Black History Month by the Numbers

Black History Month began as Negro History Week in 1926 and was founded by Carter G. Woodson, who believed there needed to be something established that showed black people were major participants in American history.

For many years, the second week of February was set aside to commemorate the contributions African Americans made to this country.

Then in 1976 the week expanded into a month, and now Black History Month is celebrated nationally every February.

About 42 million people nationwide in 2010 identified as black, which was about 13.6 percent of the American population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In San Bruno, 942 residents identified as black or African American, which was about 2.3 percent of  in 2010.

Here are other interesting numbers, according to census data:

• 2.4 million—Number of black military veterans in the U.S. in 2010.
• 82 percent—Among African Americans 25 and older, the percentage with a high school diploma or higher in 2010. Meanwhile, 18 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• 1.5 million—Number of African Americans 25 and older who had an advanced degree in 2010.
• 2.9 million—Number of black college students in 2010, a 1.7 million increase since 1990.
• 11.1 million—Number of black voters who voted in the 2010 congressional election.
• 55 percent—Turnout rate in the 2008 presidential election for the 18- to 24-year-old black population, an 8-percentage point increase from 2004. African Americans had the highest turnout rate in this age group.
• $32,068—The annual median income of black households in 2010, a decline of 3.2 percent from 2009.
• 44.4 percent—Among families with black householders, the percentage that were married couples last year.
• 27.4 percent—Poverty rate in 2010 for African Americans.
• 28.4 percent—The percentage of African Americans 16 and older who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations in 2010.

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