Report: Hawai‘i Ranks No. 3 in Nation for Racial Integration

A new report examining equality between black and white Americans ranks Hawai‘i among the top states in the nation for 2019’s States with the Most and Least Racial Progress.

The analysis, conducted by the personal finance website WalletHub, measured 22 key factors that indicate racial gaps between blacks and whites including median annual income, voter turnout and standardized test scores.

According to the most recent data available, Hawai‘i ranks first in racial integration for the median annual income gap, labor force participation rate gap, poverty rate gap and standardized test score gap. Overall, the Aloha State ranks third in the nation for racial integration.

Racial Integration in Hawai‘i (1=Most Integrated, 25=Average)

• 1st – Median annual income gap
• 1st – Labor force participation rate gap
• 19th – Unemployment rate gap
• 26th – Homeownership rate gap
• 1st – Poverty rate gap
• 10th – Gap in % of Adults (25 and older) with at least a high school diploma
• 1st – Standardized test scores gap

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Day, the report compared only blacks and whites in light of escalated racial tensions in recent years that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

Public opinion on systemic racism appears to vary widely between blacks and whites. A Pew Research Center (PRC) survey revealed that 92% of blacks say that whites benefit much more from advantages that blacks do not have. However, only 46% of whites agree with that statement. Another PRC survey found that 58% of Americans think increasing diversity makes the U.S. a better place, 9% said it makes the U.S. a worse place and 31% think it makes no difference.  

Racial Integration Ranking by State