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America’s reputation as the “land of opportunity” intrinsically boasts the promise of a better life for those who call it home. Yet events that cloud the country’s history and its more immediate past – from slavery, Jim Crow and redlining to the murder of George Floyd and the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic – illustrate how the path to realizing that promise isn’t the same for everyone.
It’s no secret that structural racism in the U.S. has created advantages for some and disadvantages for others, fueling disparities in foundational areas of society. Though efforts to address inequity – particularly in the area of health care – are gaining traction, many of these gaps go unseen. And in a worst-case scenario, they are willfully overlooked.
As part of a U.S. News examination of racial equality in America, the interactive visualizations below allow users to explore the extent of disparities within the key societal spheres of education, the economy, health, housing, and crime and safety.
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Outcomes Plot
Disparity Map
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For each metric within each category, our analysts calculated a national average or median for all people, and compared it with measurements for respective racial and ethnic groups by state. The data illuminates who is collectively excelling and who may be getting left behind.
Among the dynamics uncovered:
- The share of Black or African American people living in poverty between 2017 and 2021 was below the national rate for all people in just three states: Hawaii, South Dakota and Alaska.
- Between 2018 and 2022, about 160 per 100,000 people experienced homelessness. Nationally, average rates were highest for Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander individuals. Rates for these demographics exceed 1,000 per 100,000 in many states.
- Between 2017 and 2021, about 13% of adults self-reported recently experiencing 14 or more days when their mental health was “not good.” Adults of two or more races, followed closely by AIAN adults, reported the highest average prevalence of frequent mental distress in the U.S., while Asian adults reported the lowest.
- Between 2016 and 2020, about 50 people per 100,000 died from unintentional injuries such as drug overdoses, vehicle accidents and falls. Among both white and Black individuals, rates of accidental death were highest in West Virginia. New York, meanwhile, was a notably positive outlier for such deaths among both Black and AIAN people.
- Between 2017 and 2021, an estimated 5.3% of people ages 16 to 24 were without at least a high school diploma and no longer attending school. AIAN people saw the highest average dropout rate, followed by Hispanics. Asian individuals posted a dropout rate well below the national average in all states in which they were able to be assessed.
For each metric, U.S. News analysts also compared rates for individual racial and ethnic groups within states to respective state averages for all people. When there was reliable data for at least four racial and ethnic groups, the average disparity across their experiences was measured.
While states with smaller and less diverse populations didn’t always meet this threshold, the results depict useful regional trends. For instance, disparities in health care coverage and premature death are readily apparent in the South, while unequal experiences with unemployment and poverty are noticeably higher in the Midwest. Along the West Coast and in states in the Northeast like New York and Massachusetts, the issue of homelessness is hardly felt equally.
This project is a companion to U.S. News’ Best States and Healthiest Communities rankings, and will be accompanied by future editorial content exploring the relationships unveiled in the data.
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