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United States Department of Labor
Black women made up 53 percent of the Black labor force in 2018
February 26, 2019
Since the 1970s, women have made up an increasing share of the Black or African American labor force. There were 10.7 million Black women in the labor force in 2018, representing 53 percent of the Black labor force. By contrast, women overall accounted for about 47 percent of the total labor force in 2018.
| Year | Total women as a share of the total labor force | Black women as a share of the Black labor force |
|---|---|---|
|
1972 |
38.5% | 44.7% |
|
1973 |
38.9 | 45.1 |
|
1974 |
39.4 | 45.2 |
|
1975 |
40.0 | 45.8 |
|
1976 |
40.5 | 46.6 |
|
1977 |
41.0 | 47.0 |
|
1978 |
41.7 | 47.9 |
|
1979 |
42.1 | 47.9 |
|
1980 |
42.5 | 48.3 |
|
1981 |
43.0 | 48.7 |
|
1982 |
43.3 | 48.8 |
|
1983 |
43.5 | 48.8 |
|
1984 |
43.8 | 49.1 |
|
1985 |
44.2 | 49.7 |
|
1986 |
44.5 | 49.6 |
|
1987 |
44.8 | 50.1 |
|
1988 |
45.0 | 50.0 |
|
1989 |
45.2 | 50.4 |
|
1990 |
45.2 | 50.5 |
|
1991 |
45.3 | 50.3 |
|
1992 |
45.4 | 50.6 |
|
1993 |
45.5 | 50.7 |
|
1994 |
46.0 | 51.1 |
|
1995 |
46.1 | 51.5 |
|
1996 |
46.2 | 52.0 |
|
1997 |
46.2 | 52.6 |
|
1998 |
46.3 | 52.8 |
|
1999 |
46.5 | 53.2 |
|
2000 |
46.5 | 53.0 |
|
2001 |
46.5 | 53.4 |
|
2002 |
46.5 | 53.0 |
|
2003 |
46.6 | 53.3 |
|
2004 |
46.4 | 53.3 |
|
2005 |
46.4 | 53.0 |
|
2006 |
46.3 | 53.1 |
|
2007 |
46.4 | 52.8 |
|
2008 |
46.5 | 52.9 |
|
2009 |
46.7 | 53.1 |
|
2010 |
46.7 | 52.9 |
|
2011 |
46.6 | 52.7 |
|
2012 |
46.9 | 53.3 |
|
2013 |
46.8 | 53.0 |
|
2014 |
46.8 | 52.8 |
|
2015 |
46.8 | 52.9 |
|
2016 |
46.8 | 52.6 |
|
2017 |
46.9 | 52.7 |
|
2018 |
46.9 | 52.5 |
From 1972 to around 2000, the share of Black women in the Black labor force rose from 45 percent to 53 percent. Over that same period, the percentage of women in the total labor force rose from 39 percent to 47 percent. Over the past two decades, however, the shares of Black women in the Black labor force and women in the total labor force have remained relatively steady.
These data are from the Current Population Survey. For more data about race and ethnicity, see our demographics page.
SUGGESTED CITATION
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Black women made up 53 percent of the Black labor force in 2018 on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/black-women-made-up-53-percent-of-the-black-labor-force-in-2018.htm (visited January 22, 2020).
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