Martin Luther King Jr. Day Report: North Carolina Ranks 9th in U.S. Racial Progress

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With Martin Luther King Jr. Day around the corner and half of adults saying a lot more needs to be done to ensure equal rights for all Americans, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on States with the Most Racial Progress.

To measure America’s progress in harmonizing racial groups, the site measured the gaps between black people and white people across 21 key indicators of equality and integration in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data set ranges from median annual household income to standardized-test scores to voter turnout.

This report examines the differences between only black people and white people in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. We released this report ahead of the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against black people.

Racial Progress in North Carolina (1=Most Progress, 25=Avg.):

Note: All of the following comparisons refer to the gaps between white people and black people over time:

  • 19th – Change in Median Annual Household Income Gap
  • 9th – Change in Labor-Force Participation Rate Gap
  • 24th – Change in Unemployment Rate Gap
  • 14th – Change in Homeownership Rate Gap
  • 7th – Change in Poverty Rate Gap
  • 22nd – Change in Gap in % of Adults* with at Least a High School Diploma
  • 15th – Change in Standardized-Test Scores Gap
  • 2nd – Change in Voter-Turnout Gap (2020 Presidential Election)

*“Adults” include the population aged 25 and older.

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