U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration

By Kymberly DeBarros and

Claudette Bennett

C E N S U S B U R E A U P20-508

Issued June 1998

Current Population Reports The Black Population in the United

Population Characteristics States: March 1997 (Update)

DATA HIGHLIGHTS

Detailed tabulations are now available which provide demographic characteristics on the social and

economic status of the civilian noninstitutional Black

population in the United States, based on the March

1997 Current Population Survey. These tables provide information such as:

 In 1997, the Black population was estimated at 34.2

million and represented 12.8 percent of the total

population.

 There were 8.5 million Black families in 1997; of

these, 3.7 million or 46 percent were married-couple families.

 In 1997, nearly three-fourths (74 percent) of all

Black individuals 25 years old and over had at least

a high school education; about 14 percent had at

least a bachelor’s degree.

 Black families had a real median income of $26,520

in 1996.

 In 1996, the median earnings of Black women and

men working year-round, full-time were $21,470

and $26,400, respectively, for a female-to-male

earnings ratio of 0.81.

 In 1996, 2.1 million or 26 percent of Black families

had income below the poverty level.

DETAILED TABULATIONS

The set of detailed tabulations consists of 16

tables (107 pages) from the 1997 Current Population

Survey. The electronic version of these tables is

available on the Internet, at the Census Bureau’s

World-Wide Web site (http://www.census.gov).

Once on the site, click on “Subjects A-Z,” go to “Race”

then click on “Persons.” The Black Population in the

United States: March 1997 (Update) is listed under

“The Current Population Survey” heading.

A paper version of these tables is available as

PPL-106 for $28.40. The previous tabulation package, entitled The Black Population in the United

States: March 1996 (Update) is also available as

PPL-70 for $28.40. To receive a paper copy of one or

both of these tabulations, send your request along

with a check or money order in the amount of $28.40

for PPL-106, $28.40 for PPL-70, or $56.80 for both,

payable to Commerce-Census-88-00-9010, to U.S.

Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census,

P.O. Box 277943, Atlanta, GA, 30384-7943, or call

our Statistical Information Office on 301-457-2422.

Please be certain to specify which PPL you are requesting. 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. Contact our

Statistical Information Office on 301-457-2422.

For additional information on this topic, contact

Kymberly A. DeBarros or Claudette E. Bennett, Racial Statistics Branch, on 301-457-2453, or via

Internet E-mail (kymberly.a.debarros@ccmail.census.gov or claudette.e.bennett@ccmail.census.gov).

The data in the detailed tables are estimates

based on a sample survey (the Current Population

Survey) and are subject to sampling variability since

they are not based on a complete enumeration of the

population. For information on the source of the

data, the accuracy of the estimates, the use of standard errors, and the computation of standard errors,

contact Andrew Zbikowski, Demographic Statistical

Methods Division on 301-457-4214 or via Internet

E–mail (andrew.a.zbikowski@ccmail.census.gov).

NOTICE TO USERS

In order to keep you informed of the major findings from

the Current Population Survey, short data updates will be

made available in both printed and electronic forms for

years when full reports are not produced. Additionally, the

detailed tabulations that have been part of the printed reports will be updated annually in electronic form on the

internet. If you wish to obtain the new tabulations for March

1997, updating The Black Population in the United States:

March 1996 (Update) (Current Population Report,

P20-498), please see the “Detailed Tabulations” section.

Our decision to modify the format of the P20 series is

based on a variety of factors. Ultimately, we hope this decision will provide users with more timely data on a wider

variety of topics. If you have comments about this change

or the P20 series in general, please contact us on the Internet at: pop@census.gov, or write to: Chief, Population

Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC

20233.
Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Department of Commerce

Washington, DC 20233

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