Research

Women of Color in the United States (Quick Take)

Feb 01, 2021

POPULATION

One in Five Americans Is A Woman of Color1

Women of color comprised 20.3% of the United States population in 2019, an increase from 18.4% in 2010.2

Women of Color Will Be the Majority of All Women in the United States by 2060 3
Percentage of Total Women in US Population (2019) Percentage of Total Women in US Population (2060)
White (not Hispanic or Latina) 60.0% 44.3%
Hispanic or Latina 18.0% 27.0%
Black or African American 12.9% 15.2%
Asian 5.0% 9.5%
American Indian and
Alaska Native		 0.7% 1.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.2% 0.3%

 

EDUCATION

The College Graduation Rate Continues to Rise for Most Women of Color 4

Of total bachelor’s degrees earned by US citizen women and permanent residents in 2017–2018, the percentage of those earned by women of color: 5

  • Hispanic women: 14.9%.
  • Black women: 11.4% (this percentage has decreased since its high of 12.3% in 2011-12).
  • Asian/Pacific Islander women: 7.6%.

Of total bachelor’s degrees in business earned by women in 2017-2018, the percentage of those earned by women of color: 6

  • Black women: 11.5%.
  • Hispanic women: 13.7%.
  • Asian/Pacific Islander women: 8.1%.

LABOR FORCE

Latinas and Asian Women Will Make Up a Larger Percentage of the US Labor Force Over the Next Decade 7

Between 2019–2029 the projected percentage increase in the labor force of women by race or ethnicity: 8

  • Black women: 9.3%.
  • Hispanic women: 25.8%.
  • White women: 3.1%.

Percent of women of color among all US management, business, and financial operations employees in 2020:9

  • Asian women: 18.8%.
  • Black women: 14.2%.
  • Hispanic or Latinas: 12.4%.
  • White women: 18.1%.
Despite This Increase, US Workplaces Struggle to Retain Women of Color Professionals10

According to a 2019 survey, half (50%) of women of color professionals planned to leave their employers in the next two years.11

  • Asian women: 48%.
  • Black women: 52%.
  • Latinx women: 49%.

LEADERSHIP

From Entry Level Positions to the C-Suite, the Share of Women of Color Remains Small

In 2020, women of color represented 18% of entry-level positions. Few advanced to leadership positions: managers (12%), senior managers/directors (9%), VPs (6%), SVPs (5%), and C-suite positions (3%). 12

While White women held almost one-third (32.8%) of total management positions in the US in 2020, women of color held a much smaller share:13

  • Asian women: 2.2%.
  • Black women: 4.1%.
  • Hispanic women: 4.5%.

PAY GAP

Women of Color Have a Greater Wage Gap

Based on full-time earnings in 2019, for every dollar white, non-Hispanic men earned:

  • Asian women earned 90 cents.14
    • However, the wage gap is substantially larger for some subgroups of Asian women. For example, Nepalese women (50%), Burmese women (52%), Fijian women (55%), and Cambodian women (57%) are paid well below the earnings of white, non-Hispanic men.15
  • Black women earned 63 cents.16
  • Latinas earned only 55 cents.17
  • Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women earned 63 cents.18
  • Native American women earned 60 cents.19
Women of Color Are Disproportionally Represented in Low Wage and Essential Jobs20

Roughly 60.3% of maids and housekeepers, 50.3% of nursing assistants, and 45.7% of personal care aides are women of color. Within these occupations:21

  • More than half of home health aides are Black women.
  • Nearly 70% of maids and housekeepers are Latinas.

Among all employed women of color, the largest percentage work as cashiers, registered nurses, and elementary and middle school teachers.22

LEARN MORE

DEFINITION: The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requires federal agencies to use a minimum of five race categories: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Note that Hispanic is defined as an ethnic heritage and people who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be any race.23

NOTE: Hispanic or Latino refers to persons of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.  In accordance with OMB and NCES standards, Brazilians are not categorized as Hispanic (but may identify as Latino). Therefore for accuracy, this Quick Take follows the race/ethnicity label used by each government agency to ensure we represent their specific data collection.24

 

How to cite this product: Women of Color in the United States: Quick Take. (2021, February 1). Catalyst.

