Table 4. Extent of unemployment during the year by race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex, 2008-09
(Numbers in thousands)
Total Men Women
Extent of unemployment, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009
WHITE
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 131,102 130,189 70,346 70,042 60,756 60,147
Percent with unemployment................................... 12.6 15.5 13.9 18.1 11.1 12.6
Total with unemployment..................................... 16,512 20,231 9,759 12,669 6,753 7,562
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 2,220 3,954 1,154 2,311 1,066 1,643
Worked during the year.................................... 14,291 16,277 8,605 10,358 5,687 5,920
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 14.7 19.1 14.8 19.2 14.3 19.0
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 4.6 3.4 4.9 3.6 4.1 3.0
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 95.4 96.6 95.1 96.4 95.9 97.0
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 15.7 12.8 14.7 11.8 17.3 14.5
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 31.0 25.3 31.0 26.0 30.8 24.0
15 weeks or more...................................... 48.8 58.6 49.5 58.6 47.8 58.5
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 22.7 21.5 25.3 23.9 18.7 17.3
BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 18,296 18,250 8,489 8,421 9,807 9,829
Percent with unemployment................................... 17.7 22.4 20.5 26.1 15.3 19.1
Total with unemployment..................................... 3,243 4,082 1,739 2,201 1,503 1,881
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 719 1,446 393 780 326 666
Worked during the year.................................... 2,524 2,636 1,346 1,421 1,177 1,215
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 19.8 22.8 21.6 23.6 18.0 22.1
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 2.7 3.3 2.7 3.8 2.7 2.7
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 97.3 96.7 97.3 96.2 97.3 97.3
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 13.8 9.9 12.6 11.1 15.2 8.5
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 24.1 19.9 22.6 18.8 25.9 21.2
15 weeks or more...................................... 59.3 66.9 62.1 66.3 56.1 67.6
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 20.4 14.7 22.0 16.8 18.6 12.1
ASIAN
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 7,270 7,430 3,840 3,935 3,430 3,495
Percent with unemployment................................... 10.0 12.6 9.5 12.4 10.5 12.8
Total with unemployment..................................... 725 937 364 489 361 448
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 132 236 57 114 74 123
Worked during the year.................................... 593 701 307 376 287 325
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 16.2 19.9 17.3 21.3 14.3 18.9
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 3.6 7.0 4.8 8.0 2.3 5.8
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 96.4 93.0 95.2 92.0 97.7 94.2
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 17.6 13.6 12.9 10.9 22.6 16.7
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 26.4 22.8 26.5 24.6 26.3 20.7
15 weeks or more...................................... 52.4 56.6 55.8 56.5 48.8 56.8
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 15.3 15.3 15.9 15.3 14.7 15.2
HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY
Total who worked or looked for work........................... 22,546 22,668 13,189 13,268 9,358 9,400
Percent with unemployment................................... 17.5 20.9 18.7 23.7 15.8 16.9
Total with unemployment..................................... 3,938 4,729 2,460 3,140 1,478 1,589
Did not work but looked for work.......................... 497 944 260 544 238 400
Worked during the year.................................... 3,441 3,784 2,200 2,595 1,240 1,189
Median weeks of unemployment for all workers............ 16.6 20.0 16.6 19.4 16.6 21.6
Percent who worked during the year (1).................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Year-round workers (2) with 1 or 2 weeks of unemployment 3.6 1.5 3.8 1.4 3.2 1.7
Part-year workers (3) with unemployment................. 96.4 98.5 96.2 98.6 96.8 98.3
1 to 4 weeks.......................................... 13.3 12.4 12.2 12.3 15.2 12.6
5 to 14 weeks......................................... 29.1 25.5 29.6 26.8 28.2 22.6
15 weeks or more...................................... 54.0 60.6 54.4 59.5 53.3 63.1
With 2 spells or more of unemployment........... 26.1 24.1 30.2 27.7 18.7 16.2
1 Time worked includes paid vacation and sick leave.
2 Worked 50 or 51 weeks.
3 Worked less than 50 weeks.
NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals shown in
table 3 because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
any race. Also, see Note, table 1.
United States Department of Labor
