Vital Signs: Statistics That Measure the State of Racial Inequality

In each issue, The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education collects statistics bearing on the relative positions of blacks and whites in American society. Some of these statistics are interesting but not particularly important whereas others are highly relevant and critical to the overall measurement of racial progress.

• Percentage of white parents of fifth-grade students who report that their child does schoolwork at home five or more times per week: 44.7%
• Percentage of African-Americans parents of fifth-grade students who report that their child does schoolwork at home five or more times per week: 55.4%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all American families who own the home where they live: 68.3%
• Percentage of all African-American families who own the home where they live: 46.7% (U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white students ages 12 to 18 who were the victims of theft while at school in 2005: 3.4%
• Percentage of all black students ages 12 to 18 who were the victims of theft while at school in 2005: 2.7%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of white Americans 12 years or older who are suffering from depression: 4.8%
• Percentage of African Americans 12 years or older who are suffering from depression: 8.0%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births to African-American mothers: 13.6
• Number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births to mothers in Cuba: 5.8
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of all American households that had difficulty obtaining enough food in 2007: 12.2%
• Percentage of all African-American households that had difficulty obtaining enough food in 2007: 22.2%
(U.S. Department of Agriculture)

• Number of black students in public school systems in the state of Texas: 664,249, the most in the nation
• Number of black students in public school systems in the state of Wyoming: 1,290, the fewest in the nation
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white undergraduate students receiving some form of financial aid in 2004: 61.5%
• Percentage of all African-American undergraduate students receiving some form of financial aid in 2004: 75.8%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Total number of African-American adults in the United States in 2005: 23,467,000
• Total number of African-American adults in the United States in 2005 who were enrolled in adult education courses: 10,878,000
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white students enrolled in higher education in 2006 who were 35 years or older: 15.9%
• Percentage of all black students enrolled in higher education in 2006 who were 35 years or older: 20.8%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white homeowners in the United States in 2007 who spent at least 38 percent of their income on their mortgage payment, property taxes, and homeowner’s insurance: 16%
• Percentage of all black homeowners in the United States in 2007 who spent at least 38 percent of their income on their mortgage payment, property taxes, and homeowner’s insurance: 25%
(Associated Press)

• Percentage of all white high school graduates in 2006 who enrolled in college within the ensuing 12-month period:
68.5%
• Percentage of all black high school graduates in 2006 who enrolled in college within the ensuing 12-month period:
55.5%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all African Americans ages 18 to 24 who were enrolled in college in 1981: 19.9%
• Percentage of all African Americans ages 18 to 24 who were enrolled in college a quarter-century later in 2006: 32.6%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Male percentage of total enrollments at all of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities in 1980: 45.6%
• Male percentage of total enrollments at all of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities in 2005: 38.5%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all master’s degrees awarded at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities in 2006 that were awarded to women: 72.5%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Black percentage of the total faculty and research staff at all of the nation’s degree-granting institutions of higher education in 2005: 5.9%
• Black percentage of the nonprofessional work force at all of the nation’s degree-granting institutions of higher education in 2005: 17.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Black percentage of all full-time full professors at the nation’s colleges and universities in 2005: 3.2%
• Black percentage of all full-time assistant professors at the nation’s colleges and universities in 2005: 6.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all African-American full professors in 2005 who were women: 36.2%
• Percentage of all African-American assistant professors in 2005 who were women: 54.9%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Number of master’s degrees awarded to blacks in 1990: 15,336
• Number of master’s degrees awarded to blacks in 2006: 58,976
(U.S. Department of Education)

Note: Boldface type suggests items of positive or important change.

JBHE Past Vital Statistics

• Issue No. 61 – Autumn 2008
• Issue No. 60 – Summer 2008
• Issue No. 59 – Spring 2008
• Issue No. 58 – Winter 2007/08
• Issue No. 57 – Autumn 2007
• Issue No. 55 – Spring 2007
• Issue No. 54 – Winter 2006/07
• Issue No. 53 – Autumn 2006
• Issue No. 52 – Summer 2006
• Issue No. 51 – Spring 2006
• Issue No. 50 – Winter 2005/2006
• Issue No. 49 – Autumn 2005