Financial Security

Decreasing


Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21

What does this measure?

The unemployment rate for racial and ethnic groups in a geographic area. Unemployed individuals are those without jobs who are able, available and seeking work; the rate presents them as a share of the total labor force.

Why is this important?

Unemployment rates are a relatively timely indicator of current local economic conditions, particularly recent changes in the employment landscape that reflect the overall health of the economy.

How does our county compare?

In 2017-21, 7.2% of African American and 6.4% of Hispanic residents of Lancaster County were unemployed, compared to 3% of white residents. This is in line with disparities observed at the statewide and national levels, although Pennsylvania's unemployment rates for non-white workers are higher than those of the U.S., generally.

Unemployment rates for all groups except Asians were higher in the City of Lancaster, where 9.4% of African American and 9% of Hispanic residents were unemployed, compared to 4.9% of white residents.

Since 2000, the county's unemployment rate declined almost 4 percentage points among African American workers and 2 percentage points for Hispanic residents. The rate was essentially flat among white residents.

Why do these disparities exist?

While traditional explanations for employment rate disparities focus on education and training gaps, whites tend to be employed at higher rates than Blacks and other people of color at every education level (high school, some college, bachelor's degree, etc.). This has led many researchers to focus on labor market discrimination as a primary cause of higher unemployment among people of color. However, it is also true that education levels are generally lower for people of color, suggesting that the education system's failure to equitably serve people of color is also a contributing factor.

Notes about the data

The multi-year figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census.

Data on unemployment by race and ethnicity is only available from the American Community Survey, and it is somewhat different from the total population unemployment data produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics using responses to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. Two different survey methodologies are used (ACS responses are collected by mail, phone and in person; CPS uses phone and in-person interviews), CPS questions on employment are more detailed, and CPS requires that someone be "actively" searching for work (interviewing, calling contacts) in order to qualify as unemployed. In addition, the ACS estimates used here cover a 5-year period, compared to an annual average of monthly estimates presented in the general unemployment indicator. In 2009, the annual unemployment estimates for the nation from the two surveys varied, with ACS at 9.9% and CPS at 9.3%. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.

Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Pennsylvania4.6%11.1%8.3%4.6%
Lancaster County1.9%***7.2%*6.4%*3.0%
Lancaster City0.1%***9.4%**9.0%*4.9%*
Lancaster County Boroughs
Adamstown borough0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***0.3%***
Akron borough0.0%***0.0%***24.1%***3.6%***
Christiana borough0.0%***0.0%***N/A***2.9%***
Columbia boroughN/A***0.0%***7.0%***3.4%***
Denver township0.0%***55.2%***10.8%***7.4%**
East Petersburg borough0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***2.1%***
Elizabethtown borough0.0%***1.6%***2.3%***4.4%***
Ephrata borough0.0%***12.6%***3.3%***2.9%***
Lititz borough0.0%***0.0%***2.6%***3.4%***
Manheim boroughN/A***N/A***0.0%***3.8%***
Marietta borough0.0%***12.0%***11.0%***5.1%***
Millersville borough0.0%***7.7%***27.6%***3.6%***
Mount Joy borough0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***2.1%***
Mountville borough0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***1.0%***
New Holland borough0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***4.4%***
Quarryville borough0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***2.9%***
Strasburg boroughN/A***0.0%***0.0%***4.2%***
Terre Hill boroughN/A***N/A***6.7%***2.6%***
Lancaster County Townships
Bart townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***4.0%***
Brecknock township0.0%***N/A***0.0%***3.5%***
Caernarvon townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***4.2%***
Clay townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***2.9%***
Colerain townshipN/A***0.0%***N/A***3.0%***
Conestoga township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***1.6%***
Conoy townshipN/A***100.0%***0.0%***0.3%***
Drumore townshipN/A***N/A***27.3%***3.6%***
Earl township0.0%***N/A***0.0%***0.4%***
East Cocalico township0.0%***100.0%***0.0%***2.3%***
East Donegal townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***2.0%***
East Drumore township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***5.0%***
East Earl township40.5%***0.0%***0.0%***0.8%***
East Hempfield township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***2.2%**
East Lampeter township12.7%***6.8%***6.6%***4.1%***
Eden townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***2.6%***
Elizabeth township0.0%***N/A***0.0%***0.4%***
Ephrata township0.0%***76.4%***38.3%***1.0%***
Fulton townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***6.2%***
Lancaster township0.0%***3.9%***6.9%***3.7%***
Leacock townshipN/A***0.0%***N/A***0.5%***
Little Britain townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***2.8%***
Manheim township2.7%***0.0%***2.8%***3.0%**
Manor township0.0%***7.3%***5.0%***3.6%***
Martic townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***2.2%***
Mount Joy township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***3.5%***
Paradise townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***3.4%***
Penn township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***1.5%***
Pequea township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***0.6%***
Providence townshipN/A***N/A***0.0%***1.8%***
Rapho township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***3.3%***
Sadsbury townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***1.1%***
Salisbury township0.0%***0.0%***6.1%***1.5%***
Strasburg townshipN/A***N/A***N/A***2.4%***
Upper Leacock township0.0%***24.1%***23.4%***4.9%***
Warwick township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***3.9%***
West Cocalico townshipN/A***0.0%***0.0%***2.1%***
West Donegal townshipN/A***35.6%***0.0%***2.5%***
West Earl township0.0%***N/A***0.0%***4.8%***
West Hempfield township0.0%***0.0%***13.7%***3.1%**
West Lampeter township0.0%***0.0%***0.0%***1.8%***
Berks County7.4%***11.3%*10.3%4.7%
Chester County2.9%*10.4%*6.0%*3.7%
Cumberland County3.0%***6.2%**6.8%**3.3%
Dauphin County3.2%**9.2%3.9%**3.2%
Lebanon County3.0%***3.8%***10.4%*4.2%
York County6.5%***8.6%*9.2%*4.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




