Black America: More people, better educated and diverse

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

There are more Black people in America than at any time in the nation’s history at 48.3 million as of 2023, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of federal data.

There are more Black people in the United States than ever.

There were 48.3 million Black people in the country in 2023, a 33% increase since 2000 when there were 36.2 million, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of federal data. In addition, more people report being multiracial his group is diverse, with an increasing number who say they are of two or more races.

The number of people who identify as Black in addition to another race or races increased 269%, and the number who report they are Hispanic rose by 210%. The reporting of racial diversity among Black Americans is part of a national shift in more Americans identifying as multiracial.

The study cites the immigration of people from Africa, the Caribbean and elsewhere as been a factor to Black population growth.

More than half of Black Americans – 56% – live in the South, which is unchanged since 2000, and the states with the greatest numerical increases  between 2010-23 also have the most Black people overall: Texas (1.2 million more), Florida (up 800,000) and Georgia (610,000 more). All three passed New York, which had the largest Black population in 2010.

Black population fell in Mississippi (down 2%), Illinois (down 2%) and Washington, D.C. (down 1%) during that span.

Among the findings:

• Black population spiked in states that historically have not had many Black residents. Utah, for instance, had the fastest growth in its Black population between 2010-23 at 89%. Arizona, Nevada and Minnesota each increased their Black population by 60% during that span as the next-fastest growth rates among states with Black populations of at least 25,000 in 2010.

• New York City’s metropolitan area had more Black people than any other metro in 2023 with 3.8 million residents. The next largest metros in terms of Black populations were Atlanta (2.3 million), Washington (1.8 million) and Chicago (1.7 million).

In terms of population share, the Atlanta area had the highest percentage with at least 1 million Black residents. Thirty-seven percent of Atlanta residents were Black, followed by Washington, D.C., (28%) Philadelphia (23%) and Detroit (23%).

From 2010-23, Dallas, Texas, had the largest percentage increase in Black residents at 47% while Detroit (0%) and Los Angeles (minus-1%) were basically unchanged. And while Washington’s Black population declined within the district, it grew by 3% in the metro area that includes Maryland and Virginia.

• Black Americans are relatively young at a median age of 32.6 years, meaning half were younger and half older. The median age of Americans who didn’t identify as Black was 39.2.

In addition, 27% of all Black Americans are younger than 18 years old, which is a higher share than among Americans who identify as other racial groups (21%).

Among different groups of Black Americans, the median age in 2023 was 35.4 years among single-race non-Hispanic; 21.7 among Hispanics and 19.5 multiracial non-Hispanics.

The study found Black Americans are better educated than ever, especially among women. In 2023, 8.2 million Black adults aged 25 and older – 27% of the population –earned at least a bachelor’s degree, an increase from 14.5% in 2000.

Black women and men earned at least a bachelor’s degree, but women made greater gains. In 2023, 30.1% of Black women aged 25 and older earned at least a bachelor’s degree, nearly double the 2000 rate of 15.4%. By comparison 23.6% of Black men in the same age range earned at least a bachelor’s, up from 13.4% in 2000.

Black households had a median annual income of $54,000, which included median incomes of $65,800 for multiracial Black households, $60,000 for Black Hispanics and $52,800 for single-race Black households.
Black people are less likely to be married than other Americans at 48% of adults who never married compared with 29% of adults who didn’t identify as Black.

Black men were more likely to be married than Black women at 36% vs. 29% while Black women were more likely to be divorced, separated or widowed (25% vs. 15%). Nearly 1 in 5 married Black adults are married to someone who is not Black. Eighteen percent of Black Americans are in an interracial marriage, with 21% of Black men and 13% of Black women.

Black women were more likely to have a Black spouse at 87% as opposed to Black men 79%. It includes spouses who are single-race Black, multiracial Black and Black Hispanic.

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