National and State-Level Data on the Economic Status of Black Americans, 2023

Despite continued barriers, Black Americans have seen significant progress on key economic indicators in recent decades. While work remains to close racial gaps, recent data on the economic status of Black Americans in 2023 show:

• Black labor force participation exceeds the rate among white Americans and is near pre-pandemic levels.

• The unemployment rate for Black workers is near record lows but is still persistently higher than for white workers.

• Policies like the expanded Child Tax Credit helped bring poverty to an all-time low for Black Americans, even as poverty among Black children was three times that of white children.

• Black households still lag white households on key economic indicators, including income, retirements savings, and homeownership.

• Recent decades have seen continued progress on college attainment and health insurance for Black Americans, but Black women still face far higher rates of maternal mortality than their white counterparts.

As the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act come into effect, these bills will expand economic opportunities for Black Americans and make targeted investments in marginalized communities.

The national and state-level data below highlight the economic gains and challenges of Black Americans in two sections:

1. A series of national graphs showing systemic inequalities with written analysis to assist with interpretation.

2. A series of state-level data points on homeownership, education, and access to health insurance, providing more granular evidence on the economic position of Black Americans.