The birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. has been observed
as a federal holiday on the third Monday in January since 1986. To recall
and celebrate the positive contributions made by people of African descent,
American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week on
Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside
for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of African-American
abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, as
part of the nation’s bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black
History Month.
38.3 million
The estimated number of U.S. residents who were black or black in combination
with one or more other races as of July 1, 2002. This race group then
made up 13.3 percent of the total population.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/hispanic_origin_population/001130.html>
Education
79 percent
Among blacks age 25 and over, the proportion that had at least a high
school diploma in 2002. For blacks ages 25 to 29, the proportion is considerably
higher: 87 percent. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/000818.html>
17 percent
Among blacks age 25 and over, the proportion that had a bachelor’s
degree or higher in 2002, up a full percentage point from the previous
year. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/000818.html>
1.1 million
Among blacks age 25 and over, the number who had an advanced degree in
2002 (e.g., master’s Ph.D., M.D. or J.D.). <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/000818.html>
$2.5 million
Estimated work life earnings for full-time, year-round, black workers
with an advanced degree. For blacks, more education means higher career
earnings: those without a high school diploma would earn less than $1
million during their work life, increasing to $1.0 million for workers
with a high school education and $1.7 million for those with a bachelor’s
degree.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-95.html>
Serving Our Nation
2.6 million
Number of black military veterans in the United States in 2000.
<http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en>
Income and Poverty
$29,177
The annual median income in 2002 of households with householders who reported
only black or black in combination with one or more other races. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/001371.html>
23.9 percent
Poverty rate in 2002 for those reporting black, regardless of whether
they reported any other race or races. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/001371.html>
Families
8.8 million
Number of black families. Of these, nearly one-half (48 percent) are married-couple
families.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000928.html>
Among black married-couple families, 33 percent consist of two members,
and 20 percent consist of five or more members. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000928.html>
9 percent
Proportion of black children who live in their grandparents’ household.
This is the highest rate for any race or ethnic group. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/children/001125.html>
48 percent
The proportion of black householders who own their own home.
<http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/hvs/q303prss.pdf>
Population Distribution
Nation
1.2 million
The size of the increase in the black population between Census Day, April
1, 2000, and July 1, 2002. The rate of increase for this group was 3.3
percent, higher than the overall increase of 2.5 percent for the population
as a whole. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/hispanic_origin_population/001130.html>
55 percent
The proportion of blacks who live in the South. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000928.html>
2
For every black person who moved out of the South from 1995 to 2000, the
number of blacks who moved there from the nation’s other regions.
Conversely, each of the other regions experienced a net outmigration of
blacks over the same period. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001505.html>
52 percent
The proportion of blacks who live in the central city of a metropolitan
area. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000928.html>
States
3.6 million
Estimated black population of New York on July 1, 2002, the highest of
any state. Four other states had black populations that surpassed 2 million:
Florida, California, Texas and Georgia. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001342.html>
216,000
The number of blacks added to Florida’s population between Census
Day, April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2002, which led all states. Georgia, which
added 97,000 blacks, was the runner-up. When it comes to percentage increase,
Idaho led all states with a 24 percent increase in its black population
over the same period. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001342.html>
37 percent
The estimated proportion of Mississippi’s population that was black
as of July 1, 2002, the highest percentage of any state in the nation.
Louisiana (33 percent), South Carolina (30 percent), Georgia and Maryland
(29 percent each) and Alabama (27 percent) followed. The District of Columbia,
classified as a state equivalent by the Census Bureau, has a population
that is 61 percent black. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001342.html>
130,000
Total number of blacks added to Georgia’s population through net
migration during the five-year period prior to the last census. Georgia
led all states, followed by North Carolina, Florida, Maryland and Texas.
(Totals for North Carolina and Florida are not statistically different
from each other.) <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/census_2000/001505.html>
Counties
1.4 million
The estimated number of people in Cook County, Ill., on July 1, 2002,
who were black. Cook leads all the nation’s counties in this category.
Los Angeles, Calif., and Kings (Brooklyn), N.Y., also had black populations
exceeding 1 million. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001341.html>
68 percent
Estimated proportion of Orleans Parish, La., residents who were black
as of July 1, 2002. Among counties with a minimum total population of
100,000, Orleans has the highest percentage of blacks. A pair of jurisdictions
in Maryland — Baltimore city and Prince George’s County —
followed closely, at 66 percent each. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001341.html>
50,100
Number of blacks added to the population of Broward County, Fla., between
Census Day, April 1, 2000, and July 1, 2002, easily the highest total
of any county in the nation. When it comes to percentage increase of blacks,
Forsyth, Ga., led all counties with an 88 percent increase. (These statements
apply only to counties with a minimum total population of 100,000.) <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001341.html>
Age Distribution
32 percent
Proportion of the black population under 18 as of July 1, 2002. At the
other end of the spectrum, 8 percent of the black population were 65 or
over.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/hispanic_origin_population/001130.html>
Jobs
• For black men, the most common occupational category is operator,
fabricator and laborer; 28 percent of them are employed in jobs that come
under this heading. About 19 percent each work in three other occupational
categories: technical, sales and administrative support jobs; service
occupations; and managerial and professional specialty jobs. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000928.html>
• Among black women, 36 percent work in technical, sales and administrative
support jobs and about 27 percent each in managerial and professional
specialty jobs and in service occupations. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000928.html>
• There are about 41,000 employed black physicians, 91,000 engineers
and 43,000 lawyers. (From the upcoming Statistical Abstract of the
United States: 2003.) |