Black Unemployment Ticks Upward During Rocky Month For Jobs

May's disappointing jobs numbers were far less than were expected — at 69,000, the number was flat with population growth — but the month also saw an uptick in black unemployment.

The unemployment rate for African Americans was 13.6 percent in May, up six-tenths of a percent from April. That was a stark difference from the national unemployment rate, which was essentially the same at 8.2 percent in May after 8.1 percent in April.

For black women, unemployment jumped from 11.7 percent to 12.3 percent. For black men, the unemployment rate was 15 percent, up from 14.6 percent. (The unemployment rate for black teens actually fell in May — down 1.7 percent to 36.5 percent — but teen unemployment rates tend to fluctuate dramatically from month to month.)

Experts say that overall unemployment are expected to remain elevated throughout the year. In all 50 states the black unemployment rate remains higher than the national overall level of unemployment, according to an analysis released in February by the Economic Policy Institute.