In the United States, a Greater Percentage of Blacks Are Enrolled in School Than Whites

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau offers a snapshot of school enrollments in the United States in the fall of 2019, before the onset of the global pandemic.

In October 2019, there were 38,673,000 non-Hispanic Whites over the age of 3 who were enrolled in school. This made up 20.5 percent of all non-Hispanic Whites over the age of 3.

For African Americans over the age of 3, there were 11,551,000 students enrolled in school. They made up 28.0 percent of the total Black population age 3 or over. Thus, African Americans are significantly more likely to be enrolled in school than White Americans.

However, Whites in the traditional college-going age group of 18-21 are more likely to be enrolled in school than their African American counterparts. More than 61 percent of Whites in the 18-21 age group in October 2019 were enrolled in school compared to 54.4 percent of Blacks in this age group.

The overall advantage in school enrollments for African Americans is a result of a far higher level of enrollments among adults. At every group over the age of 21, Blacks are more likely to be enrolled than Whites. For example, 13.7 percent of Blacks ages 25 to 29 were enrolled in school in October 2019. For Whites in this age group, only 9.8 percent were enrolled in school. At age groups over 45, Blacks are two to three times as likely as Whites to be enrolled in school.

 

Related Articles

4 COMMENTS

  1. Well, well, well! Another misleading research study by the Department of Commerce regarding so-called Black student enrollment. This study fails to address how both short and long term trajectories(i.e., housing, public safety, financia, health, etc.) for so-called Black students upon completion of their respective fornal education. In other words, simply because more so-called Blacks are enrolled in school does not necessarily result in better outcomes in the racist country called the good ole USA.

  2. Very promising information provided by this article- the follow/up question should be how these numbers look post graduation, will these numbers translate to employment.

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs