Black Love and the U.S. Census

There is a long rumored, and often joked about, common misinformation passed throughout the Black community. This misinformation is that there is a lack of Black men in the Black community, and that Black women outnumber Black men by … fill in the random absurd number you choose. Most often it is said that in the Atlanta area, the number can be as high as 20:1 (men:women). In general the ratio of Black men to women is 1:1, but this often quoted misinformation made me want to know what the numbers truly are. So … being the data nerd that I am, I decided to go straight to the best source I could think of, the U.S. Census data. Once I started diving into the numbers, charting and tracking common qualifiers (e.g., standards, preferences, and “must haves”) that people have, the numbers started to become more alarming.

This post is going to focus on 2 primary areas.
First, a break down of the Black community using U.S. Census Data and information sourced from BlackDemographics.com. Tables within this post are color coded to make the identification of the data source easier for the reader. The blue tables are comprised of data collected from BlackDemographics.com, and the green tables are comprised of data collected from the U.S. Census.
Second, what all this data means, behaviorally, in regards to Black marriage and relationships.

Population (The Black Community)

The Black community is defined by the U.S. Census as those identifying as “Black Alone”, meaning not mixed/interracial/Afro-Latino. While there was data for those identifying interracial, it would have made this already messy data even harder to describe without making you want to stop reading already.

Age Range	Male	Female	Both	% Male*	% Female*	% Both*
15-19	1,548	1,559	3,107	7.8%	6.9%	7.3%
20-24	1,561	1,644	3,204	7.8%	7.3%	7.5%
25-29	1,697	1,832	3,529	8.5%	8.1%	8.3%
30-34	1,392	1,585	2,977	7.0%	7.0%	7.0%
35-44	2,460	2,951	5,411	12.3%	13.1%	12.7%
45-54	2,443	2,908	5,351	12.2%	12.9%	12.6%
55-64	2,201	2,744	4,945	11.0%	12.1%	11.6%
Total (15-64)	13,302	15,223	28,524	66.6%	67.4%	67.0%
Over 18	14,383	17,100	31,483	72.0%	75.7%	74.0%
Over 21	13,384	16,198	29,582	67.0%	71.7%	69.5%
Under 65	17,965	19,764	37,729	90.0%	87.5%	88.6%

California

California is a special case, as it is consistently voting to separate and be broken down into 2 states. The separation would leave Southern California (SoCal) as California, and Northern California (Nor-Cal) would become the State of Jefferson. However, the problem arises as neither SoCal nor Nor-Cal want to keep the middle of California. The most recent vote would have been successful, but the vote was to separate into 3 states, with both sides wanting to keep the coastal areas, and rid themselves of the mountain areas.
While’s California’s overall Black community is more evenly spread, it is spread between small pockets. For those familiar with California, especially SoCal, you begin to realize that once again, the entirety of the state’s Black community is centralized within one primary area. As seen in Table 2, 40% of the state’s Black community resides in LA and San Bernardino-Ontario-Riverside. Those of us living in SoCal can attest, they are all within an 1-hour radius of each other, meaning 40% of the state’s Black community is centralized in 1 area of SoCal. The San Francisco-Oakland area is home to 11% of the state’s Black community, meaning 11% reside in one area of Nor-Cal. This means 51% of the state’s entire Black community, a state comprising almost the entire west coast of the country, is centralized into 2 areas, each having a 1-hour travel radius.

Education

One of the first qualifiers people have when finding a romantic partner/mate/significant other is education. Not many people actively pursue someone without at least a high school (HS) diploma, but they may state they desire someone with “at least” a college degree.

Education Level	Men	Women	Both	% Men	% Women	% All
All Education Levels (Total Respondents)	12,196	14,852	27,047	100%	100%	100%
Under 9th Grade (No HS education)	347	439	786	2.8%	3.0%	2.9%
9th – 12th Grade (No HS Diploma)	1,150	1,326	2,477	9.4%	8.9%	9.2%
HS Diploma	4,469	4,374	8,842	36.6%	29.4%	32.7%
Some College/Associates	3,406	4,717	8,123	27.9%	31.8%	30.0%
Bachelors	1,906	2,509	4,415	15.6%	16.9%	16.3%
Advanced Degree	918	1,487	2,405	7.5%	10.0%	8.9%
HS Graduation (Sum = Total Respondents)
< HS Graduate	1,497	1,765	3,262	12.3%	11.9%	12.1%
> HS Graduate	10,699	13,086	23,785	87.7%	88.1%	87.9%
College Graduation (Sum = Total Respondents)
< Bachelors	9.371	10,856	20,227	76.8%	73.1%	74.8%
> Bachelors	2,824	3,996	6,820	23.2%	26.9%	25.2%

After reviewing the data in Table 3, you may have noticed that Black women graduate from HS, college, and post college programs in higher numbers and percentages than Black men. This means that there are more college educated women than men within the Black community.

