The overall Life expectancy in the United States peaked in 2014 for all races and ethnicities, then it began dropping slightly before the pandemic.
Drug overdoses and suicides attributed greatly to the US life expectancy decreases since 2014. The opioid crisis hit America especially hard and now there are growing numbers of people who are dying after unknowingly ingesting fentanyl which is being added to illegal drugs.
Suicide rates had also increased greatly since 2013 even doubling in the Black community. Then the pandemic made it worse. In 2020 Covid-19 was the third largest cause of death affecting all populations.
Life expectancy for Black men dropped 5.8 years from 72.5 years to 66.7 years since 2014. Black women have seen a decrease of 3.7 years from 78.5 to 74.8 years with is still one year longer than White men. White men have lost 3 years and White women 2.2 years. In 2021 Native Americans had the lowest life expectancy at 65.2 years.
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Black Wealth Fell 25%, but the Gap Goes Beyond the Latest Drop
Black median family wealth fell about 25% between 2022 and 2025, after inflation. That decline deserves attention. But the charts show a larger problem: a wide racial wealth gap that has lasted for decades and remains within every age group shown. The Federal Reserve’s published figures put Black median family net worth at $36,800 in…
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Black Metro Housing Comparisons: Atlanta, Washington, Dallas and Houston
What do income, homeownership, home values and housing costs tell us about the economic position of Black households in four of the nation’s largest Black metropolitan areas? Where are the strongest housing opportunities for Black households? The answer depends on what you measure. Higher household income can provide greater purchasing power, but it may come…
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Which Metropolitan Areas Lost the Most Black Residents Between 2020 and 2025?
While many metropolitan areas experienced substantial increases in Black population between 2020 and 2025, others recorded declines during the same period, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 Population Estimates. Among metropolitan areas with at least 80,000 Black residents in 2020, Chicago recorded the nation’s largest decline, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco, New…