Skip to content

Friday, October 30, 2026News that matters to Black communities

The Record · The Numbers

Our best month in 20 months was worse than their worst

By Tanish James · Updated · 4 min read

Here is the number I want you to carry into the weekend. In the 20 months of official jobs data published since January 2025, the best month Black workers had was an unemployment rate of 6.0%. The worst month white workers had was 3.9%. Our best was 2.1 points worse than their worst. That is not a bad stretch. That is two different labor markets, and only one of them gets talked about.

To view this content, you must be a member of The Black Observer's Patreon at $8 or more
Already a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.