A socio-cultural description by Footsteps of the economic evolution of African Americans since the 1950's

1. The Silent Majority
African Americans and The Decades of Change

2. The popular perception is that
most African Americans live in
poverty in the inner city in the
North

3. In 1959, that was true…
over 55% of African
Americans lived below
the poverty line

4. However, by 2010, there
has been a 54% decrease
in the numbers of African
Americans living below
the poverty line

6. The Further Decline
in the Poverty Rate of African American
Poverty RateAdjusted Rate% Difference
African-Americans 27.5% 25.4% -2.1%
– Source: Pew Research Center, Hispanic Poverty Rate Highest in New Supplemental Census Measure, November
8, 2011

7. And from then to now
there has been an equally
dramatic change in where
we live

8. How much AA’s make
for a living…

9. Since the passage of the Civil Rights Act in
1964, now for the 1st time in America, the
Census shows that African Americans have
an Affluent Class

10. The Growth of
An Affluent African American Segment
19902009% Difference
$50K+
% of Whites 40% 52% 23%
% of African-Americans 21% 33% 36%
$75K+
% of Whites 20% 33% 39%
% of African-Americans 8% 17% 53%
$100K+
% of Whites 10% 21% 52%
% of African-Americans 3% 9% 66%
– Source: U.S.
Census,http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032010/hhinc/new06_000.ht
m2009

11. Affluent African Americans*
• 2.4 million affluent African Americans (HHI over
$75K)
– Average income $122,000
• Affluents are 17% of all AA households
– Control 45% of total $1 Trillion AA buying power
* African American Market in the U.S., Package Facts, 2008

12. Black Buying Power
• Black buying power is $1.1 Trillion
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
1990 2000 2006 2011
$318
$590
$799
$1,100
Black Buying Power
(Billions)
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%
2000 2006 2011
86%
151%
236%
63%
114%
175%
Black Buying Power
(Percent Growth Since 1990)
Blacks Whites
Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College for Business, The University of Georgia, 2007

13. Markets with The Highest Black
Buying Power
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
States
86
72
62 61 61
52
45
41
38
35
Black Buying Power By State
(Billions)
New York Texas California Georgia Florida Maryland Ilinois North Carolina Virginia New Jersey
• New York is ranked the highest for buying power of Blacks in the U.S.
– Texas, California, Georgia, and Florida follow
– New Jersey overtook Michigan this past year as having the 10th largest
buying power
Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College for Business, The University of Georgia, 2007

14. States with the Highest Concentration
of Black Buying Power
13.2%
14.4%
15.0%
17.5%
17.9%
19.6%
21.0%
22.1%
24.8%
28.9%
Virginia
North Carolina
Delaware
Alabama
South Carolina
Louisiana
Georgia
Maryland
Mississippi
District of Columbia
States with the Highest Concentration of Buying
Power by Percentage (%)
*Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College for Business, The University of Georgia, 2007

15. Growth in AA Entrepreneurs
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2002 2007
Number of Firms
1,900
61% increase in the number of firms
7% of these black businesses are in construction
(Thousands)
1,200

16. The growth in the number of AA
businesses has outpaced the General
Market and Hispanic firms
# Firms (Thousands) 2002 2007 % Chg
Black 1,198 1,922 61%
Hispanic 1,573 2,260 44%
Total US 22,975 27,093 18%

17. Top Ten States
For Black Owned Business
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Black owned as a % of Total Businesses
Source: US Census Bureau, 2007 Survey of Business Owners - Released Feb 8, 2011

19. Survey of Black Business Owners
• Black owned businesses generated
$137 billion nationally
• 46% or $63.7 Billion was generated
in southern states
Source: US Census Bureau, 2007 Survey of Business Owners - Released Feb 8, 2011

20. What part of the country
we live in…

21. “Reverse” Migration aka “Black Flight”
• In the wake of job erosion and an
increased cost of living in the North,
blacks have been seeking new
opportunities down South
• States like Texas, Georgia and
North Carolina have all seen
increases in their black populations
while states like Michigan, Illinois,
New York and Ohio are seeing
decreases