 

  1. United States Census Bureau. (2020). Annual estimates of the resident population by sex, race, and Hispanic origin [Data set]. 2019 Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin.
  2. United States Census Bureau. (2020). Annual estimates of the resident population by sex, race, and Hispanic origin [Data set]. 2019 Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin.
  3. United States Census Bureau. (2020). Annual estimates of the resident population by sex, race, and Hispanic origin [Data set]; United States Census Bureau. (2018). Table 4: Projected race and Hispanic origin [Data set]. 2017 National Population Projections Tables.
  4. National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Table 322.20: Bachelor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected years, 1976-77 through 2017-18 [Data set]. 2019 Digest of Education Statistics.
  5. National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Table 322.20: Bachelor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected years, 1976-77 through 2017-18 [Data set]. 2019 Digest of Education Statistics.
  6. National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Table 322.50: Bachelor’s degrees conferred to females by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and field of study: 2016-17 and 2017-18 [Data set]. 2019 Digest of Education Statistics.
  7. The BLS has an “all other groups” category which includes (1) those classified as being of multiple racial origin and (2) the racial categories of (2a) Asian (2b) American Indian and Alaska Native and (2c) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Table 3.1: Civilian labor force by age, sex, race, and ethnicity, 1999, 2009, 2019, and projected 2029 (numbers in thousands) [Data set]. Employment Projections. 
  8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Table 3.1: Civilian labor force by age, sex, race, and ethnicity, 1999, 2009, 2019, and projected 2029 (numbers in thousands) [Data set]. Employment Projections.
  9. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 10: Employed persons by occupation, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex [Data set]. Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey.
  10. Frankel, B. (2020). On the verge: How to stop the tidal wave of multicultural women fleeing corporate America. Working Mother Media.
  11. Frankel, B. (2020). On the verge: How to stop the tidal wave of multicultural women fleeing corporate America. Working Mother Media.
  12. Thomas, R., Cooper, M., Cardazone, G., Urban, K., Bohrer, A., Long, M., Yee, L., Krivkovich, A., Huang, J., Prince, S., Kumar A., & Coury, S. (2020). Women in the workplace 2020: Corporate America is at a critical crossroads. McKinsey & Company and Lean In.
  13. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020). Table 1: Employed and experienced unemployed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, annual average 2019 (unpublished data) [Data set]. Current Population Survey.
  14. Equal pay for Asian American and Pacific Islander women: Fact sheet. (2020, January 30). National Women’s Law Center.
  15. Equal pay for Asian American and Pacific Islander women: Fact sheet. (2020, January 30). National Women’s Law Center.
  16. The wage gap: The who, how, why, and what to do: Fact sheet. (2020, October 20). National Women’s Law Center.
  17. Tucker, J. (2020, October 25). 55 cents on the dollar isn’t enough for Latinas: Fact sheet. National Women’s Law Center.
  18. The wage gap: The who, how, why, and what to do: Fact sheet. (2020, October 20). National Women’s Law Center.
  19. Tucker, J. (2020, September). Native American women can’t wait for equal pay: Fact sheet. National Women’s Law Center.
  20. Frye, J. (2020, April 23). On the frontlines at work and at home: The disproportionate economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women of color. Center for American Progress.
  21. Frye, J. (2020, April 23). On the frontlines at work and at home: The disproportionate economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women of color. Center for American Progress.
  22. Frye, J. (2020, April 23). On the frontlines at work and at home: The disproportionate economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women of color. Center for American Progress.
  23. The White House/Office of Management and Budget. (1997, October 30). Revisions to the standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity. Federal Register Notice; U.S. Census Bureau. (2011, March). 2010 Census briefs: Overview of race and Hispanic origin: 2010.
  24. National Center for Education Statistics. (2018, November 1). Statistical standards. National Center for Education Statistics, Email messages to author.