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The State of the Dream 2004: Enduring Disparities in Black and White

Income

"We called our demonstration a campaign for jobs and income because we felt that the economic question was the most crucial that black people, and poor people generally, were confronting."

--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Look Magazine, 1968

Per Capita Income

• For every dollar of white income, African-Americans had 55 cents in 1968.

• In 2001, African-Americans had 57 cents for every dollar of white income.

• It's taken more than three decades for Blacks to close the gap by two cents.

• At this pace, it would take 581 years for Blacks to gain the other 43 cents, which would bring them to parity with white per capita income.

[image:] Graph with the following text:
Per Capita Income, 1968 and 2001
(Adjusted for Inflation in 2001 dollars)
1968 White $12,454
1968 Black $6,823
2001 White $26,134
2001 Black $14,953
Years to Parity: 581
Parity Year: 2582

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Historical Income Tables, Tables P-1a (White 1968), P-1b (African-American 1968 and 2001), and P-1e (White 2001). See Appendix for Years to Parity calculation.

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6 United for a Fair Economy • Racial Wealth Divide Project