From the vibrant cultural contributions of its youth, who represent nearly 18% of America's children and are propelling a surge in entrepreneurship, to the profound and systemic challenges in healthcare, wealth, and justice that persist today, the story of the 48.3 million Black Americans is one of dynamic growth, resilience, and an ongoing pursuit of equity that is essential to understanding the nation's current and future landscape.
Key Takeaways
- As of 2023, the Black or African American population in the United States numbered 48.3 million people, representing 14.4% of the total U.S. population
- In 2020, 12.4% of Black Americans were foreign-born, compared to 13.7% of the total U.S. population
- Black women accounted for 7.5% of the U.S. female population in 2022, totaling approximately 20.1 million individuals
- In 2022, 28.4% of Black adults had a bachelor's degree or higher, up from 18.2% in 2000
- High school completion rate for Black Americans aged 25+ was 89.7% in 2022
- In 2021-22, Black students comprised 15% of public school enrollment
- In 2022, Black infant mortality rate was 10.86 per 1,000 live births vs national 5.44
- Black adults diabetes prevalence: 12.1% in 2021, vs 7.4% non-Hispanic white
- Life expectancy for Black males: 68.9 years in 2021, vs 74.8 white males
- Black median household income was $52,860 in 2022, vs $77,999 national average
- Black poverty rate: 17.1% in 2022, compared to 8.6% for non-Hispanic whites
- Black unemployment rate: 5.5% in 2023 annual average, vs 3.4% white
- In 2022, Blacks accounted for 27% of arrests nationwide
- Black homicide offending rate: 53.5% of known homicide offenders in 2022
- Black incarceration rate: 1,186 per 100,000 Black adults in 2021
The Black population in America is growing, younger, and experiencing both progress and persistent inequities.
Criminal Justice
- In 2022, Blacks accounted for 27% of arrests nationwide
- Black homicide offending rate: 53.5% of known homicide offenders in 2022
- Black incarceration rate: 1,186 per 100,000 Black adults in 2021
- Blacks 33% of prison population in 2022
- Black youth violent crime arrests: 46% in 2021
- Black firearm homicide victims: 60.3% in 2021 CDC data
- Black robbery arrests: 51.2% in 2022
- Lifetime risk of imprisonment Black male: 1 in 3 born 2001
- Black drug possession arrests: 24% despite similar usage rates, 2022
- Black murder victims: 49.5% of total in 2022 FBI
- Black state prison population: 32% in 2022
- Black aggravated assault arrests: 33.2% in 2022
- Black juveniles in detention: 32% of population in 2021
- Black federal prisoners: 37.5% in 2023
- Black rape arrests: 27.3% in 2022
- Recidivism rate Black: 67% re-arrested within 3 years (2005 cohort)
- Black burglary arrests: 29.1% in 2022
- Black death row population: 41.5% in 2023
- Black larceny arrests: 29.8% in 2022
- Police use of force incidents Black: 23% of total in 2022
- Black probation population: 30% in 2021
- Black motor vehicle theft arrests: 28.6% 2022
- Black sentencing disparity: 19.1% longer sentences avg 2021
- Black gang membership estimates: 35% of gang members
- Black parole violations: 45% of returns in 2021
- Black domestic violence arrests: 25% in 2022 NCVS
- Black homicide clearance rate cases: 47% solved when Black victim 2022
- Black felony convictions: 27% of state convictions 2021
- Black shoplifting arrests: 30.2% in 2022
Criminal Justice Interpretation
The statistics paint a bleak and circular portrait of a system where being Black means being disproportionately policed, prosecuted, imprisoned, and victimized, creating a pipeline from over-policed neighborhoods to overcrowded cells and back again.
