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.

• Percentage of African Americans over the age of 25 in 1940 who were high school graduates: 7.7%
• Percentage of African Americans over the age of 25 in 2009 who were high school graduates: 84.2%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of African Americans over the age of 25 in 1940 who held a four-year college degree: 1.3%
• Percentage of African Americans over the age of 25 in 2009 who held a four-year college degree: 19.4%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• College graduation rate for black students matriculating in 2002 at private not-for-profit educational institutions: 44.2%
• College graduation rate for white students matriculating in 2002 at private not-for-profit educational institutions: 67.3%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• College graduation rate for black women matriculating in 2002 at private not-for-profit educational institutions: 48.5%
• College graduation rate for black men matriculating in 2002 at private not-for-profit educational institutions: 38.1%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Number of African Americans enrolled in degree granting educational institutions in 1990: 1,247,000
• Number of African Americans enrolled in degree granting educational institutions in 2008: 2,584,500
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Black percentage of all students enrolled in degree granting educational institutions in 1990: 9.0%
• Black percentage of all students enrolled in degree granting educational institutions in 2008: 13.5%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all African-American mothers whose babies were delivered by Cesarean section in 2000: 24%
• Percentage of all African-American mothers whose babies were delivered by Cesarean section in 2007: 34%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of the American population over the age of 20 who are members of minority groups: 31%
• Percentage of the American population under the age of 5 who are members of minority groups: 47%
(Population and Development Review, March 2010)

• Female percentage of total enrollments at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities in 1976: 53.0%
• Female percentage of total enrollments at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities in 2007: 61.3%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all African-American college students in 2008 who were enrolled in an educational institution where more than one half of the student body was black: 20.5%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of white Americans who earned doctorates in 2008 who had ever been enrolled at a two-year community college: 19.6%
• Percentage of African Americans who earned doctorates in 2008 who had ever been enrolled at a two-year community college: 17.0%
(National Science Foundation)

• Percentage of whites who earned doctorates in 2008 who had a father who was a college graduate: 63.4%
• Percentage of African Americans who earned doctorates in 2008 who had a father who was a college graduate: 33.4%
(National Science Foundation)

• Percentage of white Americans who earned doctoral degrees in 2008 who had a mother who was a college graduate: 54.5%
• Percentage of African Americans who earned doctoral degrees in 2008 who had a father who was a college graduate: 37.2%
(National Science Foundation)

• Percentage of whites who earned doctorates in 2008 who were over the age of 45: 15.7%
• Percentage of African Americans who earned doctorates in 2008 who were over the age of 45: 24.7%
 (National Science Foundation)

• Percentage of whites who earned doctorates in 2008 who were under 36 years old: 63.2%
• Percentage of African Americans who earned doctorates in 2008 who were under 36 years old: 46.2%
(National Science Foundation)

• Percentage of white Americans ages 14 to 49 who are infected with herpes simplex virus type 2: 12.3%
• Percentage of African Americans ages 14 to 49 who are infected with herpes simplex virus type 2: 39.2%
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Percentage of all 18- to 24-year-old African Americans in 1988 who were enrolled in higher education: 21.2%
• Percentage of all 18- to 24-year-old African Americans in 2008 who were enrolled in higher education: 32.6%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Black percentage of all instructional faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities in 2003: 5.3%
• Black percentage of all instructional faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities in 2007: 5.4%
(U.S. Department of Education)

• Percentage of all African-American instructional faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities in 2007 who were women: 53.1%
• Percentage of all African-American full professors at the nation’s colleges and universities in 2007 who were women: 37.6%
(U.S. Department of Education)

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

JBHE Past Vital Statistics

• Issue No. 65 – Autumn 2009
• Issue No. 63 – Spring 2009
• 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