22. “a full-scale reversal”
• “Black Americans are moving back to the southern states from the north and
the west in increasing numbers, causing a "full-scale reversal" of the great
migration when they fled segregation, according to a study released
yesterday
• “The report, by the Brookings Institution think tank, found that southern cities
such as Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Charlotte signaled the greatest increase
in attracting black migrants during the 1990s
– “New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco all showed the steepest
declines
• "They are following networks back to the South, but they are also following
job opportunities"
– William Frey, a demographer at the institution and author of the report, as told to the
Los Angeles Times

23. Who are they?
• Blacks that are relocating to the South are
typically
– Age 21-40
– College Educated
– Singles / young families
– Professionals & Entrepreneurs
• Primary reasons for relocating
– First time home buyers
– Employment opportunities
– Better quality of life / cost of living
– Better education for children
– Cultural (getting back to their roots)
Source: Many U.S. Blacks Moving to South, Reversing Trend
Published: NY Times March 24, 2011

24. Continued AA Migration to the South
• Driven by state of the economy in Northern & Midwestern markets,
the South has grown from 52.8% to 56% since the 1990 Census
Source: 2010 U.S. Census
Midwest
56%
18%
17%
South (23.4 million)
Midwest (7.4 million)
Northeast (7.2 million)
West (4.0 million)
West
South
9%
Northeast

25. AA Population and Home Ownership
Population Home Ownership
56% 56%
18%
16%
9% 10%
17% 18%

26. African Americans Are Migrating to Warmer Climates
In the South
Northeast down 0.9 percentage
points
Midwest down 0.7
Percentage points
South up 1.4
percentage points
West up 0.2
percentage points
Source: 2010 US Census
Change in Regional % Distribution
of AA’s 2000 vs. 2010

27. Where in the South are African
Americans ?
State % of Pop that is Black
District of Columbia 52%
Mississippi 38%
Louisiana 33%
Georgia 32%
Maryland 31%
South Carolina 29%
Alabama 27%
Source: 2010 Census

28. AA profile
• Shelton Hayes: Age 33
• Family: Married, two children
• Profession: Housing manager
• Migrated from:
(Harlem) NYC to Atlanta
The Associated Press: In a reversal more black people moving back to south
census data shows” – Feb 16 2011
• Reason for leaving NYC
– “ We have a support network of family and friends
and there is good community involvement, with
our kids involved with swimming, tennis and
basketball. Plus, I see a lot of African Americans
do well in a variety of professions

29. AA profile
• Rev. Ronald Peters: Age 55
• Family: Married, children
• Profession: Pastor
• Migrated from:
Pittsburgh to Charlotte
The Associated Press: In a reversal more black people moving back to south
census data shows” – Feb 16 2011
AA profile
• Reason for leaving Pittsburgh:
– “The Black Middle class is more hopeful in the
South than in the Northeast”

30. • Cicely Bland: Age 36
• Family: Single
• Profession: Owner, Publishing Company
• Migrated from: New Jersey to Atlanta
.
Many U.S. blacks moving to the South, reversing the trend - New York Times, March 24 2011
AA profile
• Reason for leaving New Jersey:
– “The business and political opportunities are here,” she
said. “You have a lot of African-Americans with a lot of
influence, and they’re in my immediate networks.”

31. Where we now live…

32. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Own Rent
46%
54%
67%
33%
Blacks 2010: Home Ownership VS. Renting
African American General Market
Source: 2010 U.S. Census, 2006 MRI
Residential Ownership Changes
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Own Rent
50% 50%
76%
23%
Blacks 2006: Home Ownership VS. Renting
African American General Market
Due to the 2008 housing crisis, home ownership went down for everyone in
America, but the African American drop was less dramatic than that of the GM

33. Cities vs. Suburbs
• Other than New York, Los Angles and Dallas,
cities are declining or growing slower than the
Metropolitan area (MSA)
– MSAs include the city and its suburbs

