Black/African American Health

Black/African Americans are the second largest racial and ethnic minority population in the United States, following the Hispanic/Latino population. The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Black or African American” as anyone “having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, including people who indicate their race as "Black or African American," or report responses such as African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, or Somali. The category also includes groups such as Ghanaian, South African, Barbadian, Kenyan, Liberian, Bahamian, etc.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) population estimates, in 2024, an estimated 39.9 million people in the United States identified as non-Hispanic Black or African American alone, representing an estimated 11.7% of the total U.S. population. In 2024, the ten U.S. states with the largest population of people who identified as Black/African American alone were Mississippi (35.8%), Georgia (30.3%), Louisiana (30.2%), Maryland (28.7%), Alabama (25.1%), South Carolina (23.3%), Delaware (21.4%), North Carolina (19.5%), Virginia (17.9%), and Tennessee (14.9%).

According to 2024 ACS estimates, 10.2% of non-Hispanic Black or African Americans alone, age 5 years and older, speak a language other than English at home, with 3.3% reporting speaking English “less than very well.”

According to ACS estimates, in 2024, 89.1% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone age 25 years or older earned at least a high school diploma, compared to 89.9% of the total U.S. population. 26.9% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 36.8% of the total U.S. population. More non-Hispanic Black/African American women than men had earned at least a bachelor's degree (29.9% compared with 23.5%). 11.1% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had a graduate or advanced professional degree, compared to 14.7% of the total U.S. population.

According to ACS estimates, in 2024, the average non-Hispanic Black/African American 12-month median household income was $56,669 compared to $81,604 for U.S. households. 16.4% of non-Hispanic Black/African American families, compared to 8.5% of U.S. families, were experiencing poverty. The unemployment rate for non-Hispanic Black/African Americans age 16 years and older was higher (7.8%) compared to that of the total U.S. population (4.6%).

According to ACS estimates, in 2024, 57.4% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had private health insurance, compared to 67.2% of the total U.S. population. 44.9% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans alone had public health insurance, compared to 36.8% of the total U.S. population, and 8.9% of non-Hispanic Black/African Americans, compared to 8.2% of the total U.S. population, had no health insurance coverage.

Black/African Americans have the second lowest life expectancy at birth of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, after American Indians and Alaska Natives. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023, the average life expectancy at birth for Black/African Americans was 74.0 years (77.6 years for females and 70.3 years for males) compared to 78.4 years for all races, 85.2 for Asian Americans, 81.3 for Hispanic/Latinos, 78.4 for whites, and 70.1 for American Indians and Alaska Natives. In 2023, the leading causes of death for non-Hispanic Black/African Americans were heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, and diabetes.