Looking Ahead to Black History Month: Racial Disparities in Educational Attainment
According to the 2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, a greater percentage Black/African American Pennsylvanians* did not finish high school or college than white Pennsylvanians* and the general population of Pennsylvania.
Approximately 12.1% of Black/African American Pennsylvanians attained less than a high school diploma (or equivalent) compared to only 7.5 percent of white Pennsylvanians.
Black/African American Pennsylvanians were also more likely to attend college without attaining a degree (20.9%) than white Pennsylvanians (15.3%). Of those who attended college, 42.4% of Black/African American Pennsylvanians did not attain a degree compared to 26.6% of white Pennsylvanians.
A lower percentage of Black/African American Pennsylvanians also attained Bachelor’s or advanced degrees than their white counterparts and the general population of Pennsylvania.
Only 12.9% of Black/African American Pennsylvanians achieved a Bachelor’s degree compared to 20.4% of white Pennsylvanians. Similarly, nearly double the percentage of white Pennsylvanians (13.1%) attained an advanced degree when compared to Black/African American Pennsylvanians (7.3%).
Click here to access the report.