply white age distribution) | 54.7% | 59.0% |
Notes: Data for January to March 2023. Black and white race categories are also non-Hispanic. The first two sets of bars represent the actual EPOPs in 2019 and 2023, respectively. The third set of bars shows what the 2023 EPOPs would be if the population aged to 2023, but the EPOPs didn't change. The fourth set of bars shows what the 2023 EPOPs would be if the population didn't age between 2019 and 2023. The fifth set shows the Black and white EPOPs if they both used the white age distribution.
Source: Authors' analysis of Current Population Survey basic monthly microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.40 (2023), https://microdata.epi.org.