WASHINGTON (AP) - The September unemployment rate for Hispanic and Latino Americans fell for a second straight month to 3.9%, the lowest level since record-keeping began in 1972. The improvement in the category, which includes all races, stemmed from more people seeking and finding jobs.
The jobless rate for white Americans also dropped to a 50-year-low of 3.2% from 3.4% in August. It was the lowest level since a 3% figure in 1969.
Less educated Americans benefited from the still-solid job market in September. The unemployment rate for workers without a high school diploma fell to 4.8% from 5.4% in August. It marked the lowest level on records since 1992.
The Labor Department said Friday that all told, employers added a modest 136,000 jobs in September. The overall unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low of 3.5% from 3.7% in August.
The data for demographic groups came from a survey of households that is part of the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
| Unemployment rate by group: | |||
| (Numbers in percentages) | September 2019 August 2019 September 2018 | ||
| White | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 |
| Black | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6.0 |
| Asian | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| Hispanic or Latino ethnicity* | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
| Adult men | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Adult women | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| Teenagers | 12.5 | 12.6 | 12.6 |
| 20-24 years old | 6.3 | 7.0 | 6.9 |
| 25-54 years old | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| 55 and over | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| Veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan* | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
| No high school diploma | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.6 |
| High school graduate | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| Some college | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
| College graduate | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| Duration of Unemployment: | |||
| Average length (weeks) | 22.0 | 22.1 | 24.1 |
| Jobless 6 months or more (pct.) | 22.7 | 20.6 | 22.8 |
| *Includes all races | |||
| Source: Labor Department | |||
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