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.

• Total number of black students enrolled in higher education in 2000: 1,730,300
• Total number of black students enrolled in higher education in 2007: 2,383,400
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all high school students who graduate on time who are black: 12.1%
• Percentage of all students who drop out of high school in tenth grade who are black: 36.7%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Number of black men enrolled in undergraduate college programs in 2007: 870,000
• Number of black men incarcerated in federal state or local prisons in 2006: 837,000
(U.S. Census Bureau and Federal Bureau of Prisons)

• Percentage of all white American households in 2004 who owned stocks or had shares in stock mutual funds: 57%
• Percentage of all African-American households in 2004 who owned stocks or had shares in stock mutual funds: 23%
(Federal Reserve Board)

• Percentage of all installment debt held by nonwhite families that had debt in 2004 that was related to student loans: 26.6%
• Percentage of all installment debt held by nonwhite families that had debt in 2007 that was related to student loans: 36.2%
(Federal Reserve Board, Survey of Consumer Finances)

• Percentage of all white mothers who gave birth in 2005 who smoked cigarettes during their pregnancies: 11.7%
• Percentage of all black mothers who gave birth in 2005 who smoked cigarettes during their pregnancies: 8.1%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Number of white Americans murdered in 2005 for every 100,000 white Americans: 3.7
• Number of African Americans murdered in 2005 for every 100,000 African Americans: 21.1
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of all white Americans over the age of 65 who visit the dentist at least once a year: 59.5%
• Percentage of all African Americans over the age of 65 who visit the dentist at least once a year: 40.7%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of white children ages 12 to 17 who have dinner with a parent every day during a typical week: 55.9%
• Percentage of black children ages 12 to 17 who have dinner with a parent every day during a typical week: 52.0%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of white children ages 3 to 5 in 2006 who were read to seven or more times per week: 49.0%
• Percentage of black children ages 3 to 5 in 2006 who were read to seven or more times per week: 53.9%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of white children ages 12 to 17 in 2006 who participated in a sport after school or outside of school: 51.0%
• Percentage of black children ages 12 to 17 in 2006 who participated in a sport after school or outside of school: 36.8%
(U.S. Census Bureau)

• Percentage of all white students who graduated from high school in 2007 who enrolled in college either full-time or part-time by October of that year: 69.5%
• Percentage of all black students who graduated from high school in 2007 who enrolled in college either full-time or part-time by October of that year: 55.7%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all black students who graduated from high school in 1997 who enrolled in college either full-time or part-time by October of that year: 58.5%
• Percentage of all black students who graduated from high school in 2007 who enrolled in college either full-time or part-time by October of that year: 55.7%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of the entire white population ages 18 to 24 who were enrolled in higher education in 2007: 42.6%
• Percentage of the entire black population ages 18 to 24 who were enrolled in higher education in 2007: 33.4%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of the entire white population ages 18 to 24 with a high school diploma who were enrolled in higher education in 2007: 47.8%
• Percentage of the entire black population ages 18 to 24 with a high school diploma who were enrolled in higher education in 2007: 40.1%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all births in the United States in 2005 where the mother was black: 15.3%
• Percentage of all births of twins in the United States in 2005 where the mother was black: 17.0%
• Percentage of all births of three babies or more in the United States in 2005 where the mother was black: 9.7%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of all black students enrolled in higher education in 1980 who were male: 43.8%
• Percentage of all black students enrolled in higher education in 2007 who were male: 35.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Black percentage of all graduate school enrollments in 1980: 5.6%
• Black percentage of all graduate school enrollments in 2007: 11.6%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Number of black students enrolled at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities in the fall of 2006: 255,150
(U.S. Department of Education)

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

JBHE Past Vital Statistics

• Issue No. 62 – Winter 2008/09
• Issue No. 61 – Autumn 2008
• Issue No. 60 – Summer 2008
• Issue No. 59 – Spring 2008
• Issue No. 58 – Winter 2007/08
• Issue No. 57 – Autumn 2007
• Issue No. 55 – Spring 2007
• 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