Wisconsin Has Highest Black Unemployment Rate In Nation, Says Report

A new report by economists at University of Wisconsin-Madison finds Wisconsin has the highest black unemployment rate in the nation.

The report from the Center on Wisconsin Strategy found nearly 20 percent of black people in the state’s labor force are jobless, 4.5 times the rate for white people and twice the national black unemployment rate. Laura Dresser, the nonprofit’s associate director, said that while there are more jobs in Wisconsin than there were at the beginning of the recession in 2007, the state’s black population has been left behind.

“There are pockets of real suffering where the relief has not yet come, and this growth has not yet been strong enough to extend opportunity,” said Dresser.

The report also found that Wisconsin has not kept up with the rest of the nation in terms of job growth. Dresser said that if it had, the state would have 90,000 more jobs today.