CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A recent report from WalletHub lists all 50 states and the District of Columbia, broken down by which states show the most racial progress.
Before getting to the numbers, it's important to note: Racial progress is defined in this report by measuring several different indicators, including several metrics from educational test scores, median household incomes, voter turnout, and even rates of integration.
North Carolina is near the top of the list: The Tar Heel State came in at number 10. South Carolina ranked about 11 spots lower at number 21. The top state was Georgia, and at the very bottom of the list is Vermont.
Data collectors asked a panel of experts questions like, "What are the major causes of the racial wealth gap between black and white households?" and "What can state and local authorities do to help reduce racial gaps in wealth, employment and education?"
One of the analysts interviewed was Simone Drake, a Hazel C. Youngberg Trustees distinguished professor of African American and African Studies at Ohio State University and scholar-in-residence at Denison University. She told researchers that the racial wealth gap is rooted in structural racism historically embedded into several things like health care and housing.
"It’s encouraging to see that many of the states that were the most resistant to integration have made substantial progress toward racial equality in the past fifty years or so," Cassandra Happe, a WalletHub analyst, said in the report, adding the data shows both attitudes and government policies "have changed dramatically."
Contact Kia Murray at kmurray@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.