Demographics
- As of 2023, the Black or African American population in the United States numbered 48.3 million people, representing 14.4% of the total U.S. population
- In 2020, 12.4% of Black Americans were foreign-born, compared to 13.7% of the total U.S. population
- Black women accounted for 7.5% of the U.S. female population in 2022, totaling approximately 20.1 million individuals
- The median age of Black Americans in 2023 was 35.6 years, younger than the national median of 38.9 years
- In 2021, 55% of Black Americans lived in the South, the highest regional concentration among racial groups
- Black children under 18 made up 17.2% of the U.S. child population in 2022
- As of 2023, single-race Black population was 41.1 million, while multiracial Black was 7.2 million
- In urban areas, Black residents comprised 19.3% of the population in 2020
- Black men aged 18-24 represented 2.1% of the total U.S. male population in 2022
- The Black population growth rate from 2010-2020 was 8.9%, driven largely by multiracial identification
- In 2023, 24.8% of Black households were headed by women with no spouse present
- Black Americans aged 65+ numbered 4.8 million in 2022, 10.3% of the Black population
- Caribbean Black immigrants made up 4.6 million of the Black population in 2019
- In 2020, 37% of Black adults lived in households with children under 18
- Black population in the Midwest was 3.2 million in 2023, 6.6% of regional total
- Nigerian Americans, the largest African immigrant group, numbered about 430,000 in 2019
- In 2022, Black renters occupied 52% of Black households, higher than the national average of 34%
- Ethiopian immigrants among Black population reached 256,000 by 2019
- Black population density is highest in the District of Columbia at 45.2% in 2023
- In 2021, 21% of Black Americans identified as multiracial, up from 6% in 2000
- Black households averaged 2.51 persons per household in 2022
- Jamaican immigrants comprised 840,000 of Black population in 2019
- In rural areas, Black residents were 8.1% of population in 2020
- Haitian Black immigrants numbered 731,000 in 2019
- Black voting-age population was 34.5 million in 2022
- Somali immigrants among Blacks reached 183,000 by 2019
- In 2023, Black population in Northeast was 7.1 million
- Black homeowners owned 44% of Black households in 2022 vs 65% national
- Ghanaian immigrants: 265,000 in Black population 2019
- Black population in West region: 3.9 million in 2023
Demographics Interpretation
We are 48.3 million stories—a vibrant, youthful, and increasingly multiracial tapestry, concentrated in the South and cities, building futures where over half our households rent yet our roots grow deeper from the Caribbean to Africa.
Economics
- Black median household income was $52,860 in 2022, vs $77,999 national average
- Black poverty rate: 17.1% in 2022, compared to 8.6% for non-Hispanic whites
- Black unemployment rate: 5.5% in 2023 annual average, vs 3.4% white
- Black homeownership rate: 44.1% in 2022, vs 73.8% white
- Black labor force participation: 62.7% in 2023
- Median Black family income: $77,280 in 2022 for families
- Black wealth gap: median net worth $44,900 vs $285,000 white in 2019
- Black entrepreneurship: 2.7 million Black-owned businesses in 2020, up 34%
- Black student loan debt average: $53,000 in 2022, highest among groups
- Black workforce in management: 7.2% of total in 2023
- Black household savings rate: 7.1% in 2022
- Black credit score average: 677 in 2022, vs 734 overall
- Black gig economy workers: 15% of Black workforce in 2021
- Black retirement account ownership: 34% have IRA/401k in 2022
- Black mortgage denial rate: 16.5% in 2022 HMDA data
- Black median earnings full-time workers: $48,300 in 2022
- Black underemployment rate: 12.1% in 2023
- Black business receipts: $183 billion in 2020
- Black food insecurity rate: 22.4% households in 2022
- Black STEM employment: 9.6% of STEM jobs in 2021
- Black housing cost burden >30% income: 49% renters in 2022
- Black CEO S&P 500: 1.6% in 2023
- Black venture capital funding: 1.2% of total deals in 2022
- Black median rent burden: 32% of income in 2022
- Black long-term unemployment: 34.2% of unemployed in 2023
- Black childcare costs as % income: 19% average in 2022
- Black asset ownership stocks: 15% ownership rate in 2022
Economics Interpretation
These statistics paint a picture of tenacious resilience against a persistent and multi-faceted economic headwind, where every entrepreneurial gain and step toward stability is counterbalanced by a heavier burden of debt, denial, and disparity.
