CB01-FF.02 February 22, 2001
African American History Month
Celebrated in February
Note: The estimates in this fact sheet should not be confused with Census 2000
results, which are scheduled for release over the next three years.
Education
- In 2000, 79 percent of African Americans age 25 and over had completed at
least high school a record high. Among those ages 25 to 29, however, a much
higher percentage of African Americans had attained at least a high school
diploma (86 percent).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html
- In 2000, a record-high 17 percent of African Americans age 25 and over had
earned at least a bachelor's degree.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html
- The percentage of African Americans, age 25 and over, with a high school
diploma or more in 2000 was more than double that of 1970. Likewise, the
percentage in 2000 with a bachelor's degree or higher was more than triple
that of 30 years earlier.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html
- About 1 million African Americans had an advanced degree in 2000 (e.g.,
master's, Ph.D., M.D. or J.D.).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html
Income and Poverty
- The 1999 poverty rate for African Americans, 23.6 percent, was the lowest ever
measured by the Census Bureau, and about 700,000 fewer African Americans were
poor in 1999 (8.4 million) than in 1998 (9.1 million).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-158.html
- The 1999 median income for African American households, $27,910, was the
highest ever recorded.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-158.html
Voting
- African Americans were the only race or ethnic group to show an increase in
voter participation in congressional elections, increasing their presence at
the polls from 37 percent in 1994 to 40 percent in 1998. Nationwide, overall
turnout by the voting-age population was down from 45 percent in 1994 to
42 percent in 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-114.html
- African Americans increased their voter registration rate from 59 percent in
1994 to 61 percent in 1998.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-114.html
Families
- In 2000, there were 8.7 million African American families; just under half of
them (48 percent) were married-couple families.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-34.html
- African American families are larger than non-Hispanic White families. For
example, 21 percent of African American married-couple families in 2000 had
five or more members, compared with 12 percent of their non-Hispanic White
counterparts.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-34.html
- Among African American men age 15 and over in 2000, 45 percent had never been
married, 39 percent were currently married, 3 percent were widowed and
10 percent were divorced. Among women, the corresponding rates were
42 percent, 31 percent, 10 percent and 12 percent. There was no significant
difference between the percentages of men and women who were never married.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-34.html
Population Distribution
National Estimates and Projections
- The nation's African American population totaled an estimated 35.5 million as
of Nov. 1, 2000. It comprised 13 percent of the total population. Since
April 1, 1990, the African American population has increased by 5.0 million
people or 16 percent while the total U.S. population has grown 11 percent.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
- The nation's African American population is young, with an estimated median
age of 30.4 years as of Nov. 1, 2000 more than five years younger than the
median for the U.S. population as a whole.
http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt
- The African American population, according to projections, could rise to
47.1 million in 2025; its share of the total population under this scenario
would increase slightly, to 14 percent.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-05.html
Subnational Estimates
- In 2000, the majority of African Americans (54 percent) lived in the South,
followed by the Northeast (19 percent), Midwest (19 percent) and West
(8 percent). There was no statistical difference between the percentages
living in the Northeast and the Midwest.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-34.html
- Nationwide, 53 percent of African Americans resided in the central cities of
metro areas in 2000.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-34.html
As of July 1, 1999:
- The five states with the largest African American populations were New York
(3.2 million), California (2.5 million), Texas (2.5 million), Florida
(2.3 million) and Georgia (2.2 million).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- The District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) led all states or state
equivalents with the largest percentage (61 percent) of African Americans in
its total population. Four Southern states rounded out the top five in this
category: Mississippi (37 percent), Louisiana (32 percent), South Carolina
(30 percent) and Georgia (29 percent).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- Cook County (Chicago), Ill., had more African Americans (1.4 million) than
any other county in the nation. Los Angeles County, Calif., was second
(1.0 million), followed by Kings County (Brooklyn), N.Y. (932,072), Wayne
County (Detroit), Mich. (899,346), and Harris County, Texas (645,101).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- With respect to African Americans as a percentage of a county's (or
county-equivalent's) total population, Macon County, Ala., and Jefferson
County, Miss., led the nation, with 87 percent of their respective populations
made up of African Americans. Others in the top five were: Claiborne County,
Miss. (82 percent), Hancock County, Ga. (82 percent), and Greene County, Ala.
(81 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
Between April 1, 1990, and July 1, 1999:
- Florida registered the biggest increase (561,000) in African American
population among states. Just behind were Georgia (484,717), Texas (422,095),
Maryland (258,160) and North Carolina (224,580).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- Idaho's African American population increased 115 percent -- tops among all
the states. Nevada (75 percent), Vermont (61 percent), Utah (61 percent),
South Dakota (55 percent) and Minnesota (55 percent) were runners-up.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
- Among counties, Harris County (Houston), Texas, was the top gainer (96,714) in
African American population. Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), Fla., was
No. 2, with 91,155 new African American residents, followed by Fulton County
(Atlanta), Ga. (86,886), Prince George's County, Md. (84,540) and Cook County
(Chicago), Ill. (68,125).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-126.html
Jobs
- In 2000, one-quarter (25 percent) of employed African American women,
age 16 and over, and 18 percent of men worked in managerial and professional
specialty occupations (e.g., engineers, dentists, teachers, lawyers and
reporters). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-34.html
- African American women, age 16 and over, were more likely than their
non-Hispanic White counterparts to participate in the labor force (64 percent
compared with 61 percent in 2000). For men, the reverse was true: African
Americans had a participation rate of 68 percent compared with 74 percent for
non-Hispanic Whites.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-34.html
- As to specific occupations, the United States had 96,000 African American
engineers, 41,000 African American physicians and 47,000 African American
lawyers in 1999. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
Homeownership
- The African American homeownership rate -- the percentage of African American
families owning their own home -- reached 47 percent during the third quarter
of 2000. This represents an increase of nearly 4 percentage points from five
years earlier.
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/q400prss.html
_______________________________________________________________________________
The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, population
estimates and projections and the Statistical Abstract of the United States.
The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error.
Previous Facts for Features in 2001: Valentine's Day (Feb. 14). 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).
available free from Adobe.
