Trump likes to tout black unemployment data, but it just got worse 6:19 PM ET Fri, 2 Feb 2018 | 00:42

For the average American, the nearly 8-year-old recovery in the job market continues to make it easier to find steady work with a solid paycheck.

But the averages mask big disparities in the way the benefits of that recovery are being felt across racial and ethnic lines.

President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address Tuesday took credit for the ongoing strength in hiring, singling out the drop in unemployment among black workers.

"Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low," Trump told Congress. "It's something I'm very proud of. African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded."

Not anymore. Last month, the jobless rate among blacks jumped nearly a full point to 7.7 percent, according to the latest monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Even at its low point, the jobless rate for black Americans has been roughly twice the rate for whites since the job market recovery began in March 2010.