Donald Trump celebrated the historically low rate of black unemployment on Martin Luther King, Jr. day.
Black unemployment fell to the lowest annual level ever last year, averaging 6.1 percent in 2019. Black unemployment also hit the lowest level ever last year, falling to 5.4 percent in August.
In December, the unemployment rate for African-Americans was 5.9 percent. While above the all-time lows reached last year, that is still lower than any time prior to Trump’s presidency in records going back to 1972.
On average, the unemployment rate for blacks was 11.6 percent between 1963 and 2012.
The gap between black unemployment and white unemployment also narrowed to its smallest on record last year. And unlike other times in history when the gap narrowed, it is narrowing for a good reason–black unemployment falling faster than white unemployment. In the past, the gap narrowed because white unemployment was rising rapidly.
Gap between black unemployment and white unemployment.
In addition, the ratio of prime-age employment-to-population for African Americans rose by more than two-percentage points over 2019. And wages for full-time black workers rose by more than 4 percent after inflation.