Photos: Black Unemployment Across the U.S.
A look at unemployment numbers across select states.
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Resumes at the Ready - Sometimes an evocative visual says more than a thousand words. As Congressional Black Caucus members noted after each stop on their summer jobs fair tour, the sight of thousands of people lined up for hours to speak with employers—and no guarantee that they’d leave with a job—could be as heartbreaking as some of the personal stories they heard about individual struggles to find employment. And numbers don’t lie. Black unemployment figures in cities across the nation are staggeringly high, sometimes two or more times than the white jobless rate. Those are the people who will be listening most acutely as President Obama unveils his American Jobs Act on Sept. 8, a measure that African-Americans and their advocates hope will include initiatives that will specifically target their needs. BET.com takes a look at unemployment numbers across select states. (Photo: R...
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New York, New York - Black unemployment in New York State, where African-Americans comprise 15.9 percent of the population, is 14.5 percent. In New York City, where they comprise 26.6 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 14.1 percent, compared to 9.3 percent for whites.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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Columbus, Ohio - Black unemployment in Ohio, where African-Americans comprise 12.2 percent of the population, is 16.9 percent. In Columbus, where they comprise 24.5 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 14.5 percent, compared to 11.6 percent for whites.(Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)
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Detroit, Michigan - Black unemployment in Michigan, where African-Americans comprise 14.2 percent of the population, is 23.9 percent. In Detroit, where they comprise 81.6 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 28.3 percent, compared to 3.7 percent for whites.(Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Black unemployment in Pennsylvania, where African-Americans comprise 10.8 percent of the population, is 16.2 percent. In Philadelphia, where they comprise 43.2 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 15.1 percent, compared to 14.5 percent for whites.(Photo: UPI /John Anderson /Landov)
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Indianapolis, Indiana - Black unemployment in Indiana, where African-Americans comprise 9.1 percent of the population, is 19.8 percent. In Indianapolis, where they comprise 25.5 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 18.6 percent, compared to 11.3 percent for whites.(Photo: File photo)
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Baltimore, Maryland - Black unemployment in Maryland, where African-Americans comprise 29.4 percent of the population, is 11.3 percent. In Baltimore, where they comprise 64.3 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 19.8 percent, compared to 9.6 percent for whites.(Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Charlotte, North Carolina - Black unemployment in North Carolina, where African-Americans comprise 21.5 percent of the population, is 17.4 percent. In Charlotte, where they comprise 26.6 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 19.5 percent, compared to 8.5 percent for whites.(Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
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Washington, DC - Black unemployment in Washington, D.C., where African-Americans comprise 50.7 percent of the population, is 17.2 percent, compared to 3.1 percent for whites.(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Virginia Beach, Virginia - Black unemployment in Virginia, where African-Americans comprise 19.4 percent of the population, is 11.2 percent. In Virginia Beach, where they comprise 26.6 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 8.9 percent, compared to 6.1 percent for whites.(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Chicago, Illinois - Black unemployment in Illinois, where African-Americans comprise 14.5 percent of the population, is 17.8 percent. In Chicago, where they comprise 36.8 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 20.3 percent, compared to 12.3 percent for whites.(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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New Orleans, Louisiana - Black unemployment in Louisiana, where African-Americans comprise 32 percent of the population, is 12.2 percent. In New Orleans, where they comprise 67.3 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 10.1 percent, compared to 5.6 percent for whites.(Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Atlanta, Georgia - Black unemployment in Georgia, where African-Americans comprise 30.5 percent of the population, is 16.4 percent. In Atlanta, where they comprise 61.4 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 24.1 percent, compared to 3.1 percent for whites.(Photo: Atlanta Georgia Bob Andres / Atlanta Journal & Constitution, via AP)
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Jacksonville, Florida - Black unemployment in Florida, where African-Americans comprise 16 percent of the population, is 16.7 percent. In Jacksonville, where they comprise 29 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 13 percent, compared to 5.9 percent for whites.(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Kansas City, Missouri - Black unemployment in Missouri, where African-Americans comprise 11.6 percent of the population, is 15.3 percent. In Kansas City, where they comprise 31.2 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 12.7 percent, compared to 10.0 percent for whites.(Photo: G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)
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Nashville-Davidson, Tennesse - Black unemployment in Tennessee, where African-Americans comprise 16.7 percent of the population, is 14.6 percent. In Nashville-Davidson, where they comprise 26.8 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 16.1 percent, compared to 5.2 percent for whites.(Photo: Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles, California - Black unemployment in California, where African-Americans comprise 6.2 percent of the population, is 19.5 percent. In Los Angeles, where they comprise 11.2 percent of the population, their unemployment rate is 22.6 percent, compared to 12.9 percent for whites.(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)