February 5, 1996 MEMORANDUM FOR Reporters, Editors, News Directors From: LaVerne Vines Collins Chief, Public Information Office Subject: Facts from the Census Bureau for Black History MonthPOPULATION:
- In 1994, there were about 33 million African Americans-- about 13 percent of the total U.S. population. The African American population is projected to be over 35 million by the year 2000.
- The African American population has grown faster than either the total or the White population since 1980. It increased an average of 1.5 percent per year between 1980 and 1994, compared with 0.9 percent for the White population and the total population.
- In March 1994, 18.1 million or 55 percent of all African Americans lived in the South, 17 percent in the Northeast, 20 percent in the Midwest, and 8 percent in the West.
BUSINESSES:
- Between 1987 and 1992, the number of African American-owned businesses in the United States increased by 46 percent, increasing from 424,165 to 620,912.
- Receipts for all African American firms increased by 63 percent, from $19.8 billion in 1987 to $32.2 billion in 1992. Receipts per firm averaged $52,000, compared with $193,000 for all U.S. firms in 1992.
EDUCATION:
- African American adults are now more likely to earn a high school diploma. In 1994, 73 percent of African American adults aged 25 and over, had a high school diploma. This proportion is up from 1980, when 51 percent had attained at least a high school diploma. The growth was similar for African American males and females.
- In 1994, 13 percent of the African American population aged 25 years old and over had a bachelor's degree or higher, an increase from 8 percent in 1980. The corresponding figures for Whites were 23 and 18 percent.
CHILDREN:
- In 1993, there were 10.7 million African American children under age 18. Thirty-six percent of those children lived with both parents; 54 percent with their mothers only. In comparison, 79 percent of non-Hispanic White children under age 18 lived in two-parent families and 16 percent lived with their mothers only.
OCCUPATIONS AND EARNINGS:
- In March 1994, the proportion of White males (27 percent) employed in managerial and professional jobs was nearly two times that of African American males (15 percent). However, African American males were twice as likely as White males to work in service occupations (20 percent versus 10 percent).
INCOME:
- African American households were the only race or ethnic group to experience an increase in real median income between 1993 and 1994. Their median income rose from $20,032 to $21,027, an increase of 5.0 percent, the first significant annual increase among African Americans in income since 1989.
POVERTY:
- Between 1993 and 1994, poverty rates dropped for African Americans (from 33.1 percent to 30.6 percent) and for Whites (from 12.2 percent to 11.7 percent).
MARITAL STATUS:
- In 1980, 45 percent of all African American women 15 years old and over were currently married; by 1994, that proportion had declined to 38 percent. The corresponding figures for African American men were 49 and 42 percent.
To find more statistics on African Americans, consult:
- "The Black Population in the United States: March 1994 and 1993" (P20-480)
- "We, The American Blacks"
- "1992 Black-Owned Businesses" (MB92-1)
- "Characteristics of the Black Population: 1990" (CP-3-6)
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