Diversity Statistics -- February 2012

Race-based disparities in education to persist into the future

by Stephanie Lundberg

Despite the progress racial and ethnic groups have made in education in United States over the past 30 years, disparities still exist. Additionally, tuition costs, underfunding and restrictions on affirmative action have slowed educational advancement in recent years.

In 2010, Black men and women were 60 percent as likely to obtain a college degree than their White counterparts. This number was even lower for Latino adults, hovering around 42 percent. If trends since 1980 continue, in 2042 the number of Black adults with college degrees will grow, but not drastically.  Specifically speaking, Blacks will be 76 percent as likely as Whites to hold a college degree.

After entering college, the differences in completion percentage are also significant. Roughly 60 percent of White students earn a degree within six years of beginning their education. This number is quite different for Black students and falls around only 40 percent. 

The difference in earnings following college graduation is also significantly disproportionate. Earnings are roughly 45 percent higher for students who have graduated from specific, and often more selective universities. 

While some progress can be projected, issues such as affirmative action, legacy preferences and decreased funding have slowed the process of educational equity between races. Because of this, the education gap is not expected to close in the next 30 years.

Furthermore, disparities in terms of unemployment have endured.  Following the economic crash of 2008, the national unemployment rate has remained around 10 percent. For the White population specifically, this number is 7.5 percent.  However, the unemployment rate jumps significantly when focusing on the Black population alone. Currently, 15.8 percent of Black adults are unemployed.  This gap, however, is nothing new. In fact, for as long as data has been tracked, the unemployment rate for Blacks has hovered around twice that of Whites.

These numbers are significant given the current, and most likely continuing trends in race disparities. In 1980, 80 percent of United States citizens identified themselves as white. By 2010, this number had decreased to only 65 percent of the population. The US Census Bureau projects that the Whites will no longer make up a majority of the population by 2042. Thus the issues in education, unemployment, and income disparity are all the more noteworthy.

In 2042, it is projected that the Black and Latino population will collectively represent almost 40 percent of the entire United States population. Despite this fact, it is also projected that they will make 61 cents and 45 cents respectively to every dollar made by a White adult. Thus, unless significant changes are made in the coming years, the economic and opportunity gaps will look much like they do today.

Sources:

Tavernise, Sabrine. “Soaring Poverty Casts Spotlight on ‘Lost Decade.’ New York Times. 2011. 1/5/2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/14census.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all>

Tavernise, Sabrine, Gebeloff, Robert. “New Way to Tally Poor Recasts View of Poverty.” New York Times . 2011. 1/5/2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/us/poverty-gets-new-measure-at-census-bureau.html?ref=censusbureau>

DeParle, Jason. “Older, Suburban and Struggling, ‘Near Poor’ Startle the Census.” New York Times. 2011. 1/5/2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/19/us/census-measures-those-not-quite-in-poverty-but-struggling.html?ref=censusbureau>

Tritch, Teresa. “Reading Between the Poverty Lines.” New York Times. 2011. 1/5/2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/reading-between-the-poverty-lines.html?ref=censusbureau>