Research & Studies

HBCU Attendance Linked to Improved Cognitive Health for Older Black Adults

At age 62, Black adults who had gone to an HBCU had better memory and cognitive function than their counterparts who attended a predominately White institution.

Report Finds Major Income-Disparities in How Universities Distribute Institutional Financial Aid

A new report from Stephen Burd of New America has identified 23 private and 18 public universities who spend significantly higher shares of their institutional aid on students who do not need it. In 2023, these universities distributed $2.4 billion in non-need-based aid.

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.

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.

Research Projects More Than $100 Billion Shortfall in Pell Grant Reserves Over the Next Decade

A new analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has found the Pell Grant program is projected to be $5 billion in the red at the end of 2026. If congressional action is not taken to fix the program's structural shortfall, the Pell program faces a projected $104 billion to $157 billion cumulative deficit over the next decade.

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.

Black Faculty Are Twice as Likely to Be Adjuncts Than Tenure-Track Professors

Black faculty represent 5 percent of tenure-track faculty, but 10 percent of adjuncts, who make significantly less money and receive fewer benefits.

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.

New Report Analyzes Post-Affirmative Action Enrollment Outcomes at Over Three Thousand U.S. Institutions

A new report from the grass-roots organization Class Action has analyzed federal data from 2024 regarding 3,000 colleges and universities compared to similar information from 2022 and 2023 to determine the immediate impact of the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to end affirmative action.

Pew Research Center Reports on the Growing Black Population in the United States

Since 2000, the number of Black people living in the United States has increased by 36 percent, up from 36.2 million to 49.2 million in 2024.

Black and Latino Teens Are More Likely Than Their Peers to Identify Online Racial Misinformation

“This work reveals that adolescents of color are already engaging in sophisticated forms of digital literacy,” said Avriel Epps of the University of California, Riverside. “They have developed these critical skills in many cases from their lived experiences navigating online racism, not necessarily from school-based instruction.”

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.

How Physical Activity in Adolescence Influences Future Breast Cancer Risk for Black and Hispanic Girls

“[Black and Hispanic women] not only have been historically underrepresented in studies, but they face higher risks of developing breast cancer at younger ages and of experiencing more aggressive subtypes,” said Columbia University's Rebecca Khem, lead author of a new study revealing higher levels of physical activity in adolescence could lower girls' future breast cancer risk.

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.”
Load more

Get the FREE JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Featured Jobs