Jobless rates up across racial groups in August

Unemployment rates rose for all major racial and ethnic groups in August as well as for the prime age group of 25-to-54-year-olds.

Black Americans' jobless rate rose from 7.4 percent to 7.7 percent as the number of unemployed climbed. The unemployment rate for Asians was also higher, though for positive reasons: More people began actively seeking work and were counted as unemployed if they didn't immediately find a job.

At the same time, recent veterans found jobs last month. The unemployment rate for those who have served in the armed forces anytime since September 2001 dropped to 4.2 percent, the lowest level since May 2016.

All told, employers added 156,000 jobs in August. The overall unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent in July.

The data for demographic groups came from a survey of households that is part of the Labor Department's monthly jobs report.