Why are U.S. Census stats on black population important?

Statistics on Blacks in America important data for planning for future.
(Robert McCoy's family attending football game in Atlanta, Ga.)



A person's perspectives on the world, his friends, her group of childhood peers, his networks and job opportunities, her wealth or lack of wealth, his quality of education -- all of these are determined to a great extent by where he or she lives. 

 ---THOMAS J. SUGRUE

 

 

How do data from the question on race benefit me, my family, and my community?

 
According to the government, data on the U.S. Black population contributes to our understanding of the nation’s changing racial and ethnic diversity. Data on race have been collected since the first U.S. decennial census in 1790.
 
All levels of government need information on race to implement and evaluate programs, or enforce laws, such as the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Fair Housing Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Act, and the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program.

Both public and private organizations use race information to find areas where groups may need special services and to plan and implement education, housing, health, and other programs that address these needs. For example, a school system might use this information to design cultural activities that reflect the diversity in their community, or a business could use it to select the mix of merchandise it will sell in a new store.
 
Census information also helps identify areas where residents might need services of particular importance to certain racial groups, such as screening for hypertension or diabetes.
 
2010 Census findings... 
"Black or African American" refers to a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. 
 
The 2010 Census showed that the United States population on April 1, 2010, was 308.7 million. Out of the total population, 38.9 million people, or 13 percent, identified as Black alone. In addition, 3.1 million people, or 1 percent, reported Black in combination with one or more other races. Together, these two groups totaled 42.0 million people.
 
While both the Black alone population and the Black alone-or-in-combination population grew from 2000 to 2010, the Black in combination population experienced the most growth, increasing by 76 percent. Within this population, the Black and White population more than doubled.
 
The Black population continued to be concentrated in the South and the proportion increased from 2000 to 2010.   

• Nearly 60 percent of all people who reported Black lived in ten states.
• The Black population increased at a faster rate than the total population.
• Blacks who reported more than one race grew at a much faster rate than the Black alone population.
• The largest multiple-race combination was Black and White.
• The South was the region where Blacks comprised the greatest proportion of the total population.
• The Black population grew in every state between 2000 and 2010, but declined in D.C.
• The Black population represented over 50 percent of the total population in the District of Columbia and over 25 percent of the total population in six states, all located in the South. 

 
Ten states with the largest Black alone-or-in-combination populations in 2010 were:
New York (3.3 million),
Florida (3.2 million),
Texas (3.2 million),
Georgia (3.1 million),
California (2.7 million),
North Carolina (2.2 million),
Illinois (2.0 million),
Maryland (1.8 million),
Virginia (1.7 million), and
Ohio (1.5 million).
 
Among these states, four experienced substantial growth between 2000 and 2010. The Black alone-or-in-combination population grew by 29 percent in Florida, 28 percent in Georgia, 27 percent in Texas, and 21 percent in North Carolina.

Out of the ten states above, nine of them also had the largest Black alone populations. The state with the tenth largest Black alone population was Louisiana (1.5 million).

 

Of the population who identified as Black, people who reported multiple races were more likely to live in California.

 

The places with the largest Black in combination populations were New York and Los Angeles.
 
The place with the greatest proportion of Blacks was Detroit.
 
The places with the largest Black population were New York and Chicago.

The place with the highest proportion of people who identified as multiple-race Black was Lansing, MI.
 
For more information on this subject, go to: http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-06.pdf