This report presents data on the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the Black population in the

United States, based on the Annual

Demographic Supplement to the March

2002 Current Population Survey (CPS).1

The topics covered are geographic distribution; age, sex, and marital status distribution; family type and family size;

educational attainment; labor force participation and unemployment; occupation; family income; and poverty status.2

Data for these characteristics are compared with those of the non-Hispanic

White population.3

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

Blacks continue to be concentrated

in the South.4

In March 2002, 36.0 million people in the

United States, or 13 percent of the civilian

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued April 2003

P20-541

The Black Population in the

United States: March 2002

Demographic Programs

Current

Population

Reports

By 

Jesse McKinnon

Population Characteristics

1 The data in this report are from

the Annual Demographic

Supplement to the March 2002

Current Population Survey. The

population represented (the population universe) is the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the

United States. Members of the

Armed Forces living off base or with

their families on post are included if

there is at least one civilian adult

living in the household. 2 Data on income and poverty in

this report refer to the calendar year

before the survey. For example,

income information collected in

March 2002 refers to calendar year

2001. 3 Because Hispanics or Latinos

may be of any race, data in this

report for Blacks overlap slightly

with data for Hispanics. Data for

Blacks include Hispanic Blacks, who

made up approximately 3.7 percent

of the Black population.

Figure 1.

Region of Residence by Race: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement 

to the March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Black

Non-Hispanic White

(Percent of population)

Northeast Midwest South West

19.2 18.1

20.5

18.1

27.0

55.3

33.3

8.6

4 The four regions of the United States for which

data are presented in this report are as follows: South:

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia,

Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,

Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia;

Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,

Rhode Island, and Vermont; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana,

Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,

Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and

Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado,

Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon,

Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
noninstitutionalized population,

were Black. The majority of Blacks

lived in the South (55 percent), a

similar proportion (18 percent) lived

in the Northeast and the Midwest,

and 9 percent lived in the West (see

Figure 1).5 In comparison, 69 percent (194.8 million) of the United

States population was non-Hispanic

White: 33 percent lived in the

South, 27 percent in the Midwest,

21 percent in the Northeast, and 

19 percent in the West. 

Over one-half (52 percent) of all

Blacks lived in a central city within

a metropolitan area,6 compared

with 21 percent of non-Hispanic

Whites. In contrast, 57 percent of

non-Hispanic Whites lived outside

the central city but within the metropolitan area, compared with 

36 percent of Blacks. Only 13 percent of Blacks and 22 percent of

non-Hispanic Whites lived in 

nonmetropolitan areas (see 

Figure 2). 

AGE, SEX, AND MARITAL

STATUS DISTRIBUTION

The Black population is

younger than the non-Hispanic

White population.

In 2002, 33 percent of all Blacks

were under 18, compared with 

23 percent of non-Hispanic Whites.

Only 8 percent of Blacks were 65

and older, compared with 14 percent of non-Hispanic Whites. 

A larger proportion of Black males

than non-Hispanic White males

were under 18 (36 percent compared with 24 percent). In contrast, 7 percent of Black males and

12 percent of non-Hispanic White

males were 65 and over. A greater

percentage of Black females 

(30 percent) than non-Hispanic

White females (22 percent) were

under age 18, while 9 percent of

Black females and 16 percent of

2 U.S. Census Bureau

5 The estimates in this report are based on

responses from a sample of the population.

As with all surveys, estimates may vary from

the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors. All comparisons made

in this report have undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted. 6 The general concept of a metropolitan

area (MA) is a large population nucleus with

adjacent communities that have a high degree

of economic and social integration with that

nucleus. Some MAs are defined around two

or more nuclei. The Office of Management

and Budget (OMB), with technical assistance

from the U.S. Census Bureau, published standards to define MAs for federal agencies. See

the Office of Management and Budget,

Federal Register Notice, Vol. 55, No. 62,

March 30, 1990, and OMB Bulletin, No. 93-

177, issued June 1993.

Figure 2.

Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan 

Residence by Race: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

(Percent distribution of population)

Black Non-Hispanic White

Metropolitan area, inside 

central city

22.1

51.5

36.0

12.5

21.1

56.8

Nonmetropolitan

Metropolitan area, outside 

central city

Figure 3.

Population by Age, Sex, and Race: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

(Percent of population)

Black

Non-Hispanic White

Under 18 65 and over Under 18 65 and over

Male Female

16.2

35.5

23.9

6.7

12.4

29.9

21.7

9.0
non-Hispanic White females were

65 and over (see Figure 3). 

Blacks are less likely to be

married than non-Hispanic

Whites.

Among the 26.2 million Blacks and

the 158.3 million non-Hispanic

Whites 15 and older, 10 percent of

each were divorced and about 

6 percent of each were widowed,

but 43 percent of Blacks had never

married, compared with 25 percent

of non-Hispanic Whites. Blacks

were less likely than their nonHispanic White counterparts to be

currently married (35 percent and

57 percent, respectively).7

The marital distributions of Blacks

and non-Hispanic Whites varied by

sex. In 2002, in both groups,

women were more likely than men

to be widowed, separated, or

divorced, and less likely to be

never married or currently married

(see Figure 4). Black men were

more likely than their non-Hispanic

White counterparts to be never

married: 45 percent and 28 percent, respectively. The comparable

figures for women were 42 percent

and 21 percent. 

FAMILY TYPE AND 

FAMILY SIZE8

Fewer Black families are

married-couple families.

In 2002, there were 8.8 million

Black families and 53.6 million nonHispanic White families in the

United States. Nearly one-half 

(48 percent) of all Black families

were married-couple families, 

43 percent of Black families were

maintained by women with no

spouse present, and 9 percent were

maintained by Black men with no

spouse present. The corresponding

figures for non-Hispanic White families were 82 percent, 13 percent,

and 5 percent, respectively.

Black families are larger than

non-Hispanic White families. 

In 2002, among married-couple

families, 33 percent of Black families had two members, compared

with 47 percent of non-Hispanic

White families (see Figure 5). Black

married-couple families were more

likely than their non-Hispanic White

counterparts to have five or more

members (20 percent and 12 percent, respectively). Among families

maintained by women with no

spouse present, 40 percent of Black

families had two members, compared with 55 percent of nonHispanic White families. The proportions of Black and non-Hispanic

White families maintained by

women with five or more members

were 11 percent and 5 percent,

respectively. Fifty-seven percent of

Black male householder families

with no spouse present consisted of

two people compared with 61 percent of non-Hispanic White male

householder families. Six percent

of Black families maintained by men

with no spouse present had five or

U.S. Census Bureau 3

Figure 4.

Marital Status by Sex and Race: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the March 2002 Current Population Survey.

(Percent of population 15 and over)

Black

Non-Hispanic White

Never Married Separated Widowed Divorced

married

Never Married Separated Widowed Divorced

married

Men Women

11.1

45.0

28.0

39.8

59.3

4.1

1.3 2.7 2.7

8.3 8.8

42.0

21.3

31.1

55.1

5.4

1.6

9.4 10.9 12.2

8 The race of the householder was used

to determine the race of the family. Data do

not include families in group quarters. 

7 Married includes those with a spouse

present or a spouse absent.
more members, compared with 

4 percent of comparable nonHispanic White families.

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

More Black women than Black

men aged 25 and over have

earned at least a bachelor’s

degree.

Of the 20.4 million Blacks and

133.4 million non-Hispanic Whites

25 and older, a lower percentage

of Blacks had earned at least a

high school diploma (79 percent

and 89 percent, respectively). The

proportion of all non-Hispanic

Whites with at least a bachelor’s

degree (29 percent) was higher

than that of all Blacks (17 percent).

More Black women than Black men

had earned at least a bachelor’s

degree (18 percent compared with

16 percent, see Figure 6), while

among non-Hispanic Whites, a higher proportion of men than women

had earned at least a bachelor’s

degree (32 percent and 27 percent,

respectively). 

4 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 5.

Family Size by Family Type and Race of Householder: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the March 2002 Current Population Survey.

(Percent distribution of families)

Non-Hispanic White

Black

Non-Hispanic White

Black

Non-Hispanic White

Black

Two members Three members Four members Five or more members

Married couple

Female householder, no spouse present

Male householder, no spouse present

4.3

33.2 22.4 24.5 19.9

47.0 19.7 21.2 12.1

39.7 31.1 18.3 10.9

54.9 29.6 10.7 4.8

57.0 25.6 11.6 5.8

61.2 26.0 8.5

Figure 6.

Educational Attainment by Sex and Race: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

(Percent of population 25 and over)

Men

Women

Black

Non-Hispanic White

Bachelor's degree

or more

Some college

or associate degree

High school graduate

Less than high school

Bachelor's degree

or more

Some college

or associate degree

High school graduate

Less than high school

27.3

21.5

11.5

34.8

31.5

27.3

25.2

16.4

31.7

21.1

11.1

33.3

34.3

28.2

27.3

17.5
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION

AND UNEMPLOYMENT

Blacks participate in the labor

force at a lower rate than nonHispanic Whites.

Among the 216.8 million members

of the civilian population aged 16

and over in 2002, 25.4 million 

(12 percent) were Black and 

155.1 million (72 percent) were

non-Hispanic White. Non-Hispanic

White men had a higher civilian

labor force participation rate than

Black men (73 percent compared

with 68 percent), and for both

groups, men had higher rates than

women.9 However, the rate for

Black women (62 percent) was higher than that for non-Hispanic White

women (60 percent, see Figure 7). 

Unemployment is higher among

Blacks than non-Hispanic Whites.

In March 2002, the unemployment

rate for Blacks was twice that for

non-Hispanic Whites (11 percent

and 5 percent, respectively). This

finding was consistent for both

men (12 percent compared with 

6 percent) and women (10 percent

compared with 4 percent). 

OCCUPATION10

Similar proportions of Black and

non-Hispanic White men were

employed in technical, sales, and

administrative support jobs.

In 2002, 6.8 million Black men and

51.8 million non-Hispanic White men

aged 16 and older were employed.

Similar proportions of Black and

non-Hispanic White men were

employed in technical, sales, and

administrative support jobs (about

20 percent). However, the proportion of non-Hispanic White men

employed in managerial and professional specialty occupations (33 percent) was higher than that of Black

men (18 percent). A larger proportion of non-Hispanic White men than

Black men were employed in precision production, craft, and repair

jobs (19 percent and 14 percent,

respectively). However, Black men

were more than twice as likely as

non-Hispanic White men to work in

service occupations (19 percent and

8 percent, respectively). They were

nearly twice as likely (28 percent

compared with 16 percent) to be

operators, fabricators, and laborers. 

Non-Hispanic White women were

more likely than Black women to be

in managerial and professional specialty jobs (37 percent compared

with 26 percent), as well as in technical, sales, and administrative support jobs (40 percent and 36 percent, respectively). Conversely,

Black women were more likely than

non-Hispanic White women to be

employed in service occupations

(27 percent compared with 15 percent), or as operators, fabricators,

and laborers (9 percent compared

with 5 percent). 

FAMILY INCOME11

Over one-half (52 percent) of

all Black married-couple

families had incomes of

$50,000 or more.

Of the 74.3 million families in 2001

with money income, 8.8 million

were Black and 53.6 million were

non-Hispanic White. Thirty-three

U.S. Census Bureau 5

Figure 7.

Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate and 

Unemployment Rate by Sex and Race: 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Black 

Non-Hispanic White 

Men Women Men Women

Percent in civilian labor force of

population 16 years and over

Percent unemployed 

of civilian labor force 

4.4

68.1

73.4

62.3

59.9

11.9

5.7

9.9

10 The data on current occupation are for the

employed civilian population aged 16 and older.

9 Civilian labor force data shown in this

report reflect characteristics of the civilian noninstitutionalized population aged 16 and older

for March 2002 and are not adjusted for seasonal changes. Data released by the

Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

may not agree entirely with data shown in this

report because they are seasonally adjusted.

11 Data for all families include a small

number in group quarters. Income is the sum

of wages and salaries, net income from selfemployment, and income other than earnings.

