November 3, 2009 - Posted by Tyler Lewis
The economic hardships caused by current recession reach far and wide, but some communities are experiencing the negative effects of the recession more acutely than national averages reveal, according to data available through a new online tool from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank.
EPI's new Economy Track website allows you to see how the recession affects different industries and states, and also people of different races, gender, and education level.
For instance, though the overall U.S. unemployment rate is 9.8 percent, it is 15.4 percent for African Americans and 12.7 percent for Hispanics. And while the 9.6 percent unemployment for workers in service industries is near the national average, the situation for blue-collar workers – 15.3 percent unemployment – is even more dire.
You can find a broad range of comparative statistics on Economy Track –and all of the data is downloadable and updated on a regular basis.
Categories: Poverty & Welfare
