EMBARGOED UNTIL 10 A.M. EDT, JUNE 26, 1997 (THURSDAY) Public Information Office CB97-105 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Claudette Bennett Barbara Martin 301-457-2402 African American Population Approaches 34 Million, Census Bureau Reports In 1996, 12.8 percent of the U.S. population, or 33.9 million people were African American, according to tabulations released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The tabulations provide data on the characteristics of the African American population, including marital status, education and income. The tabulations, entitled "The Black Population in the United States: March 1996 (Update)," P20-498 , include the following highlights: - In 1996, there were 8.1 million African American families, 46 percent of whom were married-couple families. - About 74 percent of all African Americans 25 years of age and older had at least a high school education; about 14 percent had at least a bachelor's degree. - In 1995, African American families had a median income of $25,970. - The income of 2.1 million African American families (26 percent) was below the poverty level. Detailed tabulations are available on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/race/black. Click on the file named "Readme" for a complete list of the available tabulations. A paper version, entitled "The Black Population in the United States: March 1996 (Update)," is available as PPL-70. Data are from the March supplement to the 1996 Current Population Survey. As in all surveys, the data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error.-X-The Census Bureau--pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In over 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
