Map of the United States showing the District of Columbia and top states with the largest percentage of Black/African Americans according to the Census Bureau.
This profile offers an overview of the social, economic, and environmental factors that shape the health of the Black/African American population in the United States. Considering the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances of Black/African American populations is fundamental to improving their health outcomes and reducing longstanding disparities and inequities. These factors, known as social determinants of health (SDOH), affect various health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Non-medical factors like poverty, limited access to healthcare, and lack of education are all examples of individual SDOH factors that contribute to health disparities and inequities.
Visit Healthy People 2030 to learn more about SDOH.
BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION INFORMATION
Black/African Americans are the second largest racial and ethnic minority population in the United States, following the Hispanic/Latino population. The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Black or African American” as anyone having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, including people who indicate their race as "Black or African American," or report responses such as African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, or Somali. The category also includes groups such as Ghanaian, South African, Barbadian, Kenyan, Liberian, Bahamian, etc. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) population estimates, in 2022, 39,582,961 people in the United States identified as non-Hispanic Black or African American alone, representing 13.6% of the total U.S. population. In 2023, the top geographical areas with the largest percentage of people who identified as Black/African American alone were District of Columbia (44.4%), Mississippi (37.8%), Georgia (33.2%), Louisiana (32.6%), Maryland (31.6%), Alabama (26.6%), South Carolina (26.0%), Delaware (24.1%), North Carolina (22.1%), and Virginia (20.0%).
According to 2022 ACS estimates, 9.3% of non-Hispanic Black or African Americans alone, age 5 years and older, speak a language other than English at home, with 2.9% reporting speaking English less than “very well.”
According to ACS estimates, in 2022, 88.4% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone age 25 years or older earned at least a high school diploma, compared to 94.2% of the non-Hispanic white population. 25.4% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 39.5% of non-Hispanic whites. More non-Hispanic Black/African American women than men had earned at least a bachelor's degree (28.3% compared with 22.0%). In contrast, among non-Hispanic whites, only a slightly higher proportion of women than men had earned a bachelor's degree or higher (40.2% and 38.8%, respectively). 10.2% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had a graduate or advanced professional degree, compared to 15.5% of the non-Hispanic white population.
According to ACS estimates, in 2022, the average non-Hispanic Black/African American 12-month median household income was $51,286 compared to $80,404 for non-Hispanic white households. 17.5% of non-Hispanic Black/African American families, compared to 5.9% of non-Hispanic white families, were experiencing poverty. 2022 estimates from the U.S. Department of Labor show the unemployment rate for Black/African American adults (6.1%) was higher than that of whites (3.2%).
ACS estimates show that in 2022, 56.3% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had private health insurance, compared to 74.1% of non-Hispanic whites. 46.1% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had Medicaid or other public health insurance, compared to 36.1% of non-Hispanic whites, and 8.7% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans, compared to 5.3% of non-Hispanic whites, had no health insurance coverage.
Black/African Americans have the second lowest life expectancy at birth of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, after American Indians and Alaska Natives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2022, the average life expectancy at birth for Black/African Americans is 72.8 years (76.5 years for females and 69.1 years for males), compared to 84.5 for Asian Americans, 80.0 for Hispanic/Latinos, 77.5 for whites, and 67.9 for American Indians and Alaska Natives. In 2021, the leading causes of death for non-Hispanic Black/African Americans were heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, unintentional injuries, and stroke.
Last Edited: 10/10/2024