Racial Disparities

Racial Disparities in Cleveland

Cleveland, like most communities around the country, is a place where your life outcomes can be determined by your ZIP code, and where people who are black face significantly more challenges than white people.It starts with where you live. By all measures, Cleveland’s population is highly segregated by race. Depending on the data used and the way segregation is measured, the Cleveland metro ranks anywhere from the fifth to the 10^th most segregated in the nation. [1][2]

Percent of Population Who is Black, by Cleveland Census Tract (Neighborhoods Outlined in White): 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

Segregation in Cleveland is a result of historical policy decisions and a systemic disinvestment in areas where African-Americans lived. The impact of those policies, along with ongoing exclusionary and discriminatory practices, reverberate today. To read more about the history of racial segregation in Cleveland, check out “Divided by Design Timeline: A Historical Tour of Greater Cleveland’s Segregation” by Ideastream.

To read this infographic report, continue scrolling, or select one of the topic areas below:

Birth Outcomes

The challenges facing black residents begin at birth, and compound over the course of their lives. [3] [4] [5]

Childhood

During childhood, black children in Cleveland are more likely than white children to live in poverty, be exposed to lead and live in unsafe neighborhoods. On the flipside, black children are less likely than white children to be enrolled in gifted and talented programs. [6] [7]

Criminal Justice

Disparities in criminal justice involvement begin during adolescence. Research points to the existence of a school-to-prison pipeline, whereby young black children are disproportionately disciplined in school, leading to a higher likelihood of future incarceration. In Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, this is substantiated by data. [8] [9] [10][11]

IncomeWhile the racial gap in high school graduation rates in Cleveland has shrunk, disparities still exist when it comes to educational outcomes. White Clevelanders are much more likely to have any college education than black Clevelanders, and they are more than twice as likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher.[12] Higher educational attainment generally leads to greater employment opportunity, although research shows that black workers often make less than white workers regardless of education level. [13] [14][15]

Health

In Cleveland’s residentially segregated neighborhoods, health outcomes vary widely, often along racial lines. Residents who live in highly segregated, black neighborhoods are more likely to have asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes and a number of other chronic health conditions. [16] [17][18]

[1] Logan, John R. and Stults, Brian J. “The Persistence of Segregation in the Metropolis: New Findings from the 2010 Census.” March 2011. Accessed October 2018. https://s4.ad.brown.edu/Projects/Diversity/Data/Report/report2.pdf[2] Frey, William H. “Census Shows Modest Declines in Black-White Segregation.” December 2015. Accessed October 2018. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2015/12/08/census-shows-modest-declines-in-black-white-segregation/[3] City of Cleveland Low Birth Weight & Preterm Birth, 2013-2017: Ohio Department of Health Birth Records, compiled by The Center for Community Solutions[4] Preterm Birth Weight by Neighborhood, 2013-2017: Ohio Department of Health Birth Records, compiled by The Center for Community Solutions[5] Cuyahoga County Infant Mortality, 2017: Zeltner, Brie. “Rate of Black Infant Deaths 6 Times That of White Deaths in Cuyahoga County in 2017.” March 2018. Accessed October 2018. https://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2018/03/black_babies_6_times_more_like.html[6] Child Poverty by Race: 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates[7]  Gifted Programs by Race: Groeger, Lena V., Waldman, Annie, and Eads, David. “Miseducation: Is There Racial Inequality at Your School?” October 2018. Accessed October 2018. https://projects.propublica.org/miseducation/district/3904378[8] School Discipline by Race: Groeger, Lena V., Waldman, Annie, and Eads, David. “Miseducation: Is There Racial Inequality at Your School?” October 2018. Accessed October 2018. https://projects.propublica.org/miseducation/district/3904378[9] Cuyahoga County Juvenile Population Data: 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates[10] Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Data: “Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas- Juvenile Division 2016 Annual Report.” 2016. Accessed October 2018. http://juvenile.cuyahogacounty.us/pdf_juvenile/en-US/AnnualReports/2016AnnualReport.pdf[11] Cuyahoga County Adult Criminal Justice Data: “January 2018 Census of ODRC Institutional Population, Demographic and Offense Summary.” January 2018. Accessed October 2018. https://drc.ohio.gov/Portals/0/Reentry/Reports/Institution%20Census/INSTITUTION%20CENSUS%20JANUARY%202018.pdf?ver=2018-01-29-091451-483[12] Educational Attainment by Race in Cleveland: 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates[13] Median Income by Race in Cleveland MSA: 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates[14] Occupations by Race: Fund for Our Economic Future. “The Two Tomorrows.” February 2018. Accessed October 2018. http://www.thefundneo.org/our-research-what-matters/two-tomorrows[15] Poverty rates by Race in City of Cleveland: 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates[16] Percent of Population Who is Black, by Cleveland Census Tract (Neighborhoods Outlined in White): 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates[17] Asthma, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure Rates by Cleveland Census Tract: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “500 Cities: Local Data for Better Health.” 2017. Accessed October 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/500cities/index.htm[18] Cuyahoga County Life Expectancy by Race: Health Improvement Partnership-Cuyahoga. “2018 Community Health Assessment.” November 2018. Accessed November 2018. http://hipcuyahoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018CuyahogaCountyAssessmentFinal.pdf