Profile: Black/African Americans

• Pathfinder[PDF 425KB]

(Map of the US with the top 10 states displaying the
largest African American population according to the Census Bureau)

NY - CA - TX - GA - FL - NC - IL - LA - MD - VA

Overview (Demographics): In 2019, 40.6 million people in the United States were non-Hispanic black alone, which represents 12.8 percent of the total population. Blacks/African Americans are the second largest minority population in the United States, following the Hispanic/Latino population. In 2019, most non-Hispanic blacks lived in the South (58.7 percent of the black U.S. population), while 35.8 percent of the non-Hispanic white population lived in the South. The ten states with the largest non-Hispanic black population in 2019 were Texas, Georgia, Florida, New York, North Carolina, California, Maryland, Illinois, Virginia, Louisiana.

Educational Attainment: In 2019, as compared to non-Hispanic whites 25 years and over, 87.2 percent of non-Hispanic blacks had earned at least a high school diploma, as compared to 93.3 percent of the non-Hispanic white population. 22.6 percent of non-Hispanic blacks had a bachelor’s degree or higher, as compared with 36.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites. More black women than black men had earned at least a bachelor's degree (25.0 percent compared with 19.7 percent), while among non-Hispanic whites, a higher proportion of women than men had earned a bachelor's degree or higher (37.3 percent and 36.5 percent, respectively). 8.6 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have a graduate or advanced professional degree, as compared to 14.3 percent of the non-Hispanic white population.

Economics: According to the Census Bureau in 2019, the average non-Hispanic black median household income was $43,771 in comparison to $71,664 for non-Hispanic white households. In 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 21.2 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 9.0 percent of non-Hispanic whites were living at the poverty level. In 2019, the unemployment rate for non-Hispanic blacks was twice that of non-Hispanic whites (7.7 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively).

Insurance Coverage: In 2019, 55.9 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 74.7 percent of non-Hispanic whites used private health insurance. Also in 2019, 43.5 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 34.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites relied on Medicaid or public health insurance. Finally, 10.1 percent of non-Hispanic blacks in comparison to 6.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites were uninsured.

Health: According to Census Bureau projections, the 2020 life expectancies at birth for blacks are 77.0 years, with 79.8 years for women, and 74.0 years for men. For non-Hispanic whites the projected life expectancies are 80.6 years, with 82.7 years for women, and 78.4 years for men. The death rate for Blacks/African Americans is generally higher than whites for heart diseases, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and homicide.

Full Census Reports:
The Black Population: 2010 [PDF | 2.9MB]
Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2019 [PDF | 861KB]
Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019 [PDF | 1.45MB]
Projected Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: 2015 to 2060. Table 17
Census Bureau, 2021. 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates