behavior and overall economic happiness.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Broke. ESPN films profiles players who have made bad financial decisions
Broke is a quick hit piece about financial mistakes that professional athletes make when investing. Not very enlightening but kind of fun in a jealous, crabs-in-a-barrel kind of way. A little painful.
On You tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elfw0ESih-A
Webpage from ESPN
http://www.espn.com/30for30/film?page=broke
Direct quote from the film web site...
"Film Summary
According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 60 percent of former NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. By the time they have been retired for two years, 78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress.
Sucked into bad investments, stalked by freeloaders, saddled with medical problems, and naturally prone to showing off, many pro athletes get shocked by harsh economic realities after years of living the high life.
Drawing surprisingly vulnerable confessions from retired stars like Keith McCants, Bernie Kosar and Andre Rison, as well as Marvin Miller, the former executive director of the MLB Players Association, this fascinating documentary digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature can carry them to victory on the field and ruin off it."
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Does raising the minimum wage kill jobs?
One of the longest running battles in economics is whether raising the minimum wage destroys jobs.
In fact, we have an on-going argument with a good friend of this blog. The argument is over the effect of raising the minimum wage. We fully support the "fight for $15", "$10.10", $9.00 or any raise. While our friend is worried over the job loses when wages rise.
The minimum wage was last increased in July of 2009. It was increased from $5.15 in 2007 to $7.25 in 2009 under president George W. Bush. The raise was attached to small business tax cuts.
The minimum wage is also a good indicator of hard right turn congress has taken in the past 30 years. The minimum wage is now an ideological issue for conservatives. Raising the minimum wage is a non-starter in the current, conservative congress.
Most of the states with the Federal Minimum Wage or below(Georgia) are "Red" - Republican voting states.
https://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm
There used to be a broad consensus for minimum wage hikes by both Democrats and Republicans with steady increases posted during the 70s, 80s, and 90s (except for Reagan). Back then there were many more White males earning minimum wage in a wide variety of jobs.
Now the image of a minimum wage worker is a surly, Black women asking: "If you want fries with that ?"
----
Fact: Most studies find no or very small job loss when the minimum wage is raised.
Fact: A majority of states(29) have a higher minimum wage than the federal minimum wage.
The definitive study on the effect of raising the minimum wage was done by John Schmidt in 2013 for the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He look at a meta sample of all other minimum wage studies available. Basically, here took all the data points in 64 studies and then grouped them into one giant study (n=1,492).
http://cepr.net/documents/publications/min-wage-2013-02.pdf
The report also discusses the offsetting reason why job loses are small.
---
Finally there are some more recent reports on raising the minimum wage
Here is another good research report that says that raising the minimum wage has a small negative effect on employment. They set the rate of job losses (elasticity) at -0.1. A 10% increase in wages will causes a 1% drop in employment.
Almost all economist accept there will be some job loses if we raise the minimum wage. The real question is: What is the size of the loss ? Who does it affect ? and will the additional income effects offset the job loses ?
At the Evil Black Economist, we lean toward the more optimistic prediction. The increase in income for low-wage workers will lead to a general increase in demand. The new demand will create low-wage jobs that will offset any low-wage job loses.
---
The Congressional Budget Office writes clearly about the effect on page 10.
" If employment increased under either option, in CBO’s judgment, it would probably be because increased demand for goods and services (resulting from the shift of income from higher-income to lower-income people) had boosted economic activity and generated more jobs than were lost as a direct
result of the increase in the cost of hiring low-wage workers. "
---
In summary, the small(if any) job loss is worth huge increase in wages for existing low-wage and hear low-wage workers though out society.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Black Workers Struggle in Los Angeles According to New Report from UCLA
New report shows damage from unemployment in the Black community
The UCLA labor center and the LA Black Worker Center released a new report detailing how Black workers are struggling in Los Angeles County. Overall Blacks have lost employment and population in Los Angeles. Many jobs Blacks held in manufacturing have moved overseas. In Construction, Blacks have largely been replaced by Latinos. The high unemployment and low incomes have long term sociological and health effects on Black people in Los Angeles.
Among the report highlights...
"Blacks with a high school education or less have double the rate of unemployment as Whites."
"1 in 10 Black workers with a higher degree are unemployed."
"Many Black workers in low-wage jobs earn less than White workers in similar postions." "Blacks earn on 75% of what Whites earn."
The report also highlight Blacks leaving Los Angeles for the Inland Empire. About 250,000 Blacks have moved to the Inland Empire.
The study proposes solutions such as creating high-paying, quality, accessible jobs. Expanding hiring benchmarks for under represented groups. And partnerships with institutions to implement targeted outreach, recruitment and retention programs.
The the UCLA labor center report is available here.
LA Times has a nice summary.
The UCLA labor center and the LA Black Worker Center released a new report detailing how Black workers are struggling in Los Angeles County. Overall Blacks have lost employment and population in Los Angeles. Many jobs Blacks held in manufacturing have moved overseas. In Construction, Blacks have largely been replaced by Latinos. The high unemployment and low incomes have long term sociological and health effects on Black people in Los Angeles.
Among the report highlights...
"Blacks with a high school education or less have double the rate of unemployment as Whites."
"1 in 10 Black workers with a higher degree are unemployed."
"Many Black workers in low-wage jobs earn less than White workers in similar postions." "Blacks earn on 75% of what Whites earn."
The report also highlight Blacks leaving Los Angeles for the Inland Empire. About 250,000 Blacks have moved to the Inland Empire.
The study proposes solutions such as creating high-paying, quality, accessible jobs. Expanding hiring benchmarks for under represented groups. And partnerships with institutions to implement targeted outreach, recruitment and retention programs.
The the UCLA labor center report is available here.
LA Times has a nice summary.
Black Talk Radio Stations
As a writer, I sometimes have a lot of time on my hands. To kill some of that time, I listen to Black Talk radio. There are some good stations out there but nothing like when I was growing up.
I grew up listening to Mary Mason in Philadelphia on WHAT 1340 AM, and Cathy Hughes on WOL 1450 AM when I lived in DC and Gary Byrd on WLIB 1190 AM during my time in New York City. That was good radio.
Here is a list of Black Talk Radio stations I check in on via the internet.
900 AM - WURD, Philadelphia
1690 AM - WVON, Chicago
1380 AM - WAOK, Atlanta (CBS)
1450 AM - WOL, Washington DC (Newsone)
1010 AM WOLB, Baltimore (Newsone)
1200 AM WCHB, Detroit (Newsone)
Sirius XM Urbanview (Pay wall)
You really have to hand it to Cathy Hughes, the found of Radio One. She purchased WOL in DC and continued to build an empire of Black radio stations. Her story is one of the most inspiring in the media business.
Radio Ones corporate site is here.
Radio One is one of the few Black managed publically traded companies.
PS. One of the stupidest moves I have ever made in my life was not listening to Cathy Hughes. When she was on the air in DC, she constantly invited members of the community to join the ownership of WOL. I chose not to participate in WOL for whatever lame excuse I had at the time. Boy was I stupid.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Us Lifting Us will host an Economic Summit March 18th, 2017 in Atlanta
US Lifting US is hosting a Black economic conference March 18th, 2017 in Atlanta Georgia. The theme of the conference is "Family Centered Economics."
The location:
Shrine of The Black Madonna
946 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30310
For more details visit the webpage at
http://www.usliftingus.com/summit-2017
Here is a video of the 2015 conference.
2015 Conference Video
Atlanta Black Star has a nice write-up of the conference.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
President Trump's first unemployment report shows 235,000 new jobs. Rate stable at 4.7%
The BLS released the first monthly employment situation report under President Donald Trump. The report was surprisingly good. The number of new jobs, Non Farm Payrolls, increased by 235,000 jobs which is well above the long-term averages. Unemployment rates across all major groups were flat or down. And there was a surprising bump (+58,000) in construction and manufacturing (+28,000) jobs. Healthcare and education added 62,000 spots. Retail Trade lost (-28,000) jobs ad information technology(no new jobs) was flat. Wages also increased by six cents which is also above average.
Summary
The February report showed a small decrease in the US unemployment rate to 4.7% while the Labor Force Participation rate remained flat at 63.0%. Average wages increased by 6 cents in February after a 5 cent increase in January. The number of unemployed stayed at about 7.5 million people.
Here is the chart of Non-farm Payrolls over time since the recession.

The national unemployment rate was 4.7%. After a steep decline during the recovery, the rate has flattened recently. The Labor Force Participation rate continues to increase.

Analysis
President Trump has been given a gift of a strong economy with few short-term issues. The economy is performing well enough for the Federal Reserve Bank to raise interest rates. The employment report, along with the stock market, are the two main economic indicators the average person pays attention to in the news.
The President may want to look at some of the following long-term issues that affect his his supporters and all of us. He could tackle slow wage growth and the shift to a service economy from a manufacturing economy. requiring high levels of education in the job market
Present Trump has attacked the BLS in the past
President Trump is also noted for a having criticized the accuracy of the BLS unemployment reports. He used misleading definitions of unemployment during the presidential campaign. Trump will almost certainly try to make cuts at BLS, US Census and EEO offices as he continues to 'wage war on the facts."
Black Unemployment
The Black unemployment rate rose to 8.1%. The rate is volatile because of the small sample size and moves around a lot. But the overall trend has been decreasing. Black men older than 20 years have an unemployment rate of 7.85% while Black women have a rate of 7.12%.

White the Black Unemployment rate ticked up, the long term trend in participation look good since the end of 2013. Black people are finally getting jobs as White leave the job market. It looks like more Blacks are returning to the job market so the unemployment rate is fixed while the participation rate increases.
The "Real" Black unemployment rate stayed at a relative high at 12.6% showing continued slack in the Black labor market.
The national U-6 rate show continued improvement dropping to 9.2%. U-6 includes all unemployed, people working part time who want full time work, and marginally attached workers (basically everyone who is available to work and wants to work)
The Business Survey showed strong employment growth especially in private goods producing sectors.
Again, strong job growth was across many industries. The suprise category was consturction(+58K which may have been helped by warm weather in January and February.
There was a slight change in the Goods to Service New Job Ratio. Goods producing jobs showed a large increase thanks to changes construction and manufacturing jobs. Approximately 16% of all new jobs are goods producing jobs.

Other Notes
ADP reported 298,000 new jobs were created in February 2017. The jobs were split among small businesses (+104,000), medium sized businesses (+122,000) and large businesses (+72,000). ADP report a big jump in good producing jobs which increased by 106,000 including 66,000 in construction. Service business hired 193,000 people. including 66,000 in business services and 40,000 each in Ed/Health and Leisure/Hospitality, respectively. .
Paychex small business jobs index was up slightly (0.03%) to 100.78 in February for straight month of increases.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Economic State of Black America 2016
The Evil Black Economist releases the 2016 Economic State of Black America report. The report is dedicated to Martin Luther King. The report is grouped into four sections: Wealth, Income,
Health, and Happiness
This
project grew out of a discussion over how to measure the impact of the Presidency
of Barack Obama. President Obama is widely viewed as have a very successful presidency in terms of accomplishments and popularity. However his success was affected by two larger issues: the 2007
recession and 35 years of a shrinking middle class. He did have one major accomplishment and a slew of minor successes. His major legacy is improving health care access for 20 million who previously were uninsured.
Summary
Overall, Black Americans, like many in the US, are not doing well. The 2007 recession and financial crisis led to a huge number of foreclosures wiping out a huge amount of Black wealth. Jobs remain scarce. As of 2016 has Black unemployment has recovered to 2007 levels.. The Black unemployment rate of 7.8% is the same or below the 2007 rate. Black people have lost 10 years of income and wealth.
There is some good news. Incomes are slowly rising. More Blacks are participating in the labor force while White Men drop out. Blacks tend to work in Service and Transportation jobs. Black business ownership was flat in the latest survey.
Living in Poverty was report by 26% of Blacks. One in five (21.5%) Black households worries about food and 26% collect food stamps.
Educationally, we graduate high school at almost the same rate as Whites but attend college at a lower rate (10% difference). We graduate from college at an even lower rate(20% difference) as compared to Whites. Black student debt is estimated at twice that of Whites.
White economic indicators are trending flat or down, social and health indicators are moving in the right direction. Life expectancy has increased while infant mortality has decreased. Health insurance coverage is up and crime has dropped.
Finally, the measures of economic opportunity do not look good. By one estimate, a Black poor child has only a 4% chance of being a rich adult and a 50% chance of remaining a poor adult.
Finally, if you have a Black statistic you would like added to the report, please send and e-mail to:
evilblackeconomist@gmail.com
Thanks
======================================================================
Summary
Overall, Black Americans, like many in the US, are not doing well. The 2007 recession and financial crisis led to a huge number of foreclosures wiping out a huge amount of Black wealth. Jobs remain scarce. As of 2016 has Black unemployment has recovered to 2007 levels.. The Black unemployment rate of 7.8% is the same or below the 2007 rate. Black people have lost 10 years of income and wealth.
There is some good news. Incomes are slowly rising. More Blacks are participating in the labor force while White Men drop out. Blacks tend to work in Service and Transportation jobs. Black business ownership was flat in the latest survey.
Living in Poverty was report by 26% of Blacks. One in five (21.5%) Black households worries about food and 26% collect food stamps.
Educationally, we graduate high school at almost the same rate as Whites but attend college at a lower rate (10% difference). We graduate from college at an even lower rate(20% difference) as compared to Whites. Black student debt is estimated at twice that of Whites.
White economic indicators are trending flat or down, social and health indicators are moving in the right direction. Life expectancy has increased while infant mortality has decreased. Health insurance coverage is up and crime has dropped.
Finally, the measures of economic opportunity do not look good. By one estimate, a Black poor child has only a 4% chance of being a rich adult and a 50% chance of remaining a poor adult.
Finally, if you have a Black statistic you would like added to the report, please send and e-mail to:
evilblackeconomist@gmail.com
Thanks
======================================================================
Wealth / Home Ownership / Housing Statistics
Net Worth
Net worth is the most basic measure of wealth. It is the value of assets a household controls. Middle class people in the US usually have one large asset: their home. The rich have multiple real estate properties and investment assets. The poor have no assets at all.
The table below lists household assets from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances. The median (one-half above and one-half below) is a better measure of assets because people like Oprah and Bob Johnson (BET) skew the average number.
The ratio of Black wealth to White wealth was 12/100 meaning Blacks has just 12% of the assets of Whites and Whites were 8 times richer than Blacks.
The ratio of Black wealth to White wealth was 12/100 meaning Blacks has just 12% of the assets of Whites and Whites were 8 times richer than Blacks.
| 2013 Median | 2013 Mean | Median Ratio to White | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | $139,857 | $572,870 | 100% |
| Black | 17,387 | 101,736 | 12.4% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 15,758 | 126,808 | 11.3% |
| Other | 84,284 | 460,960 | 60.3% |
Here is the trend over the past 12 years. Black home ownership took a huge hit during the last recession.
Source: Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finance, 2013
Home Ownership
| 2011 | 2013 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 114,907 | 115,852 | 118,290 |
| White | 92,820 | 93,284 | 93,760 |
| Black | 14,694 | 15,015 | 15,998 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 13,841 | 14,675 | 15,617 |
| Asian | 4,620 | 4,725 | 5,477 |
Source:
US Census, American Housing Survey
| 4Q 2016 Rate | |
|---|---|
| Total | 63.7% |
| White | 72.2% |
| Black | 41.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 46.3% |
| Other | 53.7% |
Chart of US home ownership rates over time period 2013 to 2016.
Source: US Census, Quarterly Residential Vacancies and Home Ownership, Q4 2016. Note: 4Q 2016 was released as we went to press.
Mortgage Loans
Mortgage Loans
The primary way people build assets in the US is through home ownership. And the main way to buy a home is with a mortgage loan. However, the mortgage loan market has under gone a huge crisis. In the 2000's the "sub-prime" mortgage market was developed and in the 2007 it collapsed. Now we are in a slow recovery from that event.
The majority of Black mortgages are non-conventional mortgages.
Black 2013 Mortgage Loan Applications 186,074/ Originated 113,723
The majority of Black mortgages are non-conventional mortgages.
Black 2013 Mortgage Loan Applications 186,074/ Originated 113,723
Black
2014 Mortgage Loan Applications 206,182 / Originated 130,176
We continue to see lower rates of loans made to Black applicants. Also, a higher percentage of the loan are non-conventional loans when compared to Whites.
We continue to see lower rates of loans made to Black applicants. Also, a higher percentage of the loan are non-conventional loans when compared to Whites.
Source:
2016 State of Housing in Black American. NAREB.
www.nareb.com/site-files/uploads/2016/08/NAREB-SHIBA-REPORT-2016-final.pdf
Income
Black / White 2016 Ratio 80%
Black households have a median (half above and half below) income of about earn about $37,000 dollars.
Median Weekly Earnings
| 2015 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| White | $847 | $881 |
| Black | $643 | $675 |
| Hispanic | $624 | $646 |
| Asian | $1,022 | $1,092 |
Black / White 2016 Ratio 80%
Black Men / White Men 2016 Ratio 78%
Black Women / White Women 2016 Ratio 84%
Here is a chart of median weekly earnings for the period 2000-2016.

Here is a chart of median weekly earnings for the period 2000-2016.

Source: BLS, 2016, Median Usual Weekly Earnings from CPS
Household Income
Household Income
Black households have a median (half above and half below) income of about earn about $37,000 dollars.
Median Household Income
| 2014 | 2015 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | $56,931 | $60,109 | 5.6% |
| Black | $35,439 | $36,898 | 4.1% |
| Hispanic | $42,540 | $45,148 | 6.1% |
| Asian | $74,382 | $77,166 | 3.7% |
Below is a graph of the trend since 1972.
Source: US Census, Table 1, Income and Earnings Summary Measures by Selected Characteristics: 2014 and 2015
Total Income for Population
One common question is: "How much money do Black people in the US earn collectively?" Well, there are two different measures: one is income and the other is called "Total Money Income (TMI)" which includes transfer payments. In 2015, we earned $610 Billion in income and had a TMI of $898 billion.
The figure for Black Alone or in Combination is even larger at $949 Billion. Black AOIC includes Black people and mixed race and Hispanic people who identify as Black.
One common question is: "How much money do Black people in the US earn collectively?" Well, there are two different measures: one is income and the other is called "Total Money Income (TMI)" which includes transfer payments. In 2015, we earned $610 Billion in income and had a TMI of $898 billion.
The figure for Black Alone or in Combination is even larger at $949 Billion. Black AOIC includes Black people and mixed race and Hispanic people who identify as Black.
| Pop. 2014 | 2014 Income |
Pop. 2015 | 2015 Income |
Total Change |
Pop. Change | Real Income Change | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total |
|
|
|
|
|
0.99% | 5.26% | |||||
| White |
|
|
|
|
|
0.26% | 4.36% | |||||
| Black |
|
|
|
|
|
0.62% | 4.14% | |||||
| Asian |
|
|
|
|
|
4.77% | 3.92% | |||||
| Hisp./Latino |
|
|
|
|
|
2.63% | 6.29% |
| Pop. 2014 | 2014 Income |
Pop. 2015 | 2015 Income |
Total Change |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total |
|
|
|
$9,972,791,397 |
|
||||||
| White |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
| Black AOIC |
|
|
|
|
6.81% | ||||||
| Black Alone |
|
|
|
|
6.63% | ||||||
| Asian |
|
|
|
|
13.07% | ||||||
| Hisp./Latino |
|
|
|
|
13.35% |
Occupations
Where do Black people work ?
Blacks are underrepresented in Management, Business, Science and the Arts(MBSA) and in Natural Resources and Farming, Construction and Maintenance(NRCM). They are over represented in Services and Transportation.
Key:
PTMM - Production, Transportation and Material Management
| Occupation | Total | % | Male | % | Female | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Total | 150,534,773 | 100% | 79,120,041 | 100% | 71,414,732 | 100% |
| MBSA | --- | 37.1% | --- | 33.5% | --- | 44.1% | |
| Services | --- | 18.0% | --- | 14.8% | --- | 21.5% | |
| Sales & Office | --- | 23.6% | --- | 17.1% | --- | 30.8% | |
| NRCM | --- | 9.0% | --- | 31.1% | --- | 0.9% | |
| PTMM | --- | 12.3% | --- | 31.1% | --- | 5.8% | |
| White | Total | 112,857,159 | 100% | 60,181,754 | --- | 52,675,405 | --- |
| MBSA | --- | 35.2% | --- | 33.5% | --- | 43.1% | |
| Services | --- | 43.1% | --- | 13.2% | --- | 19.5% | |
| Sales & Office | --- | 23.8% | --- | 17.1% | --- | 31.3% | |
| NRCM | --- | 9.6% | --- | 17.2% | --- | 0.9% | |
| PTMM | --- | 11.6% | --- | 17.3% | --- | 5.1% | |
| Black | Total | 17,198,924 | 100% | 7,885,268 | 100% | 9,313,656 | 100% |
| MBSA | --- | 28.7% | --- | 22.8% | --- | 33.6% | |
| Services | --- | 25.0% | --- | 22.0% | --- | 27.5% | |
| Sales & Office | --- | 25.2% | --- | 18.7% | --- | 30.8% | |
| NRCM | --- | 5.1% | --- | 10.5% | --- | 0.6% | |
| PTMM | --- | 16.0% | --- | 26.0% | --- | 7.5% | |
| Hispanic / Latino | Total | 24,845,756 | 100% | 14,055,426 | 100% | 10,790,330 | 100% |
| MBSA | --- | 20.5% | --- | 16.5% | --- | 25.7% | |
| Services | --- | 25.6% | --- | 21.1% | --- | 31.5% | |
| Sales & Office | --- | 21.9% | --- | 14.7% | --- | 31.3% | |
| NRCM | --- | 15.6% | --- | 26.1% | --- | 2.0% | |
| PTMM | --- | 16.3% | --- | 21.6% | --- | 9.5% | |
| Asian | Total | 8,633,703 | 100% | 4,504,912 | 100% | 4,128,791 | 100% |
| MBSA | --- | 51.0% | --- | 52.1% | --- | 49.8% | |
| Services | --- | 16.7% | --- | 13.6% | --- | 20.2% | |
| Sales & Office | --- | 19.8% | --- | 16.7% | --- | 23.2% | |
| NRCM | --- | 2.9% | --- | 5.3% | --- | 0.4% | |
| PTMM | --- | 9.6% | --- | 12.4% | --- | 6.5% |
Total Employment Levels
Black employment continues to grow while White employment is decreasing.
Black Employment 2016 18,292,000 people
Black Employment 2015 17,802,000 An increase of 490,000 people
Table Black Unemployment 7.8%
Black Men 7.6% (8.7% 2015)
Black Women 6.8% (7.1% 2015)
Black Teenagers 25.7%
The Black unemployment rate has traditionally been twice the White rate. The Black unemployment rate of 7.8% is the lowest since August 2007.
Labor Force Participation
The Black labor market participation rate has trended upward in the past year to 62.4% from a low of 60.3% in 2013. Blacks are returning to work as Whites drop out.
Source: BLS, January Labor Report and website
Business Ownership and Formation
Black business ownership has been flat while White owners have decreased and Hispanic and Asian business owners have increased.
Poverty
People in Poverty
| 2014 | % of Total Population |
2015 | % of Total Population |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 46,657,000 | 14.8% | 43,123,000 | 13.5% |
| White | 19,652,000 | 10.1% | 17,786,000 | 9.1% |
| Black | 10,755,000 | 26.2% | 10,020,000 | 24.1% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 13,104,000 | 23.6% | 12,133,000 | 21.4% |
| Asian | 2,137,000 | 12.0% | 2,078,000 | 11.4% |
Source: US Census, Income and Poverty in the US, 2015
Child Poverty (18 and Under)
Child Poverty (18 and Under)
| 2014 | % of Total Population |
2015 | % of Total Population |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 15,540,000 | 21.1% | 14,509,000 | 19.7% |
| White | 9,602,000 | 17.9% | 9,204,000 | 17.2% |
| Black | 4,090,000 | 37.1% | 3,651,000 | 32.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 5,745,000 | 31.9% | 5,269,000 | 28.9% |
| Asian | 524,000 | 14.0% | 466,000 | 12.3% |
Source:
US Census, Income and Poverty in the US, 2015
Food Security by Household 2015
Food security is defined at three levels: 1) food secure, 2) low food security and 3) very low food security. Food secure is defined as "access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy
life for all household members." People who are food insecure do not meet condition one. They have either low food or very low food security. Very low food security is defined as "one or more household members had reduced eating patterns and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food."
| Race | Total | Food Secure | % | Insecure Total |
Insecure % |
Low | Low % | Very Low | Very Low % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 83,931 | 75,563 | 90.0% | 8,368 | 10.0% | 4,759 | 5.7% | 3,609 | 4.3% |
| Black | 15,734 | 12,357 | 78.5 | 3,377 | 21.5 | 2,127 | 13.6 | 1,250 | 7.9 |
| Hispanic | 16,803 | 13,592 | 80.9 | 3,211 | 19.1 | 2,132 | 12.7 | 1,079 | 6.4 |
| Other | 8,695 | 7,803 | 89.7 | 892 | 10.3 | 521 | 6.0 | 371 | 4.3 |
Source: Household Food Security in the United States 2015, www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/err215/err-215.pdf
Food Stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
About 5.7 million Black households receive food stamps in 2015.
| 2015 | Total (000) | % | Children | % | Elderly | % | Disabled | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 22,293 | 100% | 9,510 | 100% | 4,361 | 100% | 4,498 | 100% |
| White | 8,757 | 39.3% | 3,092 | 32.5% | 1,857 | 42.6% | 2,047 | 45.5% |
| Black | 5,747 | 25.8% | 2,335 | 24.5 | 915 | 21.0% | 1,271 | 28.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 2,538 | 11.4% | 1,133 | 11.9 | 575 | 13.2% | 347 | 7.7% |
| Asian | 561 | 2.5% | 194 | 2.0 | 250 | 5.7% | 38 | 0.9% |
Individual Food Stamps Participants
Eleven million Black people participate in the food stamp program.
| 2015 | Total(000) | % | Female(000) | % | Male(000) | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 45,184 | 100% | 25,637 | 56.7 | 19,547 | 43.3 |
| White | 16,574 | 36.7% | 9,405 | 20.8% | 7,170 | 15.9% |
| Black | 11,772 | 26.1% | 6,846 | 15.2 | 4,926 | 10.9% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7,730 | 17.1% | 4,336 | 9.6 | 3,394 | 7.5% |
| Asian | 1,301 | 2.9% | 716 | 1.6 | 585 | 1.3% |
Children Raised by Single Parents (in 000)
Black
Kids (18 old and under) Total 11,101
Black
Kids (18 old and under) Living with both parents 4,294
Black
Kids (18 old and under) Living with Mother 5,722
Black
Kids (18 old and under) Living with Father 439
Black
Kids (18 old and under) Living with Single Parent 55%
White 19%
Asian 13%
Hispanic
29%
Source: US
Census, Families and Living Arrangements October 2016
Education
Educational Attainment
| 2015 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Pop. 18 and older | High School or Higher | % of Pop. | Bachelors or Higher | % of Pop. | |
| Total | 242,831,196 | 210,098,654 | 86.5% | 66,036,180 | 27.2% |
| White | 161,426,754 | 143,105,261 | 88.7% | 50,142,764 | 31.1% |
| Black | 24,689,835 | 20,678,704 | 83.8% | 4,812,215 | 19.5% |
| Hisp./Latino | 29,952,299 | 19,439,898 | 64.9% | 4,275,337 | 14.3% |
| Asian | 11,220,496 | 9,647,290 | 86.0% | 5,770,522 | 51.4% |
Source: 2015 American Community Survey
Graduation Rate from 4-year program
Black 6 year or less college graduation rate (2008-2014) 40.9%
Black 6 year or less college graduation rate (2008-2014) 40.9%
Black
Male 35.3%
Black
Female 44.8%
=======================================
=======================================
White 63%
Black 41%
Hispanic 53%
Asian 71%
Source DOE: National Center for Educational Statistics, Postsecondary Graduation Rate, 2014, Table 326.10
Note: Cohorts are from 1996 to 2007.
High School
Graduation Rate
| Race | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 90.8% | 91.2% | 91.7% |
| White | 95.6 | 95.4 | 95.2 |
| Black | 91.9 | 92.5 | 91.1 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 74.7 | 77.1 | 80.6 |
| Asian | 96.6 | 95.8 | 96.8 |

Source Department of Education: National Center for Educational Statistics, Postsecondary Graduation Rate, 2014, Table 104.20
College and Graduate Student
Debt
Black college students have about $7,300 dollars in extra debt compared to White college students and $24,000 more 4 years later.
Black college students have about $7,300 dollars in extra debt compared to White college students and $24,000 more 4 years later.
2012
|
Under Graduate
Borrowing
|
Total Owed
4 years Later
|
|---|---|---|
| Total | $16,491 | --- |
| White | $16,046 | $28,006 |
| Black | 23,421 | 52,726 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 15,663 | 29,949 |
| Asian | 11,935 | 26,253 |
Note: The US Department of Education does not collect statistics on total debt by race. Brookings has estimated the amounts.
