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 18- to 24-year-old African Americans who were enrolled in college in 1984: 20.4%
• Percentage of all 18- to 24-year-old African Americans who were enrolled in college in 2004: 31.8%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all black students in grades 1-12 who were enrolled in private school in 1993: 4%
• Percentage of all black students in grades 1-12 who were enrolled in private school in 2003: 8%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Black percentage of all students in grades 1-12 who were home schooled in 1999: 8%
• Black percentage of all students in grades 1-12 who were home schooled in 2003: 10%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• The percentage of all African-American adult women in 1970 who were married: 54%
• The percentage of all African-American adult women in 2005 who were married: 35%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all non-Hispanic whites ages 12 to 17 who smoke cigarettes: 14.9%
• Percentage of all non-Hispanic African Americans ages 12 to 17 who smoke cigarettes: 6.5%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of all black children ages 3 and 4 who were enrolled in preschool programs in 1980: 38.2%
• Percentage of all black children ages 3 and 4 who were enrolled in preschool programs in 2004: 59.0%
(U.S. Bureau of the Census)

• Percentage of all whites ages 20 and 21 who were enrolled in school in 2004: 49.3%
• Percentage of all African Americans ages 20 and 21 who were enrolled in school in 2004: 40.0%
(U.S. Bureau of the Census)

• Percentage of all white adults over the age of 35 who were enrolled in school in 2004: 1.9%
• Percentage of all African-American adults over the age of 35 who were enrolled in school in 2004: 3.3%
(U.S. Bureau of the Census)

• The percentage of all students enrolled in public colleges and universities in the United States in 1970 who were white: 90.7%
• The percentage of all students enrolled in public colleges and universities in the United States in 2004 who were white: 76.7%
(U.S. Bureau of the Census)

• Percentage of all white children ages 3 to 5 who are read to three or more times a week: 92%
• Percentage of all black children ages 3 to 5 who are read to three or more times a week: 78%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• The percentage of all black children ages 3 to 5 who visited the library at least once a month in 1993: 29%
• The percentage of all black children ages 3 to 5 who visited the library at least once a month in 2005: 44%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white children ages 3 to 5 who recognize all 26 letters of the alphabet: 29%
• Percentage of all black children ages 3 to 5 who recognize all 26 letters of the alphabet: 24%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white children ages 3 to 5 who can count to 20 or higher: 65%
• Percentage of all black children ages 3 to 5 who can count to 20 or higher: 69%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all black adults over the age of 25 in 1960 who had graduated from high school: 20.1%
• Percentage of all black adults over the age of 25 in 2005 who had graduated from high school: 81.1%
(U.S. Bureau of the Census)

• Percentage of all non-Hispanic white females in the United States ages 15 to 19 who gave birth in 2005: 2.6%
• Percentage of all non-Hispanic black females in the United States ages 15 to 19 who gave birth in 2005: 6.1%
(National Center for Health Statistics)

• The percentage of all white women who gave birth in 2005 who were not married: 25.4%
• The percentage of all African-Americans women who gave birth in 2005 who were not married: 69.5%
(National Center for Health Statistics)

• The percentage of all babies born to white mothers in 2005 that were two months or more prior to the scheduled due date: 4.2%
• The percentage of all babies born to black mothers in 2005 that were two months or more prior to the scheduled due date: 1.6% (National Center for Health Statistics)

• The percentage of all white babies born in 2005 that weighed less than 3.25 pounds: 1.2%
• The percentage of all black babies born in 2005 that weighed less than 3.25 pounds: 3.3%
(National Center for Health Statistics)

• State with the largest number of births to black mothers in 2005: Florida (56,520)
• State with the fewest number of births to black mothers in 2005: Montana (62)
(National Center for Health Statistics)

• Number of hate crime incidents reported in the nation’s public schools during the 2003-04 academic year: 6,383
(U.S. Department of Education)

JBHE Past Vital Statistics

• 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