Countries of origin: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, South Africa, Cape Verde, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone.
Total Population
36,148,524
Foreign born
1,408,487
Foreign Born Data
Male
53.9%
Female
46.1%
Median Age
37.3
Age Structure
18 years and over
89.1%
21 years and over
84.8%
62 years and over
6.9%
65 years and over
5.2%
Some college or associate's degree
25.9%
Bachelor's degree
25.0%
Graduate or professional degree
17.1%
LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME AND ABILITY TO SPEAK ENGLISH
English only
23.1%
Language other than English( Amharic, Arabic, Swahili, Somali, French, Portuguese, Hausa)
76.9%
Speak English less than "very well"
28.6%
OCCUPATION
Management, professional, and related occupations
37.3%
Service occupations
22.9%
Sales and office occupations
21.2%
Median household income (dollars)
49,367
Immigration patterns have primarily impacted the younger segment of the African-American/Black population. More than 12% of foreign-born African Americans/Blacks are 18 to 34 years-old compared to less than 2% who are over the age of 50. The percent of African Americans/Blacks receiving a high school diploma or more has increased by 57% in the past 25 years compared to a 27% increase for the overall U.S. population during the same time period. The number of African Americans/Blacks earning a high school diploma, bachelor’s degree or graduate/professional degree rose by 10% from 1993 to 2003 —the largest reported gain of any group for that period. The percent of African Americans/Blacks with a high school diploma or higher increased by nearly 10% from 2000 to 2005 alone.
Source: Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) Fall 2007; US Census Community Survey 2008
African-American Market Trends
The potential of the African-American/Black market has advertisers dedicating major dollars to reach them—and those dollars are growing at a significant pace. In 2002 advertisers spent $457.9 billion to reach African Americans/Blacks through African-American/Black media properties. In 2006, that spending increased by 72.8%, totaling $791 million. Growth occurred across all categories, ranging from Direct Response, Personal Hygiene & Health to Media & Advertising and Audio & Video Equipment.
The Selig Center estimates that black buying power will rise to $1.2 trillion in 2013 -- and that this number will translate to nearly 9% of the nation's estimated buying power.
