Black (African-American) History Month:
February 2010
To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month. Each year, U.S. presidents proclaim February as National African-American History Month.
Serving Our Nation
2.3 million
Number of single-race black military veterans in the United States in 2008. More military veterans are black than any other minority group.
Education
83%
Among blacks 25 and older, the proportion who had at least a high school diploma in 2008.
20%
Percentage of blacks 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2008.
1.4 million
Among blacks 25 and older, the number who had an advanced degree in 2008 (e.g., master’s, doctorate, medical or law). In 1998, 857,000 blacks had this level of education.
2.5 million
Number of black college students in fall 2008. This was roughly double the corresponding number from 15 years earlier.
Income, Poverty and Health Insurance
$34,218
The annual median income of single-race black households in 2008, a decline of 2.8 percent (in 2008 constant dollars) from 2007.
24.7%
Poverty rate in 2008 for single-race blacks, statistically unchanged from 2007
19.1%
The percentage of single-race blacks lacking health insurance in 2008, not statistically different from 2007.
Families and Children
63%
Among households with a single-race black householder, the percentage that contained a family. There were 8.5 million black family households.
44%
Among families with single-race black householders, the percentage that were married couples.
1.2 million
Number of single-race black grandparents who lived with their own grandchildren younger than 18. Of this number, 50 percent were also responsible for their care.
Homeownership – the American Dream
46%
Nationally, the percentage of households with a householder who was single-race black who lived in owner-occupied homes.
Jobs
27%
The percentage of single-race blacks 16 and older who worked in management, professional and related occupations.
Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-763-3762; or e-mail: <pio@census.gov>.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Public Information Office | Last Revised: December 16, 2009