Racial inequality is when resources are distributed unevenly based on race. For example, some areas in America offer fewer resources for Black Americans including education, job opportunities, housing, and health. Racial disparity and inequalities occur from many years of policies and racist laws that have prevented Black Americans from growing wealth. Some regions in the country have more disparity than others. (Also see our list of the wealthiest Black Americans in the country.)

24/7 Wall St. created an index that assesses race-based gaps in eight measures: median household income, poverty rate, adult high school and bachelor’s degree attainment rates, homeownership rate, unemployment rate, incarceration rate by race, and age-adjusted mortality rate by race. These are based on five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the Center for Disease Control. This index also ranks Black Americans’ conditions and the noticeable gap compared to White American residents. For each measure, we constructed an index from the gaps between Black and White Americans. The index was standardized using min-max normalization. Data on population by race came from the ACS.

Why This Matters

Despite significant strides and continued efforts to address the problems, racial inequalities and disparities in the United States today remain pervasive. Deeply rooted views and practices need to change for this to further improve. Increased awareness of the issues and knowledge of the data can serve individuals and decision-makers alike.

50. Hawaii

• Median household income: $80,207 (Black); $93,896 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 28.2% (Black); 57.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 12.2% (Black); 5.6% (white)
• Black population: 26,664 (1.8% of total)

49. New Mexico

• Median household income: $48,987 (Black); $63,910 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 37.8% (Black); 70.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.0% (Black); 6.0% (white)
• Black population: 37,996 (1.8% of total)

48. Texas

• Median household income: $55,459 (Black); $80,134 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 41.3% (Black); 67.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.4% (Black); 4.6% (white)
• Black population: 3,449,557 (11.8% of total)

47. Alaska

• Median household income: $71,857 (Black); $94,315 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 40.9% (Black); 70.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 4.6% (Black); 5.1% (white)
• Black population: 22,400 (3.0% of total)

46. Arizona

• Median household income: $58,184 (Black); $75,939 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 38.4% (Black); 70.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.3% (Black); 5.0% (white)
• Black population: 307,726 (4.3% of total)

45. West Virginia

• Median household income: $38,004 (Black); $55,826 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 44.5% (Black); 75.8% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.8% (Black); 6.2% (white)
• Black population: 60,237 (3.4% of total)

44. Kentucky

• Median household income: $44,196 (Black); $62,242 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 37.9% (Black); 72.1% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.6% (Black); 4.9% (white)
• Black population: 355,368 (7.9% of total)

43. Georgia

• Median household income: $55,010 (Black); $81,445 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 49.0% (Black); 74.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.2% (Black); 4.1% (white)
• Black population: 3,334,095 (31.1% of total)

42. Idaho

• Median household income: $54,727 (Black); $71,661 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 36.9% (Black); 73.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 6.7% (Black); 3.9% (white)
• Black population: 11,919 (0.6% of total)

41. Oregon

• Median household income: $56,124 (Black); $77,627 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 33.9% (Black); 65.8% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 6.7% (Black); 5.5% (white)
• Black population: 75,790 (1.8% of total)

40. Maryland

• Median household income: $79,161 (Black); $109,387 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 52.5% (Black); 76.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.8% (Black); 4.0% (white)
• Black population: 1,815,877 (29.5% of total)

39. Delaware

• Median household income: $58,385 (Black); $86,094 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 51.5% (Black); 80.1% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.0% (Black); 4.9% (white)
• Black population: 213,516 (21.5% of total)

38. Wyoming

• Median household income: $56,046 (Black); $73,542 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 38.2% (Black); 73.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 11.0% (Black); 3.8% (white)
• Black population: 4,488 (0.8% of total)

37. Tennessee

• Median household income: $46,708 (Black); $68,515 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 43.6% (Black); 73.1% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.4% (Black); 4.4% (white)
• Black population: 1,116,871 (16.1% of total)

36. Florida

• Median household income: $51,249 (Black); $72,212 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 47.6% (Black); 72.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.1% (Black); 4.6% (white)
• Black population: 3,232,871 (14.9% of total)

35. New Hampshire

• Median household income: $72,946 (Black); $91,394 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 36.2% (Black); 74.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.6% (Black); 3.7% (white)
• Black population: 18,477 (1.3% of total)

34. Washington

• Median household income: $65,817 (Black); $91,601 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 34.0% (Black); 67.6% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.1% (Black); 4.8% (white)
• Black population: 290,907 (3.8% of total)

33. Rhode Island

• Median household income: $61,614 (Black); $86,467 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 35.1% (Black); 68.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.2% (Black); 5.3% (white)
• Black population: 58,304 (5.3% of total)

32. Oklahoma

• Median household income: $42,145 (Black); $65,469 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 39.8% (Black); 70.1% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.9% (Black); 4.4% (white)
• Black population: 277,702 (7.0% of total)

31. North Carolina

• Median household income: $47,088 (Black); $73,675 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 46.3% (Black); 73.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.3% (Black); 4.3% (white)
• Black population: 2,161,841 (20.6% of total)

30. Virginia

• Median household income: $60,201 (Black); $93,691 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 48.6% (Black); 73.1% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.2% (Black); 3.8% (white)
• Black population: 1,601,668 (18.6% of total)

29. South Dakota

• Median household income: $56,399 (Black); $72,498 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 25.6% (Black); 72.2% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 3.4% (Black); 2.3% (white)
• Black population: 19,172 (2.2% of total)

