25 simple charts that prove racism is still a problem in America

Shayanne Gal,Andy Kiersz,Michelle Mark,Ruobing SuJun 13, 2020, 01:36 IST

Protesters gather in Harlem to protest the recent death of George Floyd on May 30, 2020 in New York City.David 'Dee' Delgado/Getty Images

The United States has seen nationwide protests for weeks over the death of George Floyd in police custody, and the frustration that racism and racial inequality still persist throughout modern American life.
Data and research have extensively documented the ways in which Black Americans are underrepresented, overrepresented, or experience different treatment from their white counterparts.
These 25 charts show the extent of racial disparities in America, in areas like employment, wealth, education, home ownership, healthcare, and incarceration.

Nationwide protests in recent weeks have rekindled a roaring public discourse about racial inequality in America.

George Floyd's death in police custody on May 25 let loose a groundswell of public rage about the way Black Americans are policed. But it also sparked a deeper conversation about the way they experience all aspects of modern life, whether it's underrepresentation in college attainment rates, or over-representation in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Extensive academic research and data collected by the federal government and researchers has documented numerous ways that Black Americans experience life in the United States differently from their white counterparts.

It's called "systemic" racism because it's ingrained in nearly every way people move through society in the policies and practices at institutions like banks, schools, companies, government agencies, and law enforcement.

The resulting data show that these disparities exist along nearly every facet of American life, including employment, wealth, education, home ownership, healthcare, and incarceration.

Here are 25 charts that show the stark differences between the Black and white experience, because of systemic racism.

The employment-population ratio measures the share of a demographic group that has a job, and it's been lower for Black people for years.

Andy Kiersz/Business Insider

The unemployment rate has also spiked for all racial groups in the US during the coronavirus pandemic, and is especially high for Black Americans.

Andy Kiersz/Business Insider

People of color, and especially Black Americans, are severely underrepresented at the top of the corporate hierarchy.

Andy Kiersz/Business Insider

Black Americans have historically been underrepresented in the highest echelons of government, as well.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

Black workers have historically earned far less than white workers.

Madison Hoff/Business Insider

Similarly, overall income for Black Americans was about 42% lower than for whites in 2018.

Madison Hoff/Business Insider

There's a similar disparity at the household level. Lower incomes mean that the poverty rate for Black families is over twice that of white families.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

The aggregate wealth white households have held has historically far outstripped that held by the Black community. And while it has increased for white people since the 1980s, it's remained stagnant for Black people.

Madison Hoff/Business Insider

The aggregate wealth white households have held has historically far outstripped that held by the Black community. And while it has increased for white people since the 1980s, it's remained stagnant for Black people.

One of the contributing factors to the household wealth disparity is student loans.

Andy Kiersz/Business Insider

The wage gap between races also interacts with the gender wage gap between men and women.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

One common way to illustrate the gender and race wage gaps is through looking at "equal pay days" for different groups.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

A key part of the "American Dream" is leaving your children in a better economic position than you were in, but that dream is less attainable for Black Americans.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

Educational opportunities remain starkly split by race.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

The share of both white and Black Americans with college degrees has increased dramatically over the last half-century, but there's still a gap.

Madison Hoff/Business Insider

As with income, intergenerational educational mobility varies widely between racial groups.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

When they tried to get financing from banks, Black mortgage applicants were more likely to be denied loans than aspiring homeowners of other races.

Ruobing Su/Business Insider

Thus, the share of Black households that own their own homes is lower than other racial groups.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

The coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated an already wide disparity in access to healthcare.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

The current coronavirus pandemic has had a disparate impact on people of color.

Andy Kiersz/Business Insider

Black prisoners are overrepresented in the US prison population compared to their share of the total US population.

Ruobing Su/Business Insider

Black men are roughly five times more likely to be imprisoned than their white counterparts — and nearly 13 times as likely in the 18-19 age group.

Ruobing Su/Business Insider

Marijuana usage rates are similar between white and Black Americans, yet BlackAmericans are 3.64 times more likely to get arrested on marijuana possession charges.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

The racial disparity in marijuana arrests has actually gotten worse in recent years, even though more states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

Black people are overwhelmingly more likely than white people to be under parole supervision — and they're more likely to be sent back to prison for minor infractions.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

Black people are overwhelmingly more likely than white people to be under parole supervision — and they're more likely to be sent back to prison for minor infractions.

Roughly half of those fatally shot by police are white, but Black Americans are fatally shot at a disproportionate rate compared to their representation in the US population.

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

Roughly half of those fatally shot by police are white, but Black Americans are fatally shot at a disproportionate rate compared to their representation in the US population.

18 high-paying jobs for people who thrive under pressure

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

25 simple charts that prove racism is still a problem in America

The employment-population ratio measures the share of a demographic group that has a job, and it's been lower for Black people for years.

The unemployment rate has also spiked for all racial groups in the US during the coronavirus pandemic, and is especially high for Black Americans.

People of color, and especially Black Americans, are severely underrepresented at the top of the corporate hierarchy.

Black Americans have historically been underrepresented in the highest echelons of government, as well.

Black workers have historically earned far less than white workers.

Similarly, overall income for Black Americans was about 42% lower than for whites in 2018.

There's a similar disparity at the household level. Lower incomes mean that the poverty rate for Black families is over twice that of white families.

The aggregate wealth white households have held has historically far outstripped that held by the Black community. And while it has increased for white people since the 1980s, it's remained stagnant for Black people.

One of the contributing factors to the household wealth disparity is student loans.

The wage gap between races also interacts with the gender wage gap between men and women.

One common way to illustrate the gender and race wage gaps is through looking at "equal pay days" for different groups.

A key part of the "American Dream" is leaving your children in a better economic position than you were in, but that dream is less attainable for Black Americans.

Educational opportunities remain starkly split by race.

The share of both white and Black Americans with college degrees has increased dramatically over the last half-century, but there's still a gap.

As with income, intergenerational educational mobility varies widely between racial groups.

When they tried to get financing from banks, Black mortgage applicants were more likely to be denied loans than aspiring homeowners of other races.

Thus, the share of Black households that own their own homes is lower than other racial groups.

The coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated an already wide disparity in access to healthcare.

The current coronavirus pandemic has had a disparate impact on people of color.

Black prisoners are overrepresented in the US prison population compared to their share of the total US population.

Black men are roughly five times more likely to be imprisoned than their white counterparts — and nearly 13 times as likely in the 18-19 age group.

Marijuana usage rates are similar between white and Black Americans, yet BlackAmericans are 3.64 times more likely to get arrested on marijuana possession charges.

The racial disparity in marijuana arrests has actually gotten worse in recent years, even though more states are legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana.

Black people are overwhelmingly more likely than white people to be under parole supervision — and they're more likely to be sent back to prison for minor infractions.

Roughly half of those fatally shot by police are white, but Black Americans are fatally shot at a disproportionate rate compared to their representation in the US population.