Education
- In 2022, 28.4% of Black adults had a bachelor's degree or higher, up from 18.2% in 2000
- High school completion rate for Black Americans aged 25+ was 89.7% in 2022
- In 2021-22, Black students comprised 15% of public school enrollment
- Associate's degree attainment among Black adults 25+: 10.5% in 2022
- Black four-year college graduation rate: 46% for 2017 cohort
- In 2022, 9.1% of Black adults had advanced degrees (master's or higher)
- Black students in gifted programs: 7.6% participation rate in 2021
- NAEP math scores for Black 8th graders: 260 in 2022 (national avg 274)
- Black postsecondary enrollment rate: 37% for recent high school grads in 2021
- GED attainment among Black adults without diploma: 12% in 2020
- Black students in AP courses: 9% participation in 2021-22
- Reading proficiency NAEP for Black 12th graders: 249 in 2022 (avg 285)
- HBCU enrollment: 277,000 Black students in 2021
- Black dropout rate (status): 5.2% for ages 16-24 in 2021
- STEM bachelor's degrees to Black students: 9% of total in 2021
- Black early childhood enrollment: 52% in pre-K in 2021
- College remediation rates for Black students: 57% in math in 2020
- Black graduate enrollment in master's programs: 13% of total in 2021
- NAEP science scores Black 8th graders: 47% below basic in 2022
- Black students with IEPs: 17% in 2021-22
- Doctoral degrees awarded to Black students: 7.2% in 2021
- Black homeschooling rate: 4.5% in 2021
- Average Black student-teacher ratio: 16:1 in public schools 2022
- Black CTE concentrators: 24% of high school seniors in 2021
- Proficiency gap NAEP math Black-White 4th grade: 29 points in 2022
- Black adult literacy rate (prose): 44% proficient in 2019 PIAAC
- Online learning during COVID Black students: 92% access in 2021
- Black principals in public schools: 10.9% in 2020-21
Education Interpretation
The data reveals a landscape of hard-won progress frustratingly dotted with persistent gaps, suggesting that while Black educational attainment has climbed a steep hill, the summit of true equity remains frustratingly distant.
Health
- In 2022, Black infant mortality rate was 10.86 per 1,000 live births vs national 5.44
- Black adults diabetes prevalence: 12.1% in 2021, vs 7.4% non-Hispanic white
- Life expectancy for Black males: 68.9 years in 2021, vs 74.8 white males
- Black maternal mortality rate: 69.9 per 100,000 in 2021
- Obesity rate among Black adults: 49.9% in 2020, highest among groups
- Black hypertension prevalence: 56.8% adults 18+ in 2021
- Cancer mortality rate Black: 189.6 per 100,000 in 2020
- Black youth asthma prevalence: 13.6% ages 0-17 in 2021
- HIV diagnosis rate Black: 36.2 per 100,000 in 2021
- Black stroke death rate: 47.4 per 100,000 in 2021
- Sickle cell disease affects 1 in 365 Black newborns
- Black COVID-19 mortality rate: 2.1x higher than white in 2022
- Black adult smoking rate: 15.6% in 2021
- Heart disease death rate Black: 212.6 per 100,000 in 2021
- Black low birthweight rate: 13.7% in 2021
- Alzheimer's prevalence Black: 2x higher risk than white, 2023 data
- Black kidney failure incidence: 3.5x white rate in 2021
- Vaccine hesitancy Black adults: 20% unvaccinated COVID as of 2023
- Black mental health treatment rate: 31.8% past year in 2021
- Lupus incidence Black women: 3x higher, 82 per 100,000
- Black firearm homicide rate: 20.5 per 100,000 ages 15-34 in 2021
- Opioid overdose death rate Black: 29.1 per 100,000 in 2021
- Black suicide rate: 9.8 per 100,000 in 2021
- Fibroids prevalence Black women: 80% lifetime risk
- Black colorectal cancer screening: 64.5% up-to-date in 2021
- Breast cancer mortality Black women: 27.1 per 100,000 vs 19.3 white
- Black physical inactivity: 25.4% adults inactive in 2021
- Prostate cancer incidence Black men: 83.5 per 100,000 vs 63.8 white
Health Interpretation
The statistics paint a grim portrait of systemic failure, where the American healthcare system treats Black lives as an inconvenient and chronic condition.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CENSUScensus.govVisit source
- Reference 2PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 3NCESnces.ed.govVisit source
- Reference 4CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 5ALZalz.orgVisit source
- Reference 6SAMHSAsamhsa.govVisit source
- Reference 7BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 8FEDERALRESERVEfederalreserve.govVisit source
- Reference 9EDed.govVisit source
- Reference 10EXPERIANexperian.comVisit source
- Reference 11CONSUMERFINANCEconsumerfinance.govVisit source
- Reference 12ERSers.usda.govVisit source
- Reference 13NCSESncses.nsf.govVisit source
- Reference 14SPGLOBALspglobal.comVisit source
- Reference 15CNBCcnbc.comVisit source
- Reference 16AMERICANPROGRESSamericanprogress.orgVisit source
- Reference 17CDEcde.ucr.cjis.govVisit source
- Reference 18BOPbop.govVisit source
- Reference 19PRISONPOLICYprisonpolicy.orgVisit source
- Reference 20OJJDPojjdp.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 21SENTENCINGPROJECTsentencingproject.orgVisit source
- Reference 22BJSbjs.govVisit source
- Reference 23BJSbjs.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 24DEATHPENALTYINFOdeathpenaltyinfo.orgVisit source
- Reference 25POLICE1police1.comVisit source