
Editor’s Observe: This story initially appeared on Smartest Greenback.
In the previous couple of years, policymakers, consultants, and the general public at massive have paid extra consideration than ever to disparities confronted by America’s racial and ethnic minorities. And among the starkest gaps minorities face are within the realm of financial alternative.
White staff earn considerably greater than members of different racial and ethnic teams, and these gaps have grown over time — whilst minorities’ incomes have elevated. These gaps in wages additionally assist clarify racial disparities in different socioeconomic circumstances, like wealth and well being outcomes.
In some components of the nation, nonetheless, racial and ethnic minorities do characterize a bigger portion of the skilled workforce. States with a bigger white inhabitants are likely to have fewer such staff, whereas extremely various states naturally are likely to have the best share of minorities in skilled occupations.
Many primarily white states in New England and the Midwest have the nation’s lowest percentages of minority professionals, led by Maine, the place simply 5.7% of execs determine as minorities. Hawaii, the place simply 22.9% of the inhabitants identifies as non-Hispanic white, leads the U.S. within the share of minorities in skilled occupations at 68.8%. And 4 different states with massive minority populations — California, New Mexico, Texas, and Maryland — have shares above 40%.
Massive U.S. Metros With the Most Minority Professionals

On the metro stage, the identical sample holds. Lots of the U.S.’s most various cities lead the nation of their share of minority professionals, with plenty of cities in California, Texas, and Florida topping the checklist. In solely 5 out of greater than 250 metros included within the examine had been minorities overrepresented amongst skilled staff. Notably, most of the areas with the smallest gaps had been faculty cities equivalent to State School, Pennsylvania; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Ithaca, New York.
The information used on this evaluation is from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To find out the areas with probably the most minority professionals, researchers at Smartest Greenback calculated the proportion of execs — outlined as these in occupations that usually require a bachelor’s diploma or increased — which can be minorities. Within the occasion of a tie, the situation with the larger complete professionals which can be minorities was ranked increased. For the needs of this evaluation, minorities are thought of to be all people who find themselves not non-Hispanic white.
Listed here are the U.S. metropolitan areas with probably the most minority professionals.
15. Dallas-Fort Value-Arlington, TX

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 39.2%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 55.0%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 511,220
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $65,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $72,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $50,000
14. Memphis, TN-MS-AR

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 39.8%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 57.2%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 71,891
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $53,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $62,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $42,000
13. New York-Newark-Jersey Metropolis, NY-NJ-PA

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 40.0%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 54.0%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 1,530,702
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $80,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $88,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $60,000
12. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 40.3%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 55.1%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 251,277
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $75,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $81,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $52,000
11. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 41.1%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 58.3%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 106,581
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $60,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $65,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $41,000
10. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 41.3%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 54.6%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 164,615
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $54,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $60,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $40,000
9. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 42.9%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 54.0%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 473,865
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $65,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $70,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $50,000
8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 42.9%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 55.9%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 674,532
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $85,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $93,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $69,000
7. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 48.4%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 64.7%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 556,806
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $65,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $72,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $50,000
6. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 49.5%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 61.2%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 579,178
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $100,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $105,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $75,000
5. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 53.2%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 68.2%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 188,559
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $54,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $60,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $40,000
4. Los Angeles-Lengthy Seaside-Anaheim, CA

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 53.7%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 70.7%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 1,172,743
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $72,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $80,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $50,000
3. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 54.6%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 68.8%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 282,824
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $68,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $72,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $45,000
2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Seaside, FL

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 59.1%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 69.7%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 543,994
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $55,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $60,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $40,000
1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

- Share of execs who’re minorities: 62.3%
- Share of complete inhabitants who’re minorities: 69.4%
- Complete professionals who’re minorities: 318,852
- Median annual wage for minority full-time professionals: $120,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time professionals: $120,000
- Median annual wage for all full-time staff: $80,000
Detailed Findings & Methodology

The information used on this evaluation is from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Neighborhood Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2021 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics knowledge. To find out the areas with probably the most minority professionals, researchers at Smartest Greenback calculated the proportion of execs — outlined as these in occupations that usually require a bachelor’s diploma or increased — who’re minorities. Within the occasion of a tie, the situation with the larger complete professionals who’re minorities was ranked increased. For the needs of this evaluation, minorities are thought of to be all people who find themselves not non-Hispanic white. To enhance relevance, solely metropolitan areas with at the very least 100,000 residents had been included. Moreover, metros had been grouped into cohorts based mostly on inhabitants dimension: small (100,000–349,999), midsize (350,000–999,999), and huge (1,000,000 or extra).