Unemployment » Race and Education

Workers across all demographics and occupations have seen dramatic increases in unemployment, but people of color continue to be disproportionately affected. In 2009, the unemployment rates for African Americans in Washington stood at 12.5%, Hispanics and Latinos at 12.3%, Caucasians at 8.5%, and Asian-Pacific Islanders at 5.9%.

Historically, people with higher levels of education have had lower rates of unemployment. In an economic downturn, when jobs become scarce, education is even more important.

In 2009, nearly 20% of people who did not finish high school were unemployed, as were 12.1% of high school graduates. By contrast, only 8.1% of those who completed at least some college were unemployed, and only 4.8% with bachelor degrees were.

Even with an education advantage, people of color in Washington continue to have higher unemployment rates than do Caucasians.

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