Hispanics in many of the nation’s large metropolitan areas continued to experience high unemployment levels in 2011., with the nationwide Hispanic rate at 11.5 percent.

Seventeen of the 25 metros, however, examined by the Economic Policy Institute had Hispanic unemployment rates substantially above 10 percent.

With a Hispanic unemployment rate of 23.3 percent, the Providence, Rhode Island metro area had the highest rate followed by Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada at 16.6 percent.  Sixteen additional metro areas achieved unemployment rates higher than 10 percent in 2012 from 2011. 

America’s metropolitan areas need more economic stimulus programs, particularly infrastructure investments and aid to state and local governments says the Institute.  They noted that “There is broad agreement among economists that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act worked; the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the act created over three million jobs.”