Number Unemployed by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-21
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
Pennsylvania11,42274,72938,650246,845
Lancaster County132***834*1,888*7,617
Lancaster City1***482**989*929*
Lancaster County Boroughs
Adamstown borough0***0***0***4***
Akron borough0***0***32***83***
Christiana borough0***0***0***12***
Columbia borough0***0***53***154***
Denver township0***16***15***139**
East Petersburg borough0***0***0***49***
Elizabethtown borough0***3***6***274***
Ephrata borough0***13***21***202***
Lititz borough0***0***9***163***
Manheim borough0***0***0***93***
Marietta borough0***9***10***62***
Millersville borough0***34***79***105***
Mount Joy borough0***0***0***83***
Mountville borough0***0***0***14***
New Holland borough0***0***0***109***
Quarryville borough0***0***0***34***
Strasburg borough0***0***0***65***
Terre Hill borough0***0***2***13***
Lancaster County Townships
Bart township0***0***0***58***
Brecknock township0***0***0***151***
Caernarvon township0***0***0***91***
Clay township0***0***0***97***
Colerain township0***0***0***55***
Conestoga township0***0***0***32***
Conoy township0***34***0***5***
Drumore township0***0***9***38***
Earl township0***0***0***13***
East Cocalico township0***18***0***122***
East Donegal township0***0***0***95***
East Drumore township0***0***0***84***
East Earl township30***0***0***27***
East Hempfield township0***0***0***261**
East Lampeter township69***43***92***290***
Eden township0***0***0***24***
Elizabeth township0***0***0***8***
Ephrata township0***68***97***55***
Fulton township0***0***0***73***
Lancaster township0***27***182***241***
Leacock township0***0***0***12***
Little Britain township0***0***0***55***
Manheim township32***0***80***602**
Manor township0***26***49***387***
Martic township0***0***0***59***
Mount Joy township0***0***0***203***
Paradise township0***0***0***84***
Penn township0***0***0***75***
Pequea township0***0***0***19***
Providence township0***0***0***56***
Rapho township0***0***0***213***
Sadsbury township0***0***0***17***
Salisbury township0***0***11***80***
Strasburg township0***0***0***45***
Upper Leacock township0***45***74***187***
Warwick township0***0***0***364***
West Cocalico township0***0***0***77***
West Donegal township0***16***0***98***
West Earl township0***0***0***195***
West Hempfield township0***0***78***249**
West Lampeter township0***0***0***133***
Berks County239***1,272*4,5038,294
Chester County502*1,629*1,243*8,946
Cumberland County206***281**364**3,845
Dauphin County237**2,350513**3,421
Lebanon County39***59***898*2,597
York County237***1,160*1,529*8,501

Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Notes: Multiyear results are from rolling American Community Survey. * Margin of error between 20% & 35% of estimate; ** margin of error between 35% & 50%; *** margin of error greater than 50%. The Census Bureau asks people to identify their race (white, African-American, etc.) separate from their ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic). So the totals for these categories cannot be added together, as people show up in both a racial and ethnic group.




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