* Wall St. Journal…

The lowest state jobless rate for black workers in the country matches the highest rate for white workers in a new analysis.

At 6.7%, Virginia’s black unemployment rate was the lowest in the nation in the fourth quarter. That rate happens to be the same as the jobless rate for white workers in West Virginia, the worst in the country, according to a report from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. […]

In January, black workers faced a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 8.8%, compared with 4.3% for whites and 4.9% overall.

The worst state for black Americans looking for work? That was Illinois, where the jobless rate was 13.1% in the fourth quarter.

…Adding… Reuters…

Predominantly African-American neighborhoods in Chicago have seen poverty rise and services diminish even as the nation’s third largest city has become less racially segregated, according to a study released on Wednesday.

While Chicago has become more racially balanced over the decades with more neighborhoods showing no majority populations, black areas are seeing economic stagnation or decline, according to the study by the Chicago Urban League, which promotes progress for blacks.

“This is not a situation that’s getting better. This is a situation that’s getting worse,” said Stephanie Bechteler, director of research and evaluation for the Chicago Urban League. “We must put forth time and effort to make a change.”

Despite the progress on racial integration, Bechteler said the city has a long way to go. She noted that the Brookings Institution late last year found that Chicago remained the third most segregated city in the United States behind Milwaukee and New York City.