Behaviorally, most people desire people with similar experiences as them. Meaning, you want someone who can share your experiences, thoughts, and feelings with on a similar level. Most women with a college education don’t want to be with someone without a college education too, especially not someone who has yet to achieve a HS diploma. Likewise for advanced degrees. Most women with a Ph.D. will not probably go seeking a significant other with just a BA.

Level of Education	Men	Women
No High School (HS) Diploma	18%	15%
HS Diploma/GED	35%	28%
College, no degree	24%	26%
Associates Degree	7%	9%
Bachelors Degree	17%	22%
Special Status
In Jail/Prison	6%	N/A
Ex-Offender	34%	N/A
Veteran	14%	N/A
Disabled	16%	N/A

After reviewing Table 4, will can see that BlackDemographics confirmed the pure US Census data. It also included information regarding another qualifier, one’s “Special Status”. Most people who don not have a prison record (current or past) don’t generally desire someone who does. Also, as a behavioral health consultant, I can reasonably state, most people who are disabled do not have as easy time attempting to date those that are non-disabled. Likewise, I have found that many people who are disabled seek out relationships with others that also have a disability. Again, another example of people seeking out others that share similar experiences.

Work and Finance

Another qualifier is the type of job somebody has. Whether you love being with a person with a Blue Collar or White Collar job, having a preference limits your pool.

Employment	Men	Women	Both	% Men	% Women	% All
Total Labor Force (“In” and “Not in” equal “Total”)	14,904	17,733	32,636	100%	100%	100%
In the Labor Force	9,518	10,750	20,268	63.9%	60.6%	62.1%
– Employed	8,795	10,050	18,845	92.4%	93.5%	93.0%
– Unemployed	724	700	1,423	7.6%	6.5%	7.0%
Not in Labor Force	5,385	6,982	12,368	36.1%	39.4%	37.9%

One thing you will notice in Table 5 is those not in the labor force. Let’s be honest, despite your preference for your significant other’s career choices, most people have a qualifier that their mate should at least have a job.

Occupations	Men	Women	Both	% Men	% Women	% All
All Occupations	8,795	10,050	18,845	100%	100%	100%
Management, professional, and related	2,299	3,734	6,033	26.1%	37.2%	32.0%
– Management, business, and financial	939	1,206	2,145	10.7%	12.0%	11.4%
– Professional and related	1,359	2,529	3,888	15.5%	25.2%	20.6%
Service	1,904	2,753	4,658	21.7%	27.4%	24.7%
Sales and office	1,502	2,632	4,133	17.1%	26.2%	21.9%
– Sales and related	682	981	1,663	7.8%	9.8%	8.8%
– Office and administrative	819	1,651	2,470	9.3%	16.4%	13.1%
Farming, fishing, and forestry	13	13	26	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Construction, extraction, and maintenance	916	37	953	10.4%	0.4%	5.1%
– Construction and extraction	509	13	522	5.8%	0.1%	2.8%
– Installation, maintenance, and repair	407	24	431	4.6%	0.2%	2.3%
Production, transportation, and material moving	2,161	880	3,042	24.6%	8.8%	16.1%
– Production	683	451	1,134	7.8%	4.5%	6.0%
– Transportation and material moving	1,478	429	1,907	16.8%	4.3%	10.1%

Something you should notice from Table 6, is that Black men and women have very different career choices. While neither get into farming/fishing/forestry, Black women do not work in construction, production, or transportation very much, and and Black men are less likely to work in sales, office jobs, management, business, finance, or other professional careers than Black women.

Behaviorally, where do most people spend their time and meet the people they have relationships with … either their job or their social circle, which is primarily composed of people they went to school with or work with. Additionally, this job/career data indicates that not only are Black women becoming increasing more educated than Black men, they are obtaining degrees and advanced degrees in fields that differ from Black men. This affects the previously mentioned social circle or school friends, associates, and alumni. This then leads to a scenario in which educated Black men and women are in different social circles and in different fields, decreasing the likelihood of meeting, dating, and marrying.

