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The Nation’s Black Population Hit Especially Hard by the Coronavirus Pandemic

TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

The nation’s black population has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with majority black counties having infection rates that are three times those of white counties, and death rates that are six times higher. Black people, who account for 1 of every 8 Americans, are more likely to have underlying conditions such as asthma and diabetes that make them more susceptible to the virus; they’re also more likely to work in jobs that expose them to infected people and to have less wealth than white Americans. 

A Social Explorer analysis of the 74,001 U.S. Census tracts underscores the dangers of the virus to the black community, with the epicenter of multiple outbreaks of the pandemic corresponding to areas with high percentages of black residents. Cook County, Ill., which contains 20 of the top 100 Census tracts with the greatest percentage of black people; Wayne County, Mich., with 15 of the top 100; and the District of Columbia, which has the highest percentage of black residents in the nation, all have reported significant rates of infection.

To see the neighborhoods where most black Americans live, check out Social Explorer’s interactive map.

    

African American Population Across the United States. Click here to explore further.


Author: Frank Bass

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