Unemployed Black workers spend more time looking for jobs than unemployed white workers

Average number of weeks of unemployment by race, 1977–2019

Line graph showing that Black workers spent more weeks unemployed than white workers from 1977 to 2019. From September 2018 to September 2019, Black workers spent an average of 25.5 weeks looking for jobs, compared with 20.8 weeks for unemployed white workers.

Hover over or click to see values.

Note: Data are 12-month averages and are not seasonally adjusted.

Chart: Center for American Progress Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Current Population Surveys, 1972–2019" (Washington: U.S. Department of Labor, 1972–2019), available at https://www.bls.gov/cps/.