Figure 1
Failing to count incarcerated people distorts the official unemployment rate for Black men

(as percent share of labor force)

The first column presents the standard unemployment rate, which excludes incarcerated people. The second and third column present incarceration and unemployment as percent shares of the expanded labor force, which includes incarcerated people. Unemployment and labor force data from 2023 Current Population Survey; incarceration by race and sex from the U.S. Census Bureau and Vera's calculations.