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In late May, the U.S. commemorated the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death, an event that set off an ongoing wave of protests, demonstrations, and other activism highlighting racial inequities and injustices in modern society. One year since this national reckoning began, much of the country has a greater understanding of how race operates to the benefit of some and exclusion of others.
One example of such an inequity is the wage gap between racial minorities and the White population. The wage gap is both a symptom and cause of racial inequities: the existence of the wage gap is sometimes attributed to factors like racial discrimination or disparate levels of educational quality and attainment, and differences in compensation in turn contributes to other examples of inequity like the racial wealth gap and disparities in homeownership by race.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the persistence of the minority wage gap over time, with non-Hispanic Whites and Asians consistently out-earning Black and Hispanic workers. In 2002, per capita income was $37,234 for non-Hispanic Whites, $34,388 for Asians, $22,004 for Blacks, and $19,220 for Hispanics (in inflation-adjusted dollars). In 2019, those figures were $46,281 for Whites, $47,525 for Asians, $27,593 for Blacks, and $23,289 for Hispanics. This means that wage gaps have not only remained in place over time but in fact have grown larger as the incomes for non-Hispanic Whites and Asians rose faster than those of their Black and Hispanic peers.
Minority wage gaps are more prominent in some regions of the country than in others due to both economic and demographic factors. Some states with low incomes overall, like the Appalachian states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Missouri, also have smaller wage gaps because Whites are earning less. In contrast, a state like California has some of the highest wages of anywhere in the country; however, many of the highest-earning professions in fields like tech or finance have unusually high concentrations of White workers, whereas lower-income jobs tend to be filled more by Black and Hispanic workers.
Interestingly, one geographic factor that may not necessarily affect gaps at the state level is the share of the White or non-White population in a state. For instance, states with very low non-White populations pop up on both ends of the wage gap spectrum.
To find the metropolitan areas with the largest wage gaps, researchers at Self used American Community Survey data from the Census Bureau to calculate the percentage difference in median annual earnings between minority and non-minority full-time workers. For the purpose of this analysis, an individual was considered to be a minority if they identified as any racial or ethnic group other than non-Hispanic White. For context, the researchers also reported the minority and non-minority wages, minority population share, and total population for each metro.
Here are the metros with the largest minority wage gap.
Large Metros With the Largest Minority Wage Gap
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15. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
- Minority wage gap: -33.3%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $60,000
- Minority population share: 69.3%
- Total population: 4,650,631
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14. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Minority wage gap: -33.3%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $60,000
- Minority population share: 55.4%
- Total population: 7,573,136
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13. Austin-Round Rock, TX
- Minority wage gap: -33.3%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $60,000
- Minority population share: 48.2%
- Total population: 2,227,083
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12. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- Minority wage gap: -34.4%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $61,000
- Minority population share: 54.4%
- Total population: 6,018,744
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11. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
- Minority wage gap: -34.5%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $36,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $55,000
- Minority population share: 68.2%
- Total population: 2,550,960
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10. Salt Lake City, UT
- Minority wage gap: -34.5%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $36,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $55,000
- Minority population share: 28.6%
- Total population: 1,232,696
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9. Raleigh, NC
- Minority wage gap: -35.5%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $62,000
- Minority population share: 40.4%
- Total population: 1,390,785
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8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
- Minority wage gap: -37.5%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $55,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $88,000
- Minority population share: 56.1%
- Total population: 6,280,697
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7. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
- Minority wage gap: -37.6%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $43,700
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $70,000
- Minority population share: 55.2%
- Total population: 3,338,330
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6. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- Minority wage gap: -38.0%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $49,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $79,000
- Minority population share: 54.2%
- Total population: 19,216,182
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5. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
- Minority wage gap: -40.0%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $60,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $100,000
- Minority population share: 61.4%
- Total population: 4,731,803
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4. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
- Minority wage gap: -40.3%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $67,000
- Minority population share: 47.9%
- Total population: 9,457,867
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3. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
- Minority wage gap: -41.2%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $68,000
- Minority population share: 65.0%
- Total population: 7,066,140
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2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
- Minority wage gap: -41.7%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $35,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $60,000
- Minority population share: 70.4%
- Total population: 6,166,488
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1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
- Minority wage gap: -46.7%
- Median earnings for full-time minority workers: $40,000
- Median earnings for full-time non-minority workers: $75,000
- Minority population share: 70.8%
- Total population: 13,214,799
Detailed Findings & Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS). To determine the locations with the largest minority wage gap, researchers calculated the percentage difference in median annual earnings between minority and non-minority full-time workers. For the purpose of this analysis, an individual was considered to be a minority if they identified as any racial or ethnic group other than non-Hispanic white. Full-time workers were those aged 16 and over that usually worked 35 hours or more per week and 50 weeks or more per year. Locations were ordered based on the minority wage gap, with larger negative numbers corresponding to a larger gap. In the event of a tie, median earnings and the minority population share was considered.
To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents were included. Additionally, metros were grouped into cohorts based on population size: small (100,000–349,999), midsize (350,000–999,999), and large (1,000,000 or more).
