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Economy - Employment Gap

Employment Gap, white – of color, ages 16 - 64

5.6
percentage points


This changes considerably year to year (see time series in chart below). Some years, Larimer's gap is larger than CO or the U.S., and some years the gap is smaller. Ideally, this gap would be 0.
Percent of Population ages 16 - 64 Employed, White Alone
73.7%
Percent of Population ages 16 - 64 Employed, of Color
70.1%
What is this measure? This measure looks at the working population that identifies as races/ethnicities other than “white alone” and also the working population that identifies as “white alone.” in U.S. Census Bureau ACS data. Here, the “working population” includes people ages 16 to 64 that were either employed or active duty members of the armed forces. For each of these groups, we calculate the percent of total population that is working and subtract the “of color” group from the “white alone” group. A zero value indicates no difference between the rates of employment for non-Hispanic White population and people of other races and ethnicities. A positive number means that a larger percentage of white people are working. A negative number means that people of color have a larger percentage of population working.

Why do we track this? Strong communities provide opportunities for employment to all members. Disparities in employment between any population groups are driven by multiple factors, ranging from educational outcomes and access to career training opportunities, discrimination, and differences in labor force participation, among many others. Comparing subgroups can expose the need to further investigate potential causes for disparities.
The employment gap is very different across time in these locations. Many factors appear to influence this gap including, overall economic trends, the diversity of communities and availability of work opportunities to all community members.
While less racially and ethnically diverse than the nation as a whole, Larimer County grows more diverse every year. This chart uses recent population estimates and forecasted population 15 years in the future to illustrate how this will change the diversity of our workforce. Click on the circles in the chart legend to show/hide a data point.
How else can this be measured? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also publishes employment rate based on the civilian non-institutionalized population, which excludes members of the military (non-civilian) and people in assisted living or other residential facilities who cannot participate in the workforce (institutionalized population). Not all data sets are available at the Larimer county scale, including employment by race/ethnicity.

Why did we use this source? U.S. Census estimates are available at the county scale and estimates for labor force and employment stats are available by race and ethnicity. Colorado's State Demography Office produces estimates and generate forecasts for populations at the county level.

Data Sources

  • U.S. Census Bureau American Fact Finder. Tables B32001 and B23002H (1-year estimates). Percent working is calculated as total number of employed and active duty military residents divided by the total population estimates (for individual or summed age groups). The Of Color population is calculated as the inverse of the White Alone (non-Hispanic) population, which accounts for Census ACS designations: Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, two or more races, and Hispanic or Latino.
  • Colorado Department of Local Affairs, State Demography Office. County Race Estimates and Forecasts.

Related Dashboard Measures

Additional Information and Other Data Sources