xvi Fact Sheet on African Americans
ARMED FORCES
In 2012, there were 2.4 million black military veterans in the United States (U.S.
Census Bureau, 2014a). There were also 1,149,167 active duty military persons,
among whom 210,717 were African American, or 18.3 percent (U.S. Department
of Defense 2012, 25).
EDUCATION (U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, 2014A)
Percentage aged 25 years or older having a high school diploma or
higher—83.2 percent
Percentage aged 25 years or older having a bachelor’s degree or higher—18.7
percent
Number aged 25 years or older having an advanced degree—1.6 million
Number enrolled in college—3.7 million (a 28 percent increase from 2007,
with a 74 percent increase from 2001 to 2010)
UNEMPLOYMENT (JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE
DEMOCRATIC STAFF, 2013)
Unemployment rate for those without a high school diploma—25.6 percent
Unemployment rate for those with a high school diploma—15.1 percent
Unemployment rate for those with at least a bachelor’s degree—5.1 percent
VOTING
In the 2010 congressional election, 11.1 million blacks voted, an increase from
10 percent of the total electorate in 2006 to 12 percent in 2010 (U.S. Census
Bureau, 2011).
The turnout rate for the 18- to 24-year-old citizen black population during the
2008 presidential election was 55 percent, an 8 percentage point increase from
2004. Blacks had the highest turnout rate in this age group.
The turnout rate among black citizens, regardless of age, in the 2012 presiden-
tial election was 66.2 percent, higher than 64.1 of non-Hispanic whites for the first
