Racial health disparities appear across urgent outcomes such as maternal mortality and HIV diagnoses, as well as the conditions that shape access to care. Recent CDC statistics show substantial differences by race and ethnicity in mortality, insurance coverage, food and housing security, transportation, social support, employment, and mental stress. The measurements below cover different periods and populations, so each comparison keeps its geography, age range, and definition explicit.
Contents
- Maternal mortality
- Infant mortality
- Insurance and affordability
- Food, housing, utilities, and transportation
- Social connection, employment, and mental stress
- HIV diagnoses
Maternal mortality
The CDC’s Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023 reports maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2023, the rate for Black non-Hispanic women was 50.3. That compares with 14.5 for White non-Hispanic women, 12.4 for Hispanic women, and 10.7 for Asian non-Hispanic women. CDC, Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023
Age differences did not remove the racial gap. Among women ages 25–39 in 2023, the rate was 53.6 for Black non-Hispanic women, compared with 13.8 for White non-Hispanic women. The rate was 12.0 for Hispanic women and 8.9 for Asian non-Hispanic women in the same age range. For women younger than 25, the Black non-Hispanic rate was 28.0, versus 8.4 for White non-Hispanic women.
The oldest age group recorded the highest rates for both groups, while preserving a wide difference. Among women age 40 and older, maternal mortality was 132.9 deaths per 100,000 live births for Black non-Hispanic women and 56.6 for White non-Hispanic women. The rate for Hispanic women in that age group was 35.8. These figures describe population rates for 2023; they do not establish the cause of an individual death.
Infant mortality
The CDC’s Infant Mortality by Maternal Characteristics: United States, 2019–2021 measures deaths before age 1 per 1,000 live births. Across 2019–2021, infant mortality was 10.52 for infants of Black women, compared with 4.42 for infants of White women, 4.84 for infants of Hispanic women, and 3.40 for infants of Asian women. The rate for infants of American Indian and Alaska Native women was 7.69. CDC, Infant Mortality by Maternal Characteristics: United States, 2019–2021
The report also shows differences within selected maternal and care characteristics. Among infants of women with obesity, mortality was 11.48 for Black infants and 5.34 for White infants. The corresponding figures were 7.56 for American Indian and Alaska Native infants and 5.57 for Hispanic infants.
Smoking during pregnancy was associated with higher reported rates in each of the supplied comparisons: 19.42 deaths per 1,000 live births for Black infants whose mothers smoked, compared with 9.91 for White infants. Among infants of women who did not smoke during pregnancy, the rate was 5.16 for Black infants and 1.70 for Asian infants.
WIC participation and prenatal-care timing also show different rates by race. Among infants of women who received WIC, mortality ranged from 3.25 for Asian infants to 8.82 for Black infants. Among infants of women who did not receive WIC, the range was 3.35 for Asian infants to 11.74 for Black infants. For mothers who began prenatal care in the first trimester, the rate was 9.33 for Black infants and 2.98 for Asian infants. When care began in the third trimester or did not occur, the rates were 16.02 and 6.06, respectively.
Delivery coverage showed another gap in this period. Among infants whose delivery was covered by Medicaid, mortality was 11.07 for Black infants and 4.06 for Asian infants. Among infants whose delivery was covered by private insurance, the rates were 8.93 and 3.13, respectively. These are descriptive rates from 2019–2021, not forecasts or individual risk estimates.
Insurance and affordability