Georgia No. 1 in Racial Progress: Study

ATLANTA, GA -- Georgia is No. 1 in racial progress, according to a new analysis by personal-finance website WalletHub.

The group's analysts gauged the gaps between blacks and whites in 16 indicators relating to equality and integration.

Researchers looked at such barometers as "Change in Median Annual Income Gap," "Change in Business Ownership Rate Gap" and "Change in Voter Turnout Gap (2012 Presidential Election)" to arrive at the rankings, which were released Monday.

The state ranked No. 1 overall in employment and wealth, but came in 37th in health, 10th in civic engagement, according to WalletHub analysts. The state ranked 16th when it came to integration.

While a cursory look at the headlines shows us that there is still much work to be done, the rankings mean that Georgia, home of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has surpassed all other states in making some headway regarding harmony between the races.

The study comes as the nation prepares to commemorate Martin Luther King Day, the third Monday in January. MLK's ideals of racial harmony and justice set the tone for the crumbling of the South's Jim Crow laws, which dictated that most social services be separated by race.

Georgia was one of four Southern states to rank in the top 10, including Mississippi, North Carolina and Louisiana. The state that ranked last was Maine.

Image via Pixabay