Research & Studies

A new report from The Education Trust shows that vast disparities in attainment by race, ethnicity, and gender persist in STEM education and employment, thereby limiting access and opportunities for social and economic mobility for some — particularly women and people of color.

A new study by researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago finds that Black residents living in highly segregated neighborhoods have life expectancies four years shorter on average than residents living in less segregated predominantly White neighborhoods.

A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that the median weekly earnings of the nation's 121.5 million full-time wage and salary workers were $1,100 in the second quarter of 2023. But there is a persisting racial gap in earnings. African Americans had median weekly earnings of $913. For non-Hispanic Whites, median weekly earnings were $1,126. Thus, Black earnings were 81 percent of their White peers.

The 1870 federal census recorded formerly enslaved African Americans by name, and though it is a vital tool for genealogical research, many African Americans are still not able to trace their family members to or beyond this document. A new study attempts to shed some light on the ancestral history of African Americans prior to 1870.

The survey showed that 31.8 percent of Blacks over the age of 40 had some type of disability that limited their activities. For non-Hispanic White adults over the age of 40, 27.4 percent report a disability that limited their activities. Only 17 percent of Asian Americans over 40 reported a disability.

New research by Reuters has found that of the 536 members of the current U.S. Congress, at least 100 have ancestors who had ties to the institution of slavery. More than one quarter of all U.S. Senators have an ancestor who enslaved at least one person. Two justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and 11 of the nation's 50 governors had ancestors who were involved in slavery.

New research by Reuters has found that of the 536 members of the current U.S. Congress, at least 100 have ancestors who had ties to the institution of slavery. More than one quarter of all U.S. Senators have an ancestor who enslaved at least one person. Two justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and 11 of the nation's 50 governors had ancestors who were involved in slavery.

In a study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame and Cornell University found that Black families — regardless of where they lived — still ended up in similar economic circumstances as they moved into adulthood and entered the workforce. “Race, not class origins, is the dominant factor governing the economic mobility of Black individuals,” the researchers wrote.

In five years of surveys, approximately 18 to 21 percent of multiracial Black adults reported having experienced serious psychological distress over the previous 12 months — nearly double the 11 rate for monoracial Black adults, according to researchers at the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles

A new study by researchers at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University in Houston finds that homeowners in mostly White communities who have suffered damage from floods prefer to accept higher risk of disaster repeating itself than relocate to areas with more racial diversity and less flood risk.

The research looks at how widespread tax deed foreclosures are and what effect they have on communities. Author Cameron LaPoint found that property tax foreclosure accelerates gentrification and contributes to the racial wealth gap by forcing out nonwhite homeowners and clearing the way for high-end property development.

The data shows that in 2019 before the onset of the pandemic, 351,097 African Americans died. In 2020, when the pandemic took hold, 456,491 African Americans died. This was an increase of 29.7 percent. The number of deaths for White Americans increased by 16.4 percent.

The ratio of the Black-White gap in office discipline referrals was about 1.6-to-1 when considering all teachers but jumped to 3.4-to-1 when only the top 5 percent of all referring teachers were considered.

The study found that potential Black borrowers received lower-quality service than their White peers when applying for financing. This included being offered fewer loan options. The study also found that Black borrowers were treated less warmly by bank personnel than White customers.

African Americans made up a larger percentage of college and graduate students than was the case at all other lower grades of education. But from 2011 to 2021, the number of Black students enrolled in higher education dropped from 3,531.000 to 2,882,000.