Source: https://www.brookings.edu/research/black-white-disparity-in-student-loan-debt-more-than-triples-after-graduation/, Oct, 2016 Report(2012 Data)
Infant Mortality
The Black infant mortality rate is 11.11 per every one thousands live births.
| Per 1000 Live Births | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 6.39 | 6.14 | 6.07 | 5.98 | 5.98 |
| White | 5.33 | 5.18 | 5.07 | 5.04 | 5.06 |
| Black | 12.40 | 11.46 | 11.45 | 11.19 | 11.11 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 5.29 | 5.25 | 5.15 | 5.11 | 5.00 |
| Asian | 4.40 | 4.27 | 4.36 | 4.06 | 4.07 |
Source: National Vital Statistics Report
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_09.pdf
Life Expectancy
Black men have a life expectancy of 72.3 years while Black women have a life expectancy of 78.4 years.
| In Years | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 78.8 | 78.8 |
| White | 78.9 | 78.8 |
| Black | 75.1 | 75.2 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 81.6 | 81.8 |
Source: CDC National Vital Statistics Reports https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr65/nvsr65_08.pdf
Teenage Birth Rate(15-19)
The teenage birth is measured per 1000 live births. Black teenagers age 15-19 had a birth rate of about 32 per 1000 which is almost of half of the 2006 rate. The drop was -73% over the 10 year period.
| Per 1000 Live Births | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 41.1 | 41.5 | 40.2 | 37.9 | 34.2 | 31.3 | 29.4 | 26.5 | 24.2 | 22.3 |
| White | 26.7 | 27.2 | 26.7 | 25.7 | 23.5 | 21.7 | 20.5 | 18.6 | 17.3 | 16.0 |
| Black | 61.9 | 62.0 | 60.4 | 56.8 | 51.5 | 47.3 | 43.9 | 39.0 | 34.9 | 31.8 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 77.4 | 75.3 | 70.3 | 63.6 | 55.7 | 49.6 | 46.3 | 41.7 | 38.0 | 34.9 |
| Asian | 15.3 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.6 | 10.9 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 8.7 | 7.7 | 6.9 |
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS Data Brief No. 264, November 2016 and https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db259.pdf
Unmarried Birthrate
Seventy-One(71) percent of all Black children are born to unmarried women.
Percentage of Births to Unmarried Women
| Percent of Live Births | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Total | 40.3% |
| White | 40.4 |
| Non-Hispanic White | 29.2 |
| Black | 70.1 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 70.6 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 53.0 |
| Asian | 16.4 |
Birth Rates for Unmarried Women
| Per 1000 Live Births | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 47.2 | 50.3 | 51.8 | 51.8 | 49.9 | 47.5 | 46.0 | 45.3 | 44.3 | 43.9 |
| White | 30.4 | 32.4 | 33.8 | 34.3 | 33.6 | 32.9 | 32.3 | 32.1 | 31.7 | 31.8 |
| Black | 67.2 | 70.7 | 71.4 | 71.0 | 68.7 | 65.3 | 63.7 | 62.6 | 61.7 | 61.5 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 96.2 | 101.5 | 102.1 | 97.3 | 89.4 | 80.6 | 75.1 | 72.6 | 69.9 | 68.5 |
| Asian/Pac. Isl. | 22.8 | 23.4 | 23.9 | 23.9 | 23.6 | 22.3 | 22.4 | 22.9 | 21.8 | 21.7 |
Source: National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 64, No. 12, December 23, 2015
Health Insurance Coverage
Close to 90% of all people have health insurance including 88% of Black people. Health insurance is either private or government funded.
| Pop.2014 | Insured | % | Uninsured | % | Pop.2015 | Insured | % | Uninsured | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 316,168 | 283,200 | 89.6% | 32,968 | 10.4% | 318,868 | 289,903 | 90.9% | 28,966 | 9.1% |
| White | 195,352 | 180,528 | 92.4% | 14,824 | 7.6% | 195,646 | 182,546 | 93.3% | 13,100 | 6.7% |
| Black | 41,226 | 36,380 | 88.3% | 4,847 | 11.8% | 41,703 | 37,076 | 88.9% | 4,627 | 11.1% |
| Hisp/Lat | 55,614 | 44,556 | 80.1% | 11,059 | 19.9% | 56,873 | 47,637 | 83.8% | 9,235 | 16.2% |
| Asian | 17,796 | 16,137 | 90.7% | 1,659 | 9.3% | 18,249 | 16,889 | 92.6% | 1,360 | 7.4% |
Source: US Census, Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2015
Crime
Arrest data for key crime categories. Some categories were combined to save space.
