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Top 10 Worst Cities For Black Americans to Live

Poor African Americans

Racial disparity exists in cities across the nation. Often, the disparity is severe enough to make some cities the worst places for black Americans to live. Sadly, all of the worst cities for this ethnic group are in the midwest.

But why?

According to think tank Economic Policy Institute (EPI), there was a big migration of blacks in the year 1916 and again in 1970 who left the South in search of opportunity. The Midwest offered well-paying factory jobs, so many migrated to Midwestern cities. Many of the cities were smaller. When the manufacturing boom lost momentum, the black population remained. Their presence in smaller cities was less tolerated, subjecting blacks to more racism than in larger cities.

According to 247wallst.com, the 10 worst cities for Black Americans are:

#1 - Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI: this city is considered the worst for black Americans. Although the percentage of black is 16.7 percent, so is the black unemployment rate. Couple this with a huge income disparity -- with a median income of $61,675 for whites compared to a median income of $25,646 for blacks -- and you have tension between the two that affects adults as well as school children.

#2 - Rockford, IL: poor economic conditions have hit the black population hard, creating a huge income disparity between blacks and whites; the median income for whites is about twice as much as for blacks. In addition, the poverty rate among blacks is four times greater than for whites.

#3 - Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: whites in this city have one of the highest incomes in the country at $73,700, but the city also has one of the worst income disparities with blacks earning $28,000 per year. The unemployment rate among blacks is also four times higher than for whites. What's interesting is that about 20 percent of the black population has at least a Bachelor's degree, yet their poverty rate is higher.

#4 - Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI: Chicago area has serious socioeconomic racial disparities. Blacks have four times greater poverty and twice as many mortality rates than white residents. It is one of the most segregated areas in the nation.

#5 - Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI: black residents in this area earn less than half the income of whites. Four times as many blacks than whites also live in poverty. In addition, in this area where only 6.5 percent of residents are black, black Michigan residents are still nearly six times more likely than their white peers to go to jail or prison.

For the full list, visit www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/worst-cities-black-americans_5613d10ee4b0baa355ad322f


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