34. 10 Top US Cities
% Change 2000 vs. 2010
City AA Pop 2000 AA Pop 2010 % change
New York, NY 2,130 2,089 -2%
Chicago, IL 1,065 888 -17%
Philadelphia, PA 656 662 1%
Detroit, MI 776 590 -24%
Houston, TX 494 498 1%
Memphis, TN 399 410 3%
Baltimore, MD 419 396 -5%
Los Angeles, CA 415 365 -12%
Washington DC 343 305 -11%
Dallas, TX 308 299 -3%
Source: 2010 US Census* With Total Population of 100,000 or More

35. African American % Change
Key Cities vs. MSA’s
City City % Chg MSA % Chg
New York, NY -2% -8%
Chicago, IL -17% -4%
Philadelphia, PA 1% 3%
Detroit, MI -24% -17%
Houston, TX 1% 23%
Memphis, TN 3% 18%
Baltimore, MD -5% 10%
Los Angeles, CA -12% -37%
Washington DC -11% 10%
Dallas, TX -3% -4%
Atlanta -8% 40%
Source: 2010 US Census* With Total Population of 100,000 or More

36. Just looking at cities does not tell
the entire story
• The 2010 Census shows us that to find out
where African Americans live we have to look
at the entire MSA not just the City by itself
• Atlanta and Miami do not show up as top cities
yet they are among the top 10 areas where
African Americans live

37. + 40%
Suburbs
- 8%
City
African Americans are migrating to
the suburbs
Source: Nielsen, The State of the African-American Consumer
Example:
Atlanta

38. Source: 2010 U.S. Census
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Metro Non-Metro
49% 51%
32%
68%
Blacks 2010: Metro VS. Suburban Living
African American General Market
Metro vs. Non-Metro
The 2010 Census
showed for the first
time more African
Americans live in the
suburbs, rather than
in cities

39. 20 Top African American MSA’s
MSA Total Pop Black Pop
(000)
%
Black/Index
New York – North NJ – Long Island 18,897 3,363 18%/132
Atlanta – Sandy Spring - Marietta 5,269 1,708 32%/233
Chicago – Joliet - Naperville 9,461 1,646 17%/125
Washington – Arlington - Alexandria 5,582 1,438 26%/191
Philadelphia – Camden - Wilmington 5,965 1,242 21%/154
Miami – Ft Laud. Pompano Beach 5,565 1,169 21%/154
Houston – Sugar Land - Baytown 5,947 1,026 17%/125
Detroit – Warren - Livonia 4,296 980 23%/169
Dallas – Fort Worth - Arlington 6,372 962 15%/110
Los Angeles – Long Beach – Santa Ana 12,829 908 7%/51
Source: 2010 US Census

40. 20 Top African American MSA’s (cont.)
MSA Total
Pop
Black Pop
(000)
%
Black/Index
Baltimore - Towson 2,710 779 29%/213
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 1,316 601 46%/338
Virginia Beach – Norfolk- New Port
News
1,672 522 19%/140
St Louis, MO-IL 2,813 516 18%/132
Charlotte – Gastonia – Rock Hill 1,758 421 23%/169
Cleveland – Elyria - Mentor 2,077 417 20%/147
New Orleans – Metairie - Kenner 1,168 397 34%/250
Richmond 1,258 375 30%/221
San Francisco – Oakland - Fremont 4,335 364 8%/59
Orlando – Kissimmee - Sanford 2,134 345 16%/118
Source: 2010 US Census

41. Past/Present
• Talking about African Americans primarily as Northern
urban city dwellers misses the evolution amongst AA’s
• Given the trends found in the 2010 Census, it may be
better to talk about African Americans as Southern
Surbanites

42. The reality is that most African
Americans live a middle class
life in the suburbs in the South

43. And for most of America’s news
media, for official government
perspectives, and for most non-
blacks, African Americans who
live a middle class life in the
suburbs in the South are the
Silent Majority of black folks