With Martin Luther King Jr. Day around the corner and 58 percent of Americans saying race relations are “generally bad,” the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Most Racial Progress as well as accompanying videos.
To measure America’s progress in harmonizing racial groups, WalletHub measured the gaps between blacks and whites 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 income to standardized-test scores to voter turnout.
This report examines the differences between only blacks and whites in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. We released this report to coincide with the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against blacks.
| Most Racially Integrated States | States with the Most Racial Progress | |
| 1. New Mexico | 1. Wyoming | |
| 2. Hawaii | 2. Texas | |
| 3. Wyoming | 3. Mississippi | |
| 4. Texas | 4. Georgia | |
| 5. West Virginia | 5. New Jersey | |
| 6. Arizona | 6. New Mexico | |
| 7. Kentucky | 7. Florida | |
| 8. Montana | 8. North Carolina | |
| 9. Maryland | 9. South Carolina | |
| 10. Colorado | 10. Idaho |
Key Stats
- The District of Columbia has the lowest gap in homeownership rates between whites and blacks, at 12.82 percent. Connecticut has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 8.81 percent.
- Hawaii has the lowest gap in median annual household incomes between whites and blacks, at 10.54 percent. Wyoming has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1979, with a change of 32.18 percent.
- Vermont has the lowest gap in unemployment rates between whites and blacks, at 0.18 percent. North Dakota has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 10.01 percent.
- Hawaii has the lowest gap in poverty rates between whites and blacks, at 1.49 percent. Mississippi has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 25.45 percent.
- Vermont has the lowest gap in the share of adults 25 years and over with at least a bachelor’s degree between whites and blacks, at 1.25 percent. Idaho has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 4.82 percent.
To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/