Among the African American population the surge was particularly dramatic, with unemployment rising from 8 percent in 2007 to 16 percent by early 2010.69 Young black workers were particularly hard hit, with their unemployment rate surging to 32.5 percent by January 2010. At the very bottom of the pile were young African American men with no high school diploma. In New York City in 2009 their unemployment rate was more than 50 percent.
