Black workers across the South consistently have unemployment rates twice that of their white counterparts: Unemployment rates across the South by race and ethnicity, 1979–2022
| White | Black | Hispanic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 4.2% | 11.0% | 7.1% |
| 1980 | 5.2% | 12.7% | 8.4% |
| 1981 | 5.5% | 14.1% | 8.0% |
| 1982 | 7.1% | 17.2% | 11.0% |
| 1983 | 7.1% | 18.2% | 11.8% |
| 1984 | 5.4% | 14.7% | 8.9% |
| 1985 | 5.4% | 14.1% | 9.1% |
| 1986 | 5.8% | 13.9% | 10.3% |
| 1987 | 5.2% | 12.7% | 9.3% |
| 1988 | 4.6% | 11.5% | 9.4% |
| 1989 | 4.2% | 10.7% | 8.8% |
| 1990 | 4.2% | 11.0% | 8.2% |
| 1991 | 5.4% | 11.6% | 8.6% |
| 1992 | 5.5% | 13.1% | 9.6% |
| 1993 | 4.9% | 12.1% | 8.7% |
| 1994 | 4.4% | 10.6% | 8.3% |
| 1995 | 4.1% | 9.6% | 8.6% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | 9.9% | 7.5% |
| 1997 | 3.5% | 9.4% | 7.0% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | 8.4% | 6.0% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | 7.2% | 4.8% |
| 2001 | 3.5% | 8.5% | 5.7% |
| 2002 | 4.3% | 9.6% | 6.8% |
| 2003 | 4.3% | 9.9% | 7.1% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | 9.6% | 5.8% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | 9.5% | 5.1% |
| 2006 | 3.5% | 8.4% | 4.1% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | 7.5% | 4.6% |
| 2008 | 4.4% | 9.1% | 6.1% |
| 2009 | 7.4% | 13.9% | 10.0% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | 15.2% | 10.4% |
| 2011 | 6.9% | 15.2% | 9.4% |
| 2012 | 6.1% | 13.0% | 8.1% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | 12.2% | 7.3% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | 10.5% | 5.9% |
| 2015 | 4.1% | 9.1% | 5.4% |
| 2016 | 3.9% | 8.1% | 4.7% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | 7.2% | 4.4% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | 6.3% | 4.1% |
| 2019 | 2.8% | 5.8% | 3.7% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | 10.2% | 8.8% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | 7.4% | 5.8% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | 5.3% | 3.6% |
Source: EPI analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.