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Four states and D.C. had labor force that was more than 30 percent African American in 2020

February 19, 2021

Mississippi, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, and Louisiana had the largest shares of their labor force that were African American in 2020. African Americans composed more than 30 percent of the labor force in each. By comparison, African Americans accounted for 12.6 percent of the U.S. labor force.

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Chart Data

Percent of each state's labor force that is African American, 2020 annual averages
State	Percent of labor force
Mississippi	35.5
District of Columbia	35.0
Georgia	31.9
Maryland	31.5
Louisiana	31.0
Alabama	25.9
South Carolina	25.0
Delaware	22.3
North Carolina	21.4
Virginia	18.9
Florida	16.8
Tennessee	16.1
New York	15.8
New Jersey	15.0
Arkansas	14.6
Texas	12.8
Connecticut	12.5
Illinois	12.5
Michigan	12.3
Ohio	11.9
Missouri	10.9
Pennsylvania	10.6
Nevada	9.7
Massachusetts	8.8
Indiana	8.6
Kentucky	8.4
Oklahoma	7.5
Rhode Island	7.3
California	6.3
Wisconsin	5.8
Minnesota	5.4
Arizona	5.1
Nebraska	5.1
Kansas	5.0
Washington	4.3
West Virginia	3.9
Alaska	3.6
Colorado	3.6
Iowa	3.4
North Dakota	2.6
New Mexico	2.4
Oregon	2.1
South Dakota	2.1
Hawaii	2.0
New Hampshire	2.0
Maine	1.7
Utah	1.5
Vermont	1.5
Wyoming	1.2
Idaho	0.8
Montana	0.5

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Other states with large African American shares of the labor force include Alabama, South Carolina, Delaware, North Carolina, and Virginia.

These Current Population Survey data are compiled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Four states and D.C. had labor force that was more than 30 percent African American in 2020 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2021/four-states-and-dc-had-labor-force-that-was-more-than-30-percent-african-american-in-2020.htm (visited October 12, 2024).

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