State Economies With Most Racial Equality – Iowa Nearly Last

Over the past month, since George Floyd's death, protests have erupted across the country. The protests focus on police brutality and racial injustices. It also brings to the forefront, the many different types of economic discrimination in America.

In an effort to determine which states have the most racial equality in terms of employment and wealth, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across eight key metrics. The data compares the difference between white and black Americans in these specific areas:

• Median Annual Household Income
• Labor-Force Participation Rate
• Unemployment Rate: Double Weight
• Homeownership Rate
• Poverty Rate
• Homeless Rate
• Share of Un-sheltered Homeless
• Share of Executives

Iowa finished a dismal 47th for "highest median annual income gap".

Finishing among the worst for "highest poverty rate gap" didn't help our overall rating either.

Overall, Iowa finished a pitiful 47th, only in front of Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin and D.C. The #1 state for the most racial equality economically was New Mexico, followed by Alaska and Arizona.

Other stunning statistics include: the average white family has a net worth of 10 times more than an average black family. The unemployment rate is nearly twice as high for black Americans compared to whites. Plus, only 3.2% of executive or senior-level positions belong to black Americans.

As you can see, Iowa and the rest of the country, have a long way to go to bridge the many social and economic inequalities that African-Americans and other minorities face today.

Check out this map to see how other states ranked: