This document summarizes health disparities between Black and White populations in the United States based on data from 2017 and earlier. Some key points: - Blacks accounted for 12% of the US population in 2017 and are projected to make up 14% by 2060. - Nonelderly Blacks have higher poverty rates, lower rates of full-time employment, and worse health outcomes than Whites including higher rates of obesity, diabetes, asthma, and uninsured. - Uninsured rates among Blacks declined after the Affordable Care Act but remain higher than for Whites, with Blacks more likely to fall into the coverage gap of earning too much for Medicaid but not enough for subsidies.

1. Health and Health Care for
Blacks in the United States
Updated May 2019

2. Figure 1
2017:
Nearly 40 million people
living in the U.S. are Black,
making up almost 1 in 8 of
the population.
Blacks account for 12% of the population in the
United States.
Note: Blacks are non-Hispanic.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2017 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-Year Estimates and U.S. Census Bureau
2017 National Population Projections Tables, https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2017/demo/popproj/2017-summary-tables.html.
2060:
Blacks are projected to
account for about 55 million
people living in the U.S.
by 2060.

3. Figure 2
Blacks make up a greater share of the population in the
South, where most states have not expanded Medicaid.
Note: Blacks are non-Hispanic and exclude individuals of mixed race. States outlined in black have not adopted Medicaid expansion as of May 2019.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2017 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates and Kaiser Family Foundation, Status of State Action on
the Medicaid Expansion Decision, as of April 26, 2019, https://www.kff.org/health-reform/state-indicator/state-activity-around-expanding-medicaid-under-the-
affordable-care-act/.
SHARE OF TOTAL POPULATION THAT IS BLACK BY STATE, 2017
<5% (19 States)
5%-15% (21 States)
>15% (10 States + DC)
14 States with No
Medicaid Expansion

4. Figure 3
Nonelderly Blacks are younger, more likely to be
poor, and less likely to have a full-time worker in the
family compared to Whites.
Note: Blacks and Whites are non-Hispanic and exclude individuals of mixed race. Includes nonelderly individuals 0-64 years of age. All
values have a statistically significant difference from the White population at the p<0.05 level.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2017 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-Year Estimates.
57%
21%
73%
49%
8%
84%
34 and Younger Family Income
Below Poverty
Full-Time Worker
in Family
Black White

5. Figure 4
There have been large improvements in some health
measures for Blacks, but they still fare worse than Whites.
Notes: HIV diagnoses rates are for ages 13 and older. Birth rate for 1991 excludes data for New Hampshire. For birth rate, Whites and
Blacks are non-Hispanic.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
(NCHHSTP) AtlasPlus; NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Natality, reported in
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf and https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf.
74
57
50
8 7 6
2008 2012 2017
Black
White
118
62
28
43
27
13
1991 2007 2017
HIV Diagnosis Rate per 100,000 among
Teens and Adults, 2008-2017
Birth Rate per 1,000 among Teen Girls
Ages 15-19, 1991-2017

6. Figure 5
Nonelderly Black adults also face disparities in other
health measures compared to Whites.
Note: Blacks and Whites are non-Hispanic and exclude individuals of mixed race. Includes nonelderly adults 18-64 years of age. All
values have a statistically significant difference from the White population at the p<0.05 level.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System (BRFSS).
HEALTH STATUS AND SELECTED HEALTH CONDITIONS AMONG NONELDERLY ADULTS (18-64)
14%
39%
11% 12%9%
30%
7% 10%
Fair or Poor
Health Status
Obese Told By Doctor
They Have
Diabetes
Currently
Has
Asthma
Black White

7. Figure 6
Additionally, Blacks are more likely to face other
challenges that affect health and access to care.
Note: Blacks and Whites are non-Hispanic and exclude individuals of mixed race.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) for Educational Attainment among nonelderly
adults (ages 19-64), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Services, Household Food Security in the United States in
2017, U.S. Census Bureau, and Child Trends, Neighborhood Safety, 2016.
11%
22%
11%
6% 9%
3%
Less than a High
School Education
Food Insecure
Household
Parents Report Their
Children Live in an
Unsafe Neighborhood
Black White

8. Figure 7
The uninsured rate for Blacks declined after the ACA, but
they still are more likely than Whites to be uninsured.
Note: Whites and Blacks are non-Hispanic and exclude individuals of mixed race. Includes nonelderly individuals 0-64 years of age. All
values have a statistically significant difference from the White population at the p<0.05 level.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2017 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-Year Estimates.
19%
15%
12%
11% 11%
12%
10%
8%
7% 7%
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Black
White
UNINSURED RATE AMONG NONELDERLY INDIVIDUALS, 2013-2017

9. Figure 8
Uninsured Blacks are significantly more likely to fall into
the coverage gap than Whites, earning too much for
Medicaid but not enough for tax credits.
Note: Blacks and Whites are non-Hispanic and exclude individuals of mixed race. Includes nonelderly individuals 0-64 years of age.
Totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding. All values have a statistically significant difference from the White population at the
p<0.05 level.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of 2017 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-Year Estimates.
29% 25%
16%
9%
32%
35%
23%
30%
Black White
Ineligible for Financial
Assistance
Eligible for Tax Credits
In the Coverage Gap in
States that Did Not Expand
Medicaid
Medicaid/Other Public
Eligible