African American History Month:
February 2002

Population Total

36.4 million
The number of U.S. residents who reported as African American alone or in combination with one or more other races in Census 2000. This group made up 12.9 percent of the total population. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

Income and Poverty

$30,439
The 2000 median income of African American households, which was a new all-time high. The 2000 median was up 5.5 percent from 1999. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-158.html

22.1%
Poverty rate for African Americans in 2000, the lowest measured since 1959 -- the earliest year for which poverty data are available. The 2000 rate was down from 23.6 percent in 1999. About a half-million fewer African Americans were poor in 2000 than in 1999 (7.9 million versus 8.4 million). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-158.html

Education

79%
The proportion of African Americans age 25 and over who were high school graduates in 2000 -- a record high. Among those ages 25 to 29, however, the proportion of African Americans who attained at least a high school diploma was 86 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html

17%
The percentage of African Americans age 25 and over with at least a bachelor's degree in 2000 -- a record high. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html

Technology

81%
Percentage of African American children ages 6 to 17 who had access to a computer either at home or in school in 2000. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-147.html

Businesses

823,500
Number of African American-owned businesses in the United States in 1997. These businesses employed 718,300 people and generated $71.2 billion in revenues. They made up 4 percent of the nation's 20.8 million nonfarm businesses and 27 percent of its 3.0 million minority-owned firms. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-54.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-115.html

26%
The increase from 1992 to 1997 in the number of African American-owned firms, excluding C corporations; the total number of firms in the United States grew 7 percent over the same period. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-54.html

38%
Proportion of the nation's African American-owned firms in 1997 whose owners were women, a higher percentage of female owners than any other minority race or ethnic group. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-115.html

$86,500
Average receipts of an African American-owned firm in 1997. A small subset of African American-owned firms -- 8,700 -- had annual sales of $1 million or more each. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-54.html

Jobs

119,000
Number of African American engineers in 2000. Additionally, 45,000 African Americans were physicians, not statistically different from the 48,000 lawyers. In all, 15.3 million African Americans were employed. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

Population Distribution

Nation

Census 2000 was the first census in which respondents had the option of choosing more than one race to describe their racial identity. The population who chose African American only in 2000 showed an increase of 4.7 million, or 15.6 percent, since 1990. However, if the population who chose African American and at least one additional race is added, the result is an increase of 6.4 million, or 21.5 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

Note: The data that follow pertain to the population who chose African American alone and the population that chose African American and at least one other race.

54%
The proportion of people reporting as African American who lived in the South, according to Census 2000. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

States

3.2 million
The number of New York residents who reported as African American in Census 2000, making the Empire State the state with the highest number of African Americans. California, Texas and Florida (about 2.5 million African Americans each) and Georgia (2.4 million) followed. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

17
The number of states with 1 million or more African American residents in 2000. Ten (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia) were in the South. The remaining seven were California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Combined, they accounted for more than 8-in-10 of the nation's African Americans. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

37%
The percentage of Mississippi's population who reported as African American in Census 2000. Louisiana (33 percent), South Carolina (30 percent), Georgia and Maryland (29 percent each) and Alabama (26 percent) followed. The District of Columbia, a state equivalent, had the highest proportion, with 61 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

Cities

2.3 million
The number of people in New York city who in Census 2000 reported as African American. New York led all the nation's cities in this category. Chicago was second, with 1.1 million, followed by Detroit; Philadelphia; Houston; Los Angeles; Baltimore; Memphis, Tenn.; Washington, D.C.; and New Orleans. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

85%
Percentage of Gary, Ind., residents who in Census 2000 reported as African American. Among cities with 100,000 or more residents, Gary edged out Detroit (83 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn176.html

The preceding facts come from Census 2000, the Survey of Minority-Owned Business Enterprises, the Current Population Survey and the Statistical Abstract of the United States. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; Fax: 301-457-3670; e-mail:<pio@census.gov>).