Women of Color in the United States 
1. POPULATION
One in Five Americans Is a Woman of Color 1
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 (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%
2. 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 2018-2019, the percentage of those earned by women of color: 5
Hispanic women: 15.7%.
Black women: 11.4% (this percentage has continued to decrease since its high of 12.3% in 2011-12).
Asian/Pacific Islander women: 7.7%.
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.5%.
Of total bachelor’s degrees in business earned by women in 2018-2019, the percentage of those earned by women of color: 6
Black women: 11.5%.
Hispanic women: 14.3%.
Asian/Pacific Islander women: 8.3%.
American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.5%.
3. LABOR FORCE
Latinas and Asian Women Will Make Up a Larger Percentage of the US Labor Force Over the Next Decade 7
Between 2020–2030 the projected percentage increase in the labor force of women by race or ethnicity: 8
Black women: 10.2%.
Hispanic women: 26.1%.
White women: 3.8%.
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 2021 survey, one-third of women of color who were currently employed planned to leave their employers in the next year.11
Top reasons women considered leaving include:
Burnout: 51%.
Different Career/Greater Purpose: 47%.
Salary and Benefits: 47%.
Whether In the Home or in the Workplace, Women of Color Have Been Disproportionately Affected by the Covid Pandemic12
Women of color are overrepresented in the industries most harshly impacted by job losses during the pandemic13:
Accommodations and Food Services Industry: 24.3%
Health and Social Assistance Industry: 30.3%
Women of color are more likely than white women to be the sole or primary breadwinner in their household.14
4. LEADERSHIP
From Entry Level Positions to the C-Suite, the Share of Women of Color in Leadership Remains Small15
In the beginning of 2021, women of color represented 17% of entry-level positions. Few advanced to leadership positions: managers (12%), senior managers/directors (9%), VPs (7%), SVPs (5%), and C-suite positions. (4%) 16
While White women held 32.6% of total management positions in the US in 2021, women of color held a much smaller share:17
Asian women: 2.7%.
Black women: 4.4%.
Hispanic women: 4.3%.
5. LEARN MORE
· Missing Pieces Report: The Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards, 6th edition Alliance for Board Diversity/Deloitte
· Black Women Connect Black Women Connect
· Day-to-day Experiences of Emotional Tax Among Women and Men of Color in the Workplace Catalyst
· Emotional Tax: How Black Women and Men Pay More at Work and How Leaders Can Take Action Catalyst
· Flip the Script: Race & Ethnicity in the Workplace Catalyst
· The Impact of Structural Racism on Black Americans Catalyst
· Intersectionality: When Identities Converge Catalyst
· People of Colour in Canada: Quick Take Catalyst
· Too Few Women of Color on Boards: Statistics and Solutions Catalyst
· Prioritizing Equity at a Pivotal Moment Catalyst
· Women of Color Get Less Support at Work. Here’s How Managers Can Change That Harvard Business Review
· Women Are Advancing in the Workplace, But Women of Color Still Lag Behind
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.18
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. 19
How to cite this product: Women of color in the United States: Quick Take. (2022, January 31). Catalyst.
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.
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]; United States Census Bureau. (2018). Table 4: Projected race and Hispanic origin [Data set]. 2017 National Population Projections Tables.
3. National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Table 322.20: Bachelor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected years, 1976-77 through 2018-19 [Data set]. 2020 Digest of Education Statistics.
4. National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Table 322.20: Bachelor’s degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and sex of student: Selected years, 1976-77 through 2018-19 [Data set]. 2020 Digest of Education Statistics.
5. National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Table 322.50: Bachelor’s degrees conferred to females by postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity and field of study: 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 [Data set]. 2020 Digest of Education Statistics.
6. 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. (2021). Table 3.1: Civilian labor force by age, sex, race, and ethnicity, 2000, 2010, 2020, and projected 2030 (numbers in thousands) [Data set]. Employment Projections.
7. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 3.1: Civilian labor force by age, sex, race, and ethnicity, 2000, 2010, 2020, and projected 2030 (numbers in thousands) [Data set]. Employment Projections.
8. 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.
9. Frankel, B. (2020). On the verge: How to stop the tidal wave of multicultural women fleeing corporate America. Working Mother Media.
10. Huang, G. (2021). New Research Reveals 1/3 Women Of Color Are Ready To Leave The Workplace By Next Year. Forbes.
11. Frye, J. (2020). On the frontlines at work and at home: the disproportionate economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women of color. American Progress.
12. Frye, J. (2020). On the frontlines at work and at home: the disproportionate economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women of color. American Progress.
13. Frye, J. (2020). On the frontlines at work and at home: the disproportionate economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic on women of color. American Progress.
14. Women in the workplace 2021. (2021). McKinsey & Company and Lean In.
15. Women in the workplace 2021. (2021). McKinsey & Company and Lean In.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. National Center for Education Statistics. (2018, November 1). Statistical standards. National Center for Education Statistics.
