The Black Jobs Deficit Cost Black America $87 Billion in 2025

Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

In 2025, Black America needed about 1.8 million more people working to have the same employment rates (employment-to-population ratios) as White America (Table 1). This Black jobs deficit cost Black America about $87 billion in lost income.

Black people face higher rates of joblessness because of racial discrimination in the labor market. Researchers continue to find strong evidence of anti-Black bias in hiring. Even among the formerly incarcerated...