Occupation Categories	Men	Women
Jobs
White Collar	41%	64%
Blue Collar	36%	8%
Service Occupations	23%	28%
Employment Demographics (ages 16-64)
Employed	67%	71%
Unemployed	11%	10%
Below Poverty	26%	29%
Earnings
Full Time employed (Year round)	37%	36%
Part Time employed	23%	25%
No Earnings	40%	39%
Average Earnings	$37,290	$33,780

Table 7 further indicates the divide in jobs/careers that Black men and women obtain, as women are far more likely to have a White Collar job/career than men; vice versa, Black men are more likely to have a Blue Collar job/career than women.

Also important to note, is that while the percentages of Black men and women that are full-time and part-time employed, in addition to the percentages with “No Earnings”, having a full-time job is typically a qualifier for many people seeking a relationship. More importantly, most people don’t overly seek relationships with people with no earnings, that is usually a deal-breaker for many people.

Finance

Earnings*	Men	Women	Both	% Men	% Women	% All
Total Respondents	6,984	7,259	14,242	100%	100%	100%
Under $5,000	42	32	75	0.6%	0.4%	0.5%
$5,000 – $9,999	55	104	159	0.8%	1.4%	1.1%
$10,000 – $14,999	129	268	397	1.8%	3.7%	2.8%
$15,000 – $19,999	346	428	774	5.0%	5.9%	5.4%
$20,000 – $24,999	662	799	1,420	8.9%	11.0%	10.0%
$25,000 – $34,999	1,260	1,638	2,898	18.0%	22.6%	20.3%
$35,000 – $49,999	1,581	1,727	3,308	22.6%	23.8%	23.2%
$50,000 – $74,999	1,660	1,351	3,012	23.8%	18.6%	21.1%
$75,000 – $99,999	608	451	1,059	8.7%	6.2%	7.4%
$100,000 and Over	681	459	1,141	9.8%	6.3%	8.0%

Here’s an interesting takeaway from Table 8, Black women outnumber Black men in all earnings ranges/brackets from $5,000 per year to $49,999 per year. It’s only after they both enter the range/bracket of $50,000 to $100,000+, that men outnumber women and have increased percentages. This is not where the discussion turns to whether the gender wage gap is real, true, accurate, etc. This is a comment pointing out that for the vast majority of the Black community, women out earn men significantly in both pure numbers and percentages.

Behaviorally, many people do not seek people who are not in their earning bracket, especially when looking for someone they plan to share their life (e.g., bills, finances, vacations, home, etc.) with, and possibly raise children.

Household Income*	Family**	Non-Family	Total	% Fam	% Non-Fam	% Total
Total Households	10,024	6,973	16,997	100%	100%	100%
Under $5,000	482	594	1,076	4.8%	8.5%	6.3%
$5,000 – $9,999	375	642	1,018	3.7%	9.2%	6.0%
$10,000 – $14,999	398	892	1,290	4.0%	12.8%	7.6%
$15,000 – $19,999	469	638	1,108	4.7%	9.2%	6.5%
$20,000 – $24,999	573	477	1,050	5.7%	6.8%	6.2%
$25,000 – $34,999	1,060	915	1,976	10.6%	13.1%	11.6%
$35,000 – $49,999	1,415	980	2,395	14.1%	14.1%	14.1%
$50,000 – $74,999	1,755	916	2,670	17.5%	13.1%	15.7%
$75,000 – $99,999	1,227	445	1,672	12.2%	6.4%	9.8%
$100,000 and Over	2,270	472	2,742	22.6%	6.8%	16.1%

Relationships and Marriage

As you will see in Table 10 and Table 11, Black men marry more often than Black women. Depending of the source, 32% to 34.9% of Black men are married, while only 26% to 28.3% of Black women are married.

