In June, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) published Unequal Employment: Black Jobs Gaps and Deficits By State, a great new research brief by Algernon Austin, CEPR’s Director for Race and Economic Justice.

This is a great new tool for advocates and policymakers to understand the profound gaps in labor market conditions for Black workers.  In particular, this data will be very useful for state advocates who want to bolster the case for state-based subsidized employment and job guarantee initiatives.

Here’s a summary from the research brief of the key findings.

Prime-Age Black Jobs Gaps and Deficits for 2022 by State

“…The Black prime-age (25 to 54 years old) annual employment rate is currently at its highest level in a generation. This is good news for Black workers, their families, and their communities. It is important to acknowledge this positive development, but it is also important to acknowledge that the Black employment rate is still substantially below the White rate.”

“This brief examines the prime-age Black jobs gaps and deficits for men and women at the state level. The Black jobs gap is the difference between the White and Black employment to population ratios or employment rates. The jobs deficit is the number of additional jobs Black people need to have the same employment rate as their White peers. The analysis uses the 2022 American Community Survey data.”

Key Findings

• In 2022, the states with the largest prime-age Black jobs deficits were New York, Illinois, and Michigan. In New York, the prime-age Black population needed an additional 91,700 jobs to have the same employment rate as their White peers. In Illinois, it was 73,100 jobs, and, in Michigan, it was 61,500.
• Only in Delaware and Kentucky did both prime-age Black men and women have comparable employment rates to their White peers.
• Prime-age White men in Michigan had an employment rate 17.2 percentage points higher than prime-age Black men. Louisiana and Illinois had gaps of 15.5 and 15.1 percentage points respectively.
• The largest jobs gap for prime-age Black women was in Iowa. In that state, White women’s employment rate was 12 percentage points higher than Black women’s. The next largest gaps were Wisconsin (8.6 percentage points), Illinois (8.5 percentage points), Michigan (8.5 percentage points), and Minnesota (8.1 percentage points).
• Prime-age Black women had employment rates comparable to White women in 19 states. Prime-age Black men had employment rates comparable to White men in only two states. In 17 states, the Black jobs deficit was solely due to joblessness among Black men.

For more information, read the research brief here.