Hispanic-White Unemployment Equality

With an index of 103.6 percent, Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN topped the Hispanic-white metro unemployment rankings this year.  Indianapolis was #2 last year behind Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL, which fell to #49 this year.  While there were a total of five metros in the 2015 Index with a Hispanic-white unemployment index greater than 100 -- indicating that the Hispanic unemployment rate was lower than the white unemployment – Indianapolis was the only metro with that distinction in this year’s index. 

Since unemployment disparities between Latinos and whites have narrowed more than those between Blacks and whites during the recovery, lower unemployment rates and greater unemployment equality seemed to be more closely linked.  The metro with the lowest Hispanic unemployment rate (4.6 percent) was Tulsa, OK, #4 in the ranking.  The metro with the highest Hispanic unemployment rate (21.5 percent) was Springfield, MA at #72 in the ranking.