Best States for Racial Equality in Civic Engagement

Racial equality has been a prominent issue in recent years, with protests about police brutality giving way to broader discussions about race relations. While it’s easy to see racial discrepancies in areas like employment and education, it’s also important to highlight differences in civic engagement. For example, 74.2% of non-Hispanic white adults in the U.S. are registered to vote, compared to 69% of black adults. Similarly, the volunteer rate of white Americans is 26.4% compared to 19.3% for black Americans. Naturally, these statistics lead to questions about whether minorities have fewer opportunities to engage politically and socially.

In order to determine the best states for racial equality in civic engagement, WalletHub compared 48 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics. Our data set compares the difference between white and black Americans in areas like the share of single-parent households, the volunteer rate and voter-turnout rate.

Main Findings

States with the Most Civic Engagement Racial Equality

*No. 1 = Most Equality

Gap in Share of Single-Parent Households

Lowest Gap

• 1. Idaho
• 2. Montana
• 3. Maine
• 4. New Mexico
• 5. Wyoming

Highest Gap

• 45. Ohio
• 46. Michigan
• 47. Illinois
• 48. Wisconsin
• 49. District of Columbia

Gap in Share of Adult Population on Parole

Lowest Gap

• 1. Maine
• 2. Virginia
• 3. Florida
• 4. Massachusetts
• 5. Delaware

Highest Gap

• 43. Idaho
• 44. Arkansas
• 45. Wisconsin
• 46. Oregon
• 47. Pennsylvania

Gap in Share of Veterans

Lowest Gap

• T-1. New Mexico
• T-1. Montana
• T-1. Wyoming
• T-1. Utah
• T-1. Colorado

Highest Gap

• 45. Florida
• 46. Maine
• 47. Minnesota
• 48. South Dakota
• 49. North Dakota

Volunteer Rate Gap

Lowest Gap

• 1. Kentucky
• 2. Florida
• 3. Tennessee
• 4. Washington
• 5. Nevada

Highest Gap

• 34. Minnesota
• 35. Iowa
• 36. Rhode Island
• 37. District of Columbia
• 38. Wisconsin

Voter-Turnout Rate Gap

Lowest Gap

• T-1. Mississippi
• T-1. Maryland
• T-1. Tennessee
• T-1. Missouri
• T-1. Pennsylvania

Highest Gap

• 32. Colorado
• 33. Oregon
• 34. Iowa
• 35. Wisconsin
• 36. Massachusetts

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Note: All of the above comparisons refer to the gaps between white people and black people, according to the most recent available data.

Ask the Experts

In order to provide further insight on how to promote equality in civic participation, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the pictures of the experts below to read their bios and see their responses to the following key questions:

1. What social measures have proven effective in addressing racial inequalities?
2. What would be the most effective ways to promote civic knowledge and self-efficacy among youth belonging to racial minorities?
3. What strategies and resources should state and local governments take into consideration in order to encourage civic participation from racial minorities?
4. How can state and local governments better promote volunteering as a form of social and civic engagement among racial minorities?

Ask the Experts

Lori Latrice Martin
Ph.D. – Associate Dean, Professor, Department of African and African American Studies; LSU Faculty Athletics Representative – Louisiana State University
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Tony N. Brown
Ph.D. – Distinguished Professor of Sociology – Rice University, Unceded Karankawa Territory
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Eric Kyere
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, School of Social Work and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Africana Studies – Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis
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Mia Smith-Bynum
Ph.D. – Professor of Family Science at the University of Maryland-College Park
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Carey Latimore
Ph.D. – Associate Professor, History – Trinity University
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Methodology

In order to determine the states with the most racial equality in terms of civic engagement, WalletHub compared 48 states and the District of Columbia across five relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most equality. We determined the level of equality by subtracting the values attributed to white Americans and black Americans for a given metric, using only the most recent available data.

If in some states black people scored as high as or better than white people on a given metric, all such states were awarded the maximum number of points.

Finally, we determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

• Share of Single-Parent Households: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Share of Adult Population on Parole: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Share of Veterans: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
• Voter-Turnout Rate: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the rates for presidential elections.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from of the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Justice Statistics and Corporation for National and Community Service.

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