Racial Gap

Black Fatalities From Workplace Injuries Declined in 2024

In 2024 African Americans made up 12.3 percent of all work-related fatalities due to injury, down from 13.4 percent in 2022. But Black workers made up 25 percent of all worker deaths by homicide or suicide.

Davenport University Launches Black Student Retention Initiative

“This isn’t just a program; it’s a movement to ensure every Black student has the resources, connections and support system not just to survive but absolutely thrive,” said Yvette McCutchen, head of the new African American Student Retention Initiative at Davenport University.

Research Finds Racial and Economic Disparities in How States Distribute Student Financial Aid

Although HBCUs are significantly more likely to enroll students from low-income households, there is virtually no difference in the share of students who receive state grant aid at HBCUs and non-HBCUs, according to a new analysis from the Century Foundation.

Study Reveals Racial Disparities in Sexual Assault Survivors’ Access to Victim Compensation

“A survivor’s access to support shouldn’t be dictated by race, bureaucracy or geography,” said Jermey Levine of the University of Michigan. “Until we remove these administrative gatekeepers — starting with police verification — the system will continue to fail the people it was built to protect.”

Racial Differences in Union Membership and Wages

In 2025, 11.3 percent of African American workers were members of labor unions compared to 9.9 percent of White workers. African Americans nonunion workers made only 83.6 percent of the wages of African American union members.

The Median Household Income for Black Families Rose in Most U.S. States Since the Late 2000s

After adjusting for inflation, the median household income for Black households has increased in 38 states and the District of Columbia since 2009. Only one state (Nevada) experienced a decline in Black households' median income, while 11 states and Puerto Rico had no significant change.

Yale Study Finds Racial Disparities in Cardiovascular Deaths From Air Pollution

“These disparities reflect decades of structural and environmental inequities,” said senior author Kai Chen, associate professor of environmental health sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. “Communities of color are more likely to live near highways, industrial facilities, and other pollution sources, resulting in disproportionately higher exposure to air pollution.”

College-Educated Black Women Experienced the Largest Employment Losses in 2025

In 2025, Black women with a bachelor's degree as their highest level of education experienced a 3.5 percent drop in their employment rate, largely due to sweeping federal layoffs and buyouts over the past year.

Study Finds Older Black Adults Spend Fewer Years Married and More Time Living Alone

“These disparities are important because later-life living situations shape people’s social and financial security, and policies intended to support older Americans are often structured around traditional assumptions about marriage that most closely fit the experiences of White Americans,” said senior author Emma Zang of Yale University.

Research Finds Washington, D.C. Has the Highest Racial Wealth Gap in the United States

In our nation's capital, White people earn about 64 percent more than Black people. Compared to White residents, Black residents of Washington, D.C. have a 374 percent higher poverty rate, are 61 percent less likely to have a bachelor's degree, and are 263 percent more likely to be unemployed.

Federal Data Shows Significantly Higher Divorce Rates Among Parents of Black Children

Nearly one-third of Americans born between 1988 and 1993 experience their parents' divorce in childhood. However, the impact of divorce is not spread evenly across racial groups, with 45 percent of Black children in this cohort experiencing divorce, compared to 30 percent of both White and Hispanic children and 17 percent of Asian children.

Federal Commission Reports on the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Black Boys in the United States

“Education was meant to be a gateway to opportunity, not a sorting mechanism that determines who is punished and who is protected,” said Mark Spencer of the U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys. “Our findings show that too many Black boys are still denied fairness at the very start of their educational journey.”

Joint Center Report Finds Significantly High Unemployment Rate Among Black Americans

“Regression is not destiny. But neither is progress automatic,” writes Joint Center chief of staff Monica Mitchell. “The path from signs of a Black recession to genuine economic security requires confronting the structural barriers this report documents.”

States That Are Making Progress in Reducing Racial Disparities

According to new research from WalletHub, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas have made the most progress in reducing disparities between their Black and White residents over the past five decades.

Study Finds Significant Unmet Demand for Afterschool Programs for Black Families

According to new survey from the Afterschool Alliance, parents of some 5.7 million Black children want to enroll them in afterschool activities, yet only 1.3 million Black children currently attend such programs.

Report Finds Little Progress in Top-Grossing Movies Made by Non-White Directors

In 2025, 24.3 percent of the 111 directors who made the 100 top-performing films were made by a director of an underrepresented racial background. Just 43 Black men and 11 Black women have directed a movie included in the 1,900 top-performing films since 2007.

Research Finds Major Declines in Black Student Enrollment and Black Faculty at the University of Missouri

While total student enrollment at the University of Missouri has declined by roughly 10 percent over the past decade, Black student enrollment has decreased by about 34 percent. Only 85 of more than 2,200 current faculty members are Black. Just 36 of these Black faculty members have tenure or tenure-track status.

More Black Students Applied, but Fewer Were Accepted to U.S. Medical Schools in 2025

For the 2025-2026 academic year, Black students represented 11.3 percent of all applicants, but only 8.4 percent of all matriculants to medical schools in the United States. This is a significant decline from 2021-2022, when Black students' representation among medical school matriculants peaked at 11.7 percent.

Report Finds Significantly Higher Burden of Cancer Deaths Among African Americans

In addition to Black adults' overall higher cancer mortality rate compared to White adults, a new report from the American Cancer Society found significant cancer mortality rate disparities within the Black American population based on education.

How Racial Representation Impacts African Americans’ Trust in Scientific Institutions

For decades, research has documented African Americans' lower levels of trust in scientific institutions compared to Americans of other racial groups. According to a new study, this may be largely due to the persistent lack of racial diversity in the STEM workforce.
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