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 positions of blacks and whites in American society. Some of these statistics are interesting but not particularly important whereas others are highly relevant and critical to the overall measurement of racial progress.

• Black percentage of full-time faculty in higher education in 1981: 4.2%
• Black percentage of full-time faculty in higher education in 2005: 5.2%
• At this rate of improvement, the number of years it will take for the black faculty percentage to reach parity with the black percentage of the U.S. population: 192
(JBHE calculation based on data from the U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white American males who are enrolled in college who attend classes only part time: 26.4%
• Percentage of all African-American males who are enrolled in college who attend classes only part time: 32.5%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white American males ages 16 to 24 who are enrolled in college who attend two-year community colleges: 22.6%
• Percentage of all African-American males ages 16 to 24 who are enrolled in college who attend two-year community colleges: 31.1%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white American females ages 16 to 24 who are enrolled in college who attend two-year community colleges: 22.9%
• Percentage of all African-American females ages 16 to 24 who are enrolled in college who attend two-year community colleges: 28.6%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white households who borrowed a book from a public library in the month prior to the survey: 26.8%
• Percentage of all black households who borrowed a book from a public library in the month prior to the survey: 23.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white households with children who used a public library in the month prior to the survey to complete a school assignment: 21.8%
• Percentage of all black households with children who used a public library in the month prior to the survey to complete a school assignment: 25.1%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white public school teachers in 2005 who left the profession: 8.2%
• Percentage of all African-American public school teachers in 2005 who left the profession: 11.0%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white high school students in 2005 who had used an hallucinogenic drug in their lifetime: 9.4%
• Percentage of all black high school students in 2005 who had used an hallucinogenic drug in their lifetime: 2.8%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Number of African-American tenured faculty in U.S. higher education: 12,660
•  Number of Asian tenured faculty in U.S. higher education: 18,546 (U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all white high school students in 2005 who had driven a car after drinking alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey: 11.3%
• Percentage of all black high school students in 2005 who had driven a car after drinking alcohol in the 30 days prior to the survey: 4.9%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Median age of the non-Hispanic white population of the United States in 2004: 40.1 years
• Median age of the non-Hispanic black population of the United States in 2004: 31.4 years
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all foreign-born blacks in the United States in 2004 whose native country was in Africa: 30.4%
• Percentage of all foreign-born blacks in the United States in 2004 whose native country was in Latin America: 66.3%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white adults in 2004 who rented the home where they lived: 26.1%
• Percentage of all black adults in 2004 who rented the home where they lived: 53.6% (U.S. Census Bureau)

• Median value of homes owned by non-Hispanic white American adults in 2004: $153,693
• Median value of homes owned by non-Hispanic black American adults in 2004: $105,532
 (U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of whites ages 16 to 24 in 2004 who were neither enrolled in school nor had a high school diploma or equivalent: 6.8%
• Percentage of African Americans ages 16 to 24 in 2004 who were neither enrolled in school nor had a high school diploma or equivalent: 11.8%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white Americans ages 15 to 24 who dropped out of grades 10-12 in the 12 months prior to October 2004: 3.7%
• Percentage of all African Americans ages 15 to 24 who dropped out of grades 10-12 in the 12 months prior to October 2004: 5.7%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white children who entered kindergarten in 1998 who were enrolled in special education classes by 2002: 12.2%
• Percentage of all black children who entered kindergarten in 1998 who were enrolled in special education classes by 2002: 14.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• The percentage of all children ages 3 and 4 of white women with a college degree who were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten programs in 2005: 69.4%
• The percentage of all children ages 3 and 4 of black women with a college degree who were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten programs in 2005: 62.1%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

Note: Boldface type suggests items of positive or important change.

JBHE Past Vital Statistics

• Issue No. 54 – Winter 2006/07
• 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