28. Alabama

• Median household income: $40,661 (Black); $69,042 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 51.3% (Black); 77.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.9% (Black); 4.1% (white)
• Black population: 1,318,388 (26.2% of total)

27. California

• Median household income: $64,513 (Black); $97,859 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 35.6% (Black); 60.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 10.5% (Black); 6.0% (white)
• Black population: 2,102,510 (5.3% of total)

26. Arkansas

• Median household income: $37,395 (Black); $60,756 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 44.2% (Black); 71.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.4% (Black); 4.5% (white)
• Black population: 454,728 (15.1% of total)

25. Nevada

• Median household income: $48,022 (Black); $77,786 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 31.6% (Black); 64.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 12.5% (Black); 6.2% (white)
• Black population: 278,689 (9.0% of total)

24. Vermont

• Median household income: $52,736 (Black); $74,499 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 27.7% (Black); 74.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 6.4% (Black); 3.8% (white)
• Black population: 7,548 (1.2% of total)

23. Maine

• Median household income: $53,407 (Black); $68,783 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 25.9% (Black); 74.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 5.6% (Black); 4.2% (white)
• Black population: 21,093 (1.5% of total)

22. Colorado

• Median household income: $61,343 (Black); $91,475 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 41.8% (Black); 69.1% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.8% (Black); 4.2% (white)
• Black population: 221,211 (3.8% of total)

21. Missouri

• Median household income: $44,293 (Black); $69,547 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 39.3% (Black); 72.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.2% (Black); 3.9% (white)
• Black population: 688,219 (11.2% of total)

20. Mississippi

• Median household income: $36,263 (Black); $65,518 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 54.4% (Black); 78.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 10.0% (Black); 4.9% (white)
• Black population: 1,098,675 (37.1% of total)

19. South Carolina

• Median household income: $42,672 (Black); $73,204 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 53.5% (Black); 78.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.9% (Black); 4.3% (white)
• Black population: 1,316,074 (25.6% of total)

18. Massachusetts

• Median household income: $67,044 (Black); $102,701 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 36.4% (Black); 68.5% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.4% (Black); 4.7% (white)
• Black population: 459,848 (6.6% of total)

17. Indiana

• Median household income: $42,067 (Black); $70,740 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 38.0% (Black); 74.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.9% (Black); 4.1% (white)
• Black population: 631,919 (9.3% of total)

16. Montana

• Median household income: $50,676 (Black); $68,005 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 27.4% (Black); 70.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 11.7% (Black); 3.3% (white)
• Black population: 5,248 (0.5% of total)

15. New York

• Median household income: $58,805 (Black); $90,866 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 32.7% (Black); 64.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.2% (Black); 5.0% (white)
• Black population: 2,767,223 (13.8% of total)

14. Louisiana

• Median household income: $37,015 (Black); $70,270 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 48.9% (Black); 76.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 10.4% (Black); 4.9% (white)
• Black population: 1,456,107 (31.4% of total)

13. North Dakota

• Median household income: $49,369 (Black); $77,950 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 11.7% (Black); 67.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 7.9% (Black); 2.6% (white)
• Black population: 24,882 (3.2% of total)

12. Utah

• Median household income: $57,433 (Black); $89,462 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 27.4% (Black); 73.2% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 5.8% (Black); 3.2% (white)
• Black population: 34,485 (1.1% of total)

11. Kansas

• Median household income: $46,145 (Black); $72,357 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 36.5% (Black); 70.2% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.1% (Black); 3.6% (white)
• Black population: 157,768 (5.4% of total)

10. Connecticut

• Median household income: $59,728 (Black); $98,855 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 40.7% (Black); 73.5% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.8% (Black); 5.2% (white)
• Black population: 355,970 (9.9% of total)

9. New Jersey

• Median household income: $65,351 (Black); $105,392 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 39.7% (Black); 73.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 9.2% (Black); 5.3% (white)
• Black population: 1,147,770 (12.4% of total)

8. Ohio

• Median household income: $40,499 (Black); $71,843 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 36.1% (Black); 72.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 10.6% (Black); 4.3% (white)
• Black population: 1,431,238 (12.2% of total)

7. Pennsylvania

• Median household income: $45,944 (Black); $77,962 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 43.4% (Black); 74.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 11.1% (Black); 4.6% (white)
• Black population: 1,347,784 (10.4% of total)

6. Michigan

• Median household income: $42,171 (Black); $73,039 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 43.3% (Black); 78.4% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 13.1% (Black); 5.0% (white)
• Black population: 1,346,918 (13.4% of total)

5. Nebraska

• Median household income: $45,287 (Black); $74,157 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 29.8% (Black); 70.0% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.3% (Black); 2.8% (white)
• Black population: 91,357 (4.7% of total)

4. Illinois

• Median household income: $46,717 (Black); $85,060 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 40.2% (Black); 73.7% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 13.7% (Black); 4.8% (white)
• Black population: 1,744,151 (13.7% of total)

3. Minnesota

• Median household income: $49,738 (Black); $87,692 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 28.4% (Black); 76.8% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.6% (Black); 3.4% (white)
• Black population: 377,173 (6.6% of total)

2. Iowa

• Median household income: $40,592 (Black); $72,363 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 27.2% (Black); 74.3% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 11.0% (Black); 3.4% (white)
• Black population: 117,940 (3.7% of total)

1. Wisconsin

• Median household income: $38,732 (Black); $75,803 (white)
• Homeownership rate: 26.5% (Black); 71.9% (white)
• Unemployment rate: 8.3% (Black); 3.0% (white)
• Black population: 356,150 (6.1% of total)

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