EPI analyzes national and state unemployment rates by race and ethnicity, and racial/ethnic unemployment rate gaps on a quarterly basis to generate a consistent sample to create reliable and precise estimates of unemployment rates by race and ethnicity at the state level.
We report estimates for all states and subgroups, flagging those for which constructed unemployment rates are heavily weighted by national – level data with an asterisk (*) (see Methodological n ote). The following analysis contains data on the first quarter of 2024 .
As of 2022 Q2, EPI has updated its methodology for constructing state-level unemployment rates and ratios by race/ethnicity, with the goal of providing a more consistent set of states for analysis from quarter to quarter. The new methodology uses a longer time horizon of state-level unemployment data from the Current Population Survey (12 months vs. 6 months) and leverages national-level data to better represent state-level race groupings that traditionally have been dropped from the analysis due to low sample size. As a result of this methodological change, reports in this series from 2022 Q2 forward are not directly comparable with reports prior to 2022 Q2.
In contrast to previous reports, all states now have listed unemployment rates for each of the four analyzed groups for every quarter. However, those states and demographic groups with typically small sample sizes require a heavier weighting of national-level data to supplement their analysis and are noted as such with an asterisk (*). The full methodological update is detailed in our technical report.1
Though the economy grew more slowly than expected over the first quarter of 2024, the labor market remained strong with relatively low unemployment rates overall and across groups. The national unemployment rate rose slightly from 3.7% in the previous quarter to 3.8. California and Nevada had the highest unemployment rates at 5.3% and 5.2% respectively, while North and South Dakota had the lowest rates at 2.0% and 2.1% respectively.
Recent EPI analysis has shown that Black and Hispanic employment reached an all-time high through the end of 2023, accompanied by faster wage growth over the past four years. This is yet another testament to the power of long recoveries to bring more people into the labor market and to move us toward equity. That said, structural features of the labor market like occupational segregation and inadequate support for antidiscrimination enforcement still serve as barriers to reaching equity in unemployment rates across groups and across states.
Highest: Calif. (5.3%), Nev. (5.2%)
Lowest: N.D. (2.0%) S.D. (2.1%)
National: 3.8%
Increasing costs of transportation, insurance, and housing contributed to rising inflation over the first quarter; these are not indicative of a need to raise interest rates and “cool down” the economy, however. Addressing these sources of inflation may require a fiscal policy approach, such as addressing the housing affordability crisis through more construction and changes to zoning laws, rather than tightening monetary policy. The Fed’s policy should instead be directed at continuing to support the tight labor market, so that workers and their families can keep the economy afloat through consumption as they largely have since the recovery from the pandemic recession.