| Arrests | Total | White | % | Black | % | Hispanic | % | Asian | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 8,248,709 | 5,753,212 | 69.7% | 2,197,140 | 26.6% | 1,204,862 | 18.4% | 101,064 | 1.2% |
| Murder/Manslaughter | 8,508 | 3,908 | 45.9% | 4,347 | 51.1% | 1,370 | 20.8% | 126 | 1.5% |
| Rape | 17,370 | 11,809 | 68.0% | 4,907 | 28.2% | 3,516 | 26.8% | 271 | 1.6% |
| Assault | 287,566 | 184,024 | 64.0% | 92,237 | 32.1% | 59,883 | 24.6% | 4,631 | 1.6% |
| RBLT | 1,192,211 | 807,016 | 89.6% | 350,180 | 10.4% | 158,870 | 16.7% | 14,472 | 1.2% |
| Violent Crime Total | 386,467 | 232,180 | 60.1% | 140,543 | 36.4% | 77,557 | 23.9% | 5,696 | 1.5% |
| Property Crime Total | 1,125,950 | 779,529 | 69.2% | 312,647 | 27.8% | 146,980 | 16.4% | 13,892 | 1.2% |
| Drug Related | 1,136,950 | 803,809 | 80.1% | 307,140 | 19.9% | 186,841 | 20.3% | 12,436 | 1.1% |
| DUI+Alcohol | 1,340,158 | 1,081,956 | 80.7% | 181,008 | 13.5% | 236,054 | 21.6% | 22,207 | 1.7% |
| Other | 2,455,238 | 1,683,297 | 68.6% | 688,146 | 28.0% | 316,689 | 16.6% | 25,197 | 1.0% |
RBLT is Robbery, Burglary, Larceny, Theft and Motor Vehicle Theft. Drug related is the same as Drug Abuse Violations. DUI plus Alcohol is Driving while under the influence, Liquor Laws and Drunkenness.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2015, Arrest by Race and Ethnicity
Incarceration
Black
2014 Jail Population 263,800
Black
2015 Sentenced Prisoners State and Federal 523,000
Black
Incarceration Rate (>18 or older) per 100,000 1745
| Male | Female | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | Total Male | White | Black | Hispanic | Other | Total Female | White | Black | Hispanic | Other |
| 2011 | 1,537,415 | 1,433,741 | 465,100 | 555,300 | 331,500 | --- | 103,674 | 51,100 | 26,000 | 18,400 | --- |
| 2012 | 1,511,480 | 1,410,191 | 451,252 | 527,768 | 315,234 | 115,937 | 101,289 | 49,352 | 23,386 | 16,968 | 11,584 |
| 2013 | 1,516,879 | 1,412,745 | 454,100 | 526,000 | 314,600 | 118,100 | 104,134 | 51,500 | 23,100 | 17,600 | 11,900 |
| 2014 | 1,508,636 | 1,402,404 | 453,500 | 516,900 | 308,700 | 123,300 | 106,232 | 53,100 | 22,600 | 17,800 | 12,800 |
| 2015 | 1,476,847 | 1,371,879 | 446,700 | 501,300 | 301,500 | 122,400 | 104,968 | 52,700 | 21,700 | 17,900 | 12,700 |
| Male per 100,000 | Female per 100,000 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | Total Male | White | Black | Hispanic | Other | Total Female | White | Black | Hispanic | Other |
| 2011 | 492 | 932 | 478 | 3,023 | 1,238 | --- | 65 | 51 | 129 | 71 | --- |
| 2012 | 480 | 909 | 463 | 2841 | 1158 | 972 | 63 | 49 | 115 | 64 | 90 |
| 2013 | 478 | 904 | 466 | 2791 | 1130 | 998 | 65 | 51 | 113 | 65 | 93 |
| 2014 | 471 | 890 | 465 | 2724 | 1091 | 968 | 65 | 53 | 109 | 64 | 93 |
| 2015 | 458 | 863 | 457 | 2613 | 1043 | 929 | 64 | 52 | 103 | 63 | 90 |
Source Bureau of Justice Statistics
Happiness
Harris Poll Happiness Index by Race
| Race | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 35 | 35 | 32 | 32 | 34 |
| Black | 35 | 41 | 40 | 44 | 36 |
| Hispanic | 32 | 36 | 39 | 35 | 28 |
Source: Harris Poll Happiness Index, June 2013
http://www.theharrispoll.com/health-and-life/Are_You_Happy__It_May_Depend_on_Age__Race_Ethnicity_and_Other_Factors.html
Social Mobility
Social mobility as measured by generational income levels has been dropping. We want to look at some data published in 2014 by Bhash Mazumder of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank. He compiled data by race on inter-generational incomes.
He found that White men in the lowest one-fifth (quintile) of income had a 26% change of remaining in the lowest fifth and a 10% chance of moving to the highest fifth(top quintile). Black men from the lowest fifth of income and a 50% chance of remaining in the lowest group and only a 4% chance of making it to the top fifth.
Note: Data is from 1978-86 for parents and 2003-2007 for children. Data analysis was published in 2014.
Source: https://www.chicagofed.org/~/media/publications/economic-perspectives/2014/1q2014-part1-mazumder-pdf.pdf
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/social-mobility-memos/2014/02/27/obamas-post-presidency-tackling-the-social-mobility-challenge-for-black-men/
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