After dropping from an increase of 222,0000 in December 2025 to an increase of 119,000 by January, 2026, the number of Black women unemployed resumed its climb in February. In January, 2026, the Department of Labor reported 717,000 Black women unemployed, growing to 804,000 unemployed by February, 2026.
The rise in unemployment among Black women in 2025-2026 is not only due to job loss, however. As the chart below shows, it is largely the result of increased labor force participation combined with job losses in healthcare and government, sectors where Black women are overrepresented.