Interactive Map| State | All | White | Black | Hispanic | AAPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3.8% | 3.1% | 6.0% | 4.7% | 3.2% |
| Alabama | 3.0% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 3.7%* | 2.5%* |
| Alaska | 4.6% | 2.5% | 7.2%* | 5.3%* | 3.6% |
| Arizona | 4.0% | 3.5% | 6.2%* | 4.3% | 3.3%* |
| Arkansas | 3.6% | 3.0% | 5.8% | 4.5%* | 3.0%* |
| California | 5.3% | 4.8% | 8.1% | 5.8% | 4.0% |
| Colorado | 3.5% | 3.0% | 5.8%* | 4.5% | 3.0%* |
| Connecticut | 4.5% | 4.1% | 6.7%* | 5.6% | 3.8%* |
| Delaware | 4.0% | 3.4% | 5.2% | 4.9%* | 3.4%* |
| Florida | 3.1% | 2.6% | 5.0% | 3.2% | 2.3%* |
| Georgia | 3.1% | 2.0% | 5.2% | 3.3%* | 2.6%* |
| Hawaii | 3.1% | 3.1% | 4.9%* | 3.9%* | 2.9% |
| Idaho | 3.3% | 2.9% | 5.2%* | 4.5% | 2.8%* |
| Illinois | 4.8% | 4.0% | 9.4% | 4.7% | 3.6% |
| Indiana | 3.5% | 2.7% | 5.8% | 4.9%* | 3.0%* |
| Iowa | 3.0% | 2.4% | 5.5%* | 3.8%* | 2.5%* |
| Kansas | 2.7% | 2.3% | 4.3%* | 3.4%* | 2.2%* |
| Kentucky | 4.4% | 3.2% | 10.4% | 5.5%* | 3.7%* |
| Louisiana | 4.2% | 3.2% | 5.8% | 5.1% | 3.6%* |
| Maine | 3.4% | 3.2% | 5.3%* | 4.2%* | 2.8%* |
| Maryland | 2.4% | 1.7% | 3.3% | 3.0%* | 2.2%* |
| Massachusetts | 2.9% | 2.6% | 4.5% | 4.1% | 2.7% |
| Michigan | 3.9% | 3.5% | 6.1% | 4.7% | 3.3%* |
| Minnesota | 2.7% | 2.4% | 4.1%* | 3.4%* | 2.3%* |
| Mississippi | 3.1% | 2.5% | 4.0% | 3.9%* | 2.6%* |
| Missouri | 3.3% | 2.8% | 5.7% | 4.1%* | 2.8%* |
| Montana | 3.3% | 2.8% | 5.2%* | 4.2%* | 2.8%* |
| Nebraska | 2.5% | 2.0% | 3.9%* | 3.2%* | 2.1%* |
| Nevada | 5.2% | 4.4% | 7.2% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| New Hampshire | 2.6% | 2.7% | 4.1%* | 3.2%* | 2.2%* |
| New Jersey | 4.8% | 4.1% | 8.0% | 4.7% | 4.4% |
| New Mexico | 3.9% | 3.1% | 5.6%* | 3.8% | 3.3%* |
| New York | 4.4% | 3.2% | 7.6% | 6.6% | 3.0% |
| North Carolina | 3.5% | 2.6% | 6.1% | 3.6% | 3.0%* |
| North Dakota | 2.0% | 1.6% | 3.2%* | 2.5%* | 1.7%* |
| Ohio | 3.7% | 3.0% | 7.8% | 4.9%* | 3.1%* |
| Oklahoma | 3.5% | 3.1% | 6.0%* | 4.2% | 3.0%* |
| Oregon | 4.2% | 4.0% | 6.5%* | 5.2% | 3.4%* |
| Pennsylvania | 3.4% | 2.8% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 2.9%* |
| Rhode Island | 3.8% | 3.5% | 6.0%* | 4.9% | 3.2%* |
| South Carolina | 3.1% | 2.2% | 4.7% | 3.8%* | 2.6%* |
| South Dakota | 2.1% | 1.8% | 3.3%* | 2.6%* | 1.8%* |
| Tennessee | 3.3% | 2.8% | 5.0% | 4.3%* | 2.8%* |
| Texas | 3.9% | 2.8% | 5.8% | 4.5% | 2.6% |
| Utah | 2.8% | 2.3% | 4.4%* | 3.8% | 2.4%* |
| Vermont | 2.3% | 2.2% | 3.6%* | 2.8%* | 1.9%* |
| Virginia | 3.0% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 3.8% | 2.4%* |
| Washington | 4.7% | 4.6% | 6.8%* | 6.9% | 3.3% |
| Washington D.C. | 5.1% | 2.3% | 9.8% | 4.9% | 4.3%* |
| West Virginia | 4.3% | 4.2% | 7.4%* | 5.4%* | 3.6%* |
| Wisconsin | 3.1% | 2.3% | 6.0%* | 4.4%* | 2.6%* |
| Wyoming | 2.8% | 2.2% | 4.4%* | 5.2% | 2.4%* |
Notes: AAPI stands for Asian American and Pacific Islander. Unemployment rates for each demographic group are produced from a weighted average of state and national unemployment trends. Those states and demographic groups with typically small sample sizes require a heavier weighting of national-level data to supplement their analysis. See methodological note for more detail.
Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) data and Current Population Survey (CPS) data.
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