Income data refer to calendar year 2001.
percent of all Black families and 

57 percent of all non-Hispanic White

families had incomes of $50,000 or

more. The percent of non-Hispanic

White families making $75,000 or

more was over twice that of Blacks:

35 percent compared with 16 percent. Among both Black and nonHispanic White families, marriedcouple families were more likely to

have incomes of $50,000 or more.

Fifty-two percent of Black marriedcouple families, compared with 

64 percent of their non-Hispanic

White counterparts, had incomes of

$50,000 or greater (see Figure 8). 

Twenty-seven percent of all Black

married-couple families had

incomes of $75,000 or more, compared with 40 percent of comparable non-Hispanic White families.

Both Black and non-Hispanic White

families maintained by women with

no spouse present were more likely

to have incomes concentrated in

the lower income ranges: 58 percent of Black families and 41 percent of non-Hispanic White families

had incomes less than $25,000.

Both Black and non-Hispanic White

families maintained by men with no

spouse present were also more

likely to have incomes less than

$25,000 than in higher categories:

38 percent and 25 percent, respectively (see Figure 8). 

POVERTY STATUS12 

Blacks accounted for about

one quarter of the population

in poverty in 2001.

An estimated 32.9 million people

lived below the poverty level in

2001, including 8.1 million Blacks

and 15.3 million non-Hispanic

Whites. The poverty rate, which

was 12 percent for the total population, was 23 percent for Blacks and

8 percent for non-Hispanic Whites. 

Among all children under age 18,

the poverty rate was 16 percent,

but it was three times as high for

Black children (30 percent) as for

non-Hispanic White children 

(10 percent). The poverty rate

among all people 65 and over was

10 percent in 2001. The poverty

rates in this age group for Blacks

and non-Hispanic Whites were 

22 percent and 8 percent, respectively (see Figure 9). 

About 10 percent of all men were

below the official poverty line in

2001, but the rate for Black men

(20 percent) was nearly three times

that for non-Hispanic White men 

(7 percent). Among men 65 and

over, the rate for Blacks was three

times as high (16 percent) as the

rate for non-Hispanic Whites 

(5 percent, see Figure 10).

In 2001, 13 percent of all women

were poor. The poverty rate for

Black women (25 percent) was

more than twice that for nonHispanic White women (9 percent);

for women 65 and older, the rates

were 26 percent and 10 percent,

respectively. 

6 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 8.

Family Income by Family Type and Race of Householder: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the March 2002 Current Population Survey.

(Percent distribution of families)

Non-Hispanic White

Black

Non-Hispanic White

Black

Non-Hispanic White

Black

$50,000-

$74,999

$75,000

and over

$35,000-

$49,999

$25,000-

$34,999

Less than

$25,000

Married couple

Female householder, no spouse present

Male householder, no spouse present

19.1

18.8 11.6 17.1 25.5 26.9

11.8 9.6 15.0 23.5 40.1

58.1 15.7 12.6 9.0 4.7

41.1 17.2 17.6 13.5 10.5

37.6 18.9 17.9 14.6 10.9

24.5 16.8 20.1 19.5

12 For more information, see Bernadette

D. Proctor and Joseph Dalaker, 2002, U.S.

Census Bureau, Current Population Reports,

Series P60-219, Poverty in the United States:

2001, U.S. Government Printing Office,

Washington, DC. Poverty data refer to calendar year 2001. 
Families maintained by women

with no spouse present have

higher poverty rates overall.

In 2001, 6.8 million families in the

United States had incomes below

the poverty level. Of these families,

1.8 million were Black and 

3.1 million were non-Hispanic White.

However, a greater percentage of

Black families than of non-Hispanic

White families were poor: 21 percent compared with 6 percent.

A larger proportion of Black married-couple families (8 percent)

than of non-Hispanic White families

(3 percent) were poor. Poverty was

highest in families maintained by

women with no spouse present:

35 percent for Black families compared with 19 percent for nonHispanic White families. Black families maintained by men with no

spouse present were more likely to

live in poverty (19 percent) than

comparable non-Hispanic White

families (10 percent). 

SOURCE OF THE DATA

The population represented (the

population universe) in the Annual

Demographic Supplement to the

March 2002 Current Population

Survey is the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United

States. Members of the Armed

Forces living off post or with their

families on post are included if

there is at least one civilian adult

living in the household. (Starting in

2001, the Annual Demographic

Supplement includes some data collected in February and April.) The

institutionalized population, which

is excluded from the population

universe, is composed primarily of

the population in correctional institutions and nursing homes (91 percent of the 4.1 million institutionalized population in Census 2000).

ACCURACY OF THE

ESTIMATES 

Statistics from surveys are subject

to sampling and nonsampling

error. All comparisons presented

in this report have taken sampling

error into account and are significant at the 90-percent confidence

level. This means the 90-percent

confidence interval for the difference between the estimates being

compared does not include zero.

Nonsampling errors in surveys may

be attributed to a variety of

sources, such as how the survey

was designed, how respondents

interpret questions, how able and

willing respondents are to provide

correct answers, and how

U.S. Census Bureau 7

Figure 9.

Poverty Rate by Age and Race: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Total

Black

Non-Hispanic White 

(Percent of population)

All ages Under 18 65 and over

8.1

11.7

 22.7

7.8

16.3

30.2

9.5 10.1

21.9

Figure 10.

Poverty Rate by Age, Sex, and Race: 2001

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Demographic Supplement to the 

March 2002 Current Population Survey.

Black

Non-Hispanic White 

(Percent of population)

All ages Under 18 65 and over All ages Under 18 65 and over

5.2

10.2

20.1

6.9

29.7

9.6

15.6

24.9

8.8

30.7

9.5

26.1

Male Female
accurately the answers are coded

and classified. The Census Bureau

employs quality control procedures

throughout the production process

including the overall design of surveys, the wording of questions,

review of the work of interviewers

and coders, and statistical review

of reports to minimize these

errors.

The Current Population Survey

weighting procedure uses ratio estimation whereby sample estimates

are adjusted to independent estimates of the national population by

age, race, sex, and Hispanic origin.

This weighting partially corrects for

bias due to undercoverage, but

biases may still be present when

people who are missed by the survey differ from those interviewed in

ways other than age, race, sex, and

Hispanic origin. How this weighting procedure affects other variables in the survey is not precisely

known. All of these considerations

affect comparisons across different

surveys or data sources. 

For further information on statistical

standards and the computation and

use of standard errors, go to

www.bls.census.gov/cps/ads/2002/

S&A_02.pdf or contact Brandi York

of the Census Bureau’s Demographic Statistical Methods Division

on the Internet at dsmd.source.

and.accuracy@census.gov.

MORE INFORMATION

Detailed tables with social and economic characteristics of Black and

other races, and their families and

households are available on the

Internet (www.census.gov); search

by clicking on “B” for “Blacks”

under the “Subjects A-Z” heading

on the Census Bureau’s home page.

To receive a paper copy of these

tables, send your request for

“PPL-164, The Black Population in

the United States: March 2002”

along with a check or money order

in the amount of $22.10 payable

to Commerce-Census-88-00-9010,

to the U.S. Department of

Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau,

P.O. Box 277943, Atlanta, GA

30384-7943, or call our Statistical

Information Office on

301-763-2422. A copy of these

tabulations will be made available

to any existing CPR-P20 subscriber

without charge, provided that the

request is made within 3 months

of the issue date of this report by

contacting our Statistical

Information Office.

SUGGESTED CITATION

McKinnon, Jesse. 2003. The Black

Population in the United States:

March 2002. U.S. Census Bureau,

Current Population Reports, Series

P20-541. Washington, DC.

CONTACTS

Statistical Information Staff:

pop@census.gov

301-763-2422

Racial Statistics Branch

Jesse McKinnon

Jesse.D.McKinnon@census.gov

301-763-2453.

USER COMMENTS

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comments and advice of users of

its data and reports. If you have

any suggestions or comments,

please write to:

Chief, Population Division

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, DC 20233

or send e-mail to: 

pop@census.gov

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