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 status of blacks and whites, some of which are interesting but not particularly important whereas others are highly relevant and critical to the measurement of racial progress.
(Note: Boldface type suggests items of positive or important change.)

• Percentage of all African-American adults over the age of 25 in 1985 who read any type of fiction, play, or poetry in the past year: 41.5%
• Percentage of all African-American adults over the age of 25 in 2002 who read any type of fiction, play, or poetry in the past year: 38.2% (National Endowment for the Arts)

• Percentage of all white adults with a bachelor's degree in 2002 who had read any type of fiction, play, or poetry in the past year: 69.6%
• Percentage of all African-American adults with a bachelor's degree in 2002 who had read any type of fiction, play, or poetry in the past year: 60.3% (National Endowment for the Arts)

• Percentage of all home-schooled students in 2003 who were black: 9.4%
• Percentage of all black students in 2003 who were home-schooled: 1.3% (U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all students in private schools in 2002 who were black: 9.7%
• Percentage of all students in conservative Christian private schools in 2002 who were black: 11.7% (U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all students in public schools in 2003 who were black: 17.4%
• Percentage of all students in publicly operated charter schools in 2003 who were black: 29.4% (U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of young whites who graduated from high school in 2003 who enrolled in college by October 2003: 66.2%
• Percentage of young African Americans who graduated from high school in 2003 who enrolled in college by October 2003: 58.3% (U.S. Bureau of the Census)

• Percentage of all white adults in 2003 who were regular smokers: 22.7%
• Percentage of all black adults in 2003 who were regular smokers: 21.5% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of all white high school seniors who smoked cigarettes daily in 2004: 18.3%
• Percentage of all black high school seniors who smoked cigarettes daily in 2004: 5.2% (University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research)

• Number of white boy babies born in the United States in 2002 per 1,000 white girl babies: 1,050
• Number of black boy babies born in the United States in 2002 per 1,000 black girl babies: 1,032 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Number of living white Americans infected with the HIV virus for every 100,000 white Americans: 6
• Number of living black Americans infected with the HIV virus for every 100,000 black Americans: 58 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of Major League Baseball players in 1975 who were black: 27%
• Percentage of Major League Baseball players today who are black: 9% (Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports)

• Percentage of all U.S. military personnel who were black in 1970: 11%
• Percentage of all U.S. military personnel who were black in 2004: 18% (U.S. Department of Defense)

• Percentage of all U.S. military officers who were black in 1976: 3.4%
• Percentage of all U.S. military officers who were black in 2003: 9.1% (U.S. Department of Defense)

• Percentage of white high school seniors who used illicit drugs in 2004: 25.7%
• Percentage of black high school seniors who used illicit drugs in 2004: 16.8% (University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research)

• Percentage of all white high school seniors who reported binge drinking of alcohol in 2004: 32.5%
• Percentage of all black high school seniors who reported binge drinking of alcohol in 2004: 11.4% (University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research)

• Percentage of white female students who carried a weapon while going to high school in 2003: 5.5%
• Percentage of black female students who carried a weapon while going to high school in 2003: 9.8% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of white high school students who were engaged in a physical fight in 2003: 30.5%
• Percentage of black high school students who were engaged in a physical fight in 2003: 39.7% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of white female high school students who took diet pills to lose or avoid gaining weight in 2003: 13.0%
• Percentage of black female high school students who took diet pills to lose or avoid gaining weight in 2003: 5.1% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• The average grade point average for African-American females who graduated from high school in 2005 and who had taken the ACT standardized test for college admission: 2.94
• The average grade point average for African-American males who graduated from high school in 2005 and who had taken the ACT standardized test for college admission: 2.72 (American College Testing Program)

• Percentage of all white Americans in 2004 who were covered by health insurance: 88.7%
• Percentage of all black Americans in 2004 who were covered by health insurance: 80.3% (U.S. Bureau of the Census)