A new Brookings Institution report reveals that while the nation’s overall unemployment rate has remained stable between June 2024 and June 2025, the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area has seen a reversal of traditional employment patterns—with white unemployment increasing more than Black unemployment for the first time in years.

The Brookings analysis, part of its ongoing DMV Monitor project , shows that total unemployment in the region climbed by nearly 0.6 percentage points. Nationally, unemployment for Black workers rose by more than half a percent during the same period, while overall unemployment remained virtually unchanged.

The findings show that the District of Columbia’s unemployment rate rose less than in most surrounding suburbs, especially those in Northern Virginia, w

See Full Page