As is typically the case in economic downturns, the most economically vulnerable experience the greatest pain. The overall unemployment rate has risen from 4.5 percent at the peak of the last business cycle to 9.7 percent in February of 2010, an increase of 5.2 percentage points. By comparison, the unemployment rate for Hispanics rose from 5.0 percent at the peak of the business cycle to 12.4 percent in February, an increase of 7.4 percentage points.

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