By every socioeconomic measure, there is an undeniable race-based hierarchy in the United States—with black Americans sitting at or near the bottom. In 2014, the share of black adults (at least 25 years old) with bachelor’s or advanced degrees (22 percent) is notably lower than their white counterparts (32 percent). The official unemployment rate for black workers is persistently double that of white workers: in 2015, 9.7 percent vs. 4.3 percent. Also in 2015, the African-American poverty rate (26.2 percent) stood at more than double that among white Americans (10.1 percent). Black Americans account for 38 percent of the prison population, nearly three times their share of the U.S. population. White Americans, in contrast, account for 59 percent of U.S. prisoners, under-representing their 77 percent population share.
These lopsided outcomes have, of course, two sides: by every major socioeconomic measure, white Americans sit at or near the top of the race-based hierarchy. This is an obvious point. Here’s another one: if the economic odds are stacked against African-Americans, the flipside is that white Americans have the odds stacked in their favor....
http://www.alternet.org/economy/it-pays-be-white
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