Martin Luther King Report: 2016’s States That Have Achieved the Most Racial Progress

In the spirit of equality and civil rights, we wanted to share this interesting WalletHub report.

With Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 18th) around the corner and race relations being a top issue facing the nation today, the personal finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016's States That Have Achieved the Most Racial Progress.

To identify the states that are most racially integrated and have come the furthest in their efforts of racial progress, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 10 key metrics. Our data set ranges from median annual income to homeownership rates to voter turnout.

In this report, we examine the differences between only blacks and whites in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that have sparked national controversy in recent years and the Civil Rights Movement — in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., played a prominent role — that involved mainly black and white groups.
 

	Most Racially Integrated States			States with the Most Racial Progress
	1	Hawaii		1	Georgia
	2	New Mexico		2	New Mexico
	3	Texas		3	Mississippi
	4	Maryland		4	Texas
	5	California		5	Maryland
	6	Nevada		6	New Jersey
	7	Georgia		7	Arizona
	8	Kentucky		8	California
	9	Tennessee		9	North Carolina
	10	Delaware		10	Alabama

Comparing the Best & Worst

• The District of Columbia has the lowest difference, 10 percent, in homeownership rates between whites and blacks, while Connecticut has made the most progress, 7 percent, in closing this gap since 1970.
   
• Vermont has the lowest difference, nearly zero, in median annual household incomes between whites and blacks, while New Mexico has made the most progress, 35 percent, in closing this gap since 1979.
   
• Alaska has the lowest difference, 1 percent, in labor-force participation rates between whites and blacks, while North Dakota has made the most progress, 20 percent, in closing this gap since 1970.
   
• Montana has the lowest difference, 1 percent, in unemployment rates between whites and blacks, while North Dakota has made the most progress, 10 percent, in closing this gap since 1970.
   
• Hawaii has the lowest difference, 1 percent, in poverty rates between whites and blacks, while Mississippi has made the most progress, 23 percent, in closing this gap since 1970.
   
• Hawaii has the lowest difference, 38 percent, in business ownership rates between whites and blacks, while Texas has made the most progress, 7 percent, in closing this gap since 2002.
   
• Vermont has the lowest difference, 2 percent, in the number of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree between whites and blacks, while New Mexico has made the most progress, 4 percent, in closing this gap since 1970.

For the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit:https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-most-and-least-racial-progress/18428/

A special thanks to WalletHub for sharing with Ability Chicago Info the highlights of this report. 
Please explore WalletHub for Other Studies of interest.