Marriages	Men	Women	Both	% Men	% Women	% All
Total Respondents	15,304	18,055	33,359	100%	100%	100%
Married	5,341	5,113	10,453	34.9%	28.3%	31.3%
– Spouse present	5,071	4,767	9,838	33.1%	26.4%	29.5%
– Spouse absent (Excludes separated)	270	346	615	1.8%	1.9%	1.8%
Widowed	414	1,498	1,912	2.7%	8.3%	5.7%
Divorced	1,392	2,150	3,543	9.1%	11.9%	10.6%
Separated	465	668	1,133	3.0%	3.7%	3.4%
Never Married	7,692	8,625	16,317	50.3%	47.8%	48.9%

Relationships	Men	Women	All	All USA
Married	32%	26%	29%	48%
Divorced	10%	13%	12%	11%
Separated	3%	4%	4%	4%
Widowed	3%	8%	6%	6%
Never Married	52%	48%	50%	34%

Beyond all the qualifiers regarding finding a mate that meets your specific criteria, another hurdle is the self-imposed restrictions. Specifically, issues that arise within the Black community about the willingness to date/marry outside of the Black community. Black women almost exclusively marry men within the Black community, while Black men are more willing/likely to marry women outside of the Black community.

Behaviorally, Black Women have been trained, whether through social pressures from family or the Black community as a whole, to look down upon the concept of interracial marriage. Meanwhile, it has become more socially acceptable for Black Men to embrace interracial marriages. There is a stereotype that Black Men will begin to date outside of the Black community once they begin to earn more money, which is seen in Black culture in both music (e.g., Gold Digger – Kanye West) and movies (e.g., Diary of a Mad Black Woman). This has created a social divide and tension, where Black women feel they MUST limit their relationship and marriage pool to a smaller community than Black men are allowed to have. As evidenced earlier in the population breakdown, if you live outside of your state’s concentrated Black community, your pool is even further limited.

This limitation of perceived availability of potential mates that meet one’s personal criteria for attraction and relationship standards is only worsened by the alarming actual lack of availability, which can help explain why marriages have decreased within the Black community.

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In Summary

Behaviorally, we are training ourselves in the Black community to create a false mindset that our options are limited so we must either expect and accept less, or don’t and continue to devalue the importance of marriage. People accept and conform to their social norms. This Census data objectively shows that the social norms of the Black community have transitioned to acceptance of the following: reduced likelihood of marriage, decreased education levels of Black men, and decrease in employment and earnings.

All of us have qualifiers that make someone either more or less desirable in terms of a potential relationship, partner, or spouse. While in general, Black men and women have a 1:1 ratio, the qualifiers that make Black men more desirable (e.g., education level, earnings, job/career type) don’t affect the availability of Black men in general, but it does increase the available population size of those who meet your specific requirements. This does not include additional qualifiers, such as previous and current marital status, being a home owner vs a renter, having roommates or living with family, etc. Additionally, none of this takes into account the primary and initial qualifier that most people have … is the person physically, mentally, and/or emotionally attractive to me?

Here’s the secret that the Black community doesn’t spread nearly as much … it’s JUST as hard to find a “good and quality” Black woman using all this same criteria. What’s worse, many men have been trained to be averse to women earning more than them or being more educated than them. This means that as Black women become more desirable on paper, Black men value their accomplishments less. The truth is, more Black men need to appreciate the work and effort it took for those women to achieve their accomplishments. And the Black community as a whole needs to stop making Black women feel there should be any negativity in their accomplishments or their dating choices. Why is it okay for Black men to date and marry outside of the Black community, but its not okay for Black women? Why shouldn’t we as a community talk about how hard it should be for Black men to find a Black woman that meets all the qualifications that impose in the reverse scenario.

All these qualifiers do is increase the difficulty of committing to a relationship, which correlates to a decrease in Black marriage. I was always told, it’s called “settling down” because you have to decide what qualifiers you have in your mind that actually matter. What is important to you, and what is something that really doesn’t matter?

State Data	California	Illinois	New York	Texas
Median Household Income	$48,559	$36,755	$44,933	$45,092
Bachelor’s Degree or Higher	25.6%	21.1%	23.9%	24.2%
Married Households	27.1%	21.7%	24.5%	31.2%
Homeowner Rate	34.0%	38.0%	30.4%	40.2%

Table 12 is a quick snapshot to help sum up some of what we just discussed. Black men and women are each facing relationship pools that are reduced by many qualifiers. Worsened by the fact that each state that is thought to have high Black populations, really boil down to select cities with large Black communities, surrounded by vast expanses of low population Black communities sprinkled few and far between the next large Black community. Much of this talk about the difficulty finding a significant other within the Black community lies in the fact that everyone’s experience with the Black community varies on the actual size of their individual community.