March 12, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Unemployment rates in February

The number of unemployed persons (7.9 million) and the unemployment rate (5.5 percent) were essentially unchanged in February, following declines in both measures in January.

Unemployment rates, February 2002 (seasonally adjusted)
[Chart data—TXT]

The unemployment rate for Hispanics fell by a percentage point to 7.1 percent in February. Jobless rates for the other major worker groups—adult men (5.0 percent), adult women (5.0 percent), teenagers (15.6 percent), whites (4.9 percent), and blacks (9.6 percent)—were little changed.

These data are a product of the Current Population Survey. Data in this article are seasonally adjusted. Find out more in "The Employment Situation: February 2002," news release USDL 02-124.