The promise of a better life for individuals who call America home is organically boasted by the country’s reputation as the nation of opportunity.
However, incidents that taint the nation’s history and more recent past, such as slavery, Jim Crow, and redlining, as well as George Floyd’s murder and the disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, show how different people’s paths to achieving that promise.
US News Analysis On America Racial Disparities
It’s no secret that institutional racism in the US has benefited certain people while harming others, causing gaps in fundamental facets of society.
Even if initiatives to close these gaps, notably in the healthcare sector, are gaining ground, many of them remain hidden. And in the worst instance, they are purposefully ignored.
The interactive visualizations below are part of a US News investigation on racial equality in America and allow viewers to discover the level of differences in the major societal sectors of housing, health, education, and crime and safety.
Our analysts computed a national average or median for all people for each metric within each category and compared it to data for the corresponding racial and ethnic groupings by state.
The information reveals who is performing well as a group and who might be falling behind.
The rates for various racial and ethnic groupings within states were also compared to the corresponding state averages for all residents for each parameter by United States News experts.
Read more: Recognizing The Silent Perpetrator: Inaction’s Role In Black Maternal Death, Not Just Racism
Regional Trend Insights From US News Investigation
The average disparity in their experiences was calculated where there were trustworthy data for at least four different racial and ethnic groups.
The results show helpful regional tendencies, even though states with smaller and less diverse populations didn’t always reach this requirement.
For instance, gaps in health care coverage and early mortality are clearly visible in the South, while the Midwest has significantly bigger disparities in unemployment and poverty.