It's been awhile since I compiled this data. With Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus in Atlanta today for a meeting with black conservatives, however, I think it's time to revisit the unemployment rate in Georgia's twenty majority black counties.
Those 20 counties --Bibb, Burke, Calhoun, Clay, Clayton, DeKalb, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Hancock, Jefferson, Macon, Randolph, Richmond, Sumter, Talbot, Taliaferro, Terrell, Warren, and Washington-- all have black populations exceeding 50% or more.
In these twenty Georgia counties, with majority black populations, unemployment is higher than either the state or the national rate.
The following table was constructed using the 2010 Census, data from the Georgia Department of Labor and the Georgia Secretary of State's office:
Black Population (percent) | Dec., 2012 Unemployment (percent) | Votes Cast for Barack Obama Nov., 2012 (percent) | |
Bibb | 52.1% | 9.3% | 59.65% |
Burke | 49.5% | 12.2% | 55.28% |
Calhoun | 61.3% | 10.8% | 59.32% |
Clay | 60.4% | 8.6% | 61.48% |
Clayton | 66.1% | 10.6% | 84.81% |
DeKalb | 54.3% | 8.9% | 77.87% |
Dooly | 49.9% | 12.9% | 53.16% |
Dougherty | 67.1% | 10.6% | 69.35% |
Early | 49.6% | 8.4% | 51.65% |
Hancock | 74.1% | 18.1% | 80.92% |
Jefferson | 54.4% | 14.6% | 58.39% |
Macon | 60.6% | 15.0% | 67.16% |
Randolph | 61.8% | 12.4% | 57.88% |
Richmond | 54.2% | 10.3% | 66.54% |
Sumter | 51.8% | 12.7% | 53.88% |
Talbot | 59.2% | 9.2% | 64.88% |
Taliaferro | 59.6% | 8.0% | 66.04% |
Terrell | 61.2% | 8.9% | 57.84% |
Warren | 61.7% | 15.3% | 60.53% |
Washington | 52.7% | 11.3% | 53.53% |
The current national unemployment rate is 7.8%. The current Georgia unemployment rate is 8.8%