Chicago's racial employment gaps among worst in nation

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Chicago's legacy of segregation has long made it a tale of two cities, but three recent reports show how far apart those cities have become.

A report released Tuesday by the Brookings Institution shows that of the nation's largest metro areas, Chicago has the greatest racial disparity in young adult employment rates.

Among 20- to 24-year-olds, the Chicago area's employment rate is 47 percent for blacks, the lowest among the big cities, and 73 percent for whites, which is among the highest. Only Philadelphia comes close to that gap, with a 48 percent employment rate for blacks and 66 percent for whites.

Chicago's employment rate for Latinos, at 70 percent, is much higher than that of Philadelphia's, at 60 percent.

No word yet on this story from Barack Obama of Chicago fame.