Black unemployment falls to the lowest level since 1972

• The unemployment rate for blacks fell to 5.9 percent in May, hitting the lowest level since the government started to record that data in 1972.
• May's decline in black unemployment also extended a streak that started in January.

The unemployment rate for blacks fell to 5.9 percent in May, hitting the lowest level since the government started to record that data in 1972.

The decline in black unemployment also extended a streak that started in January, when the rate had risen to 7.7 percent from December's 6.8 percent.

President Donald Trump likes to cite black employment data as a positive economic indicator.

"Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low," Trump said during his State of the Union address in February. "It's something I'm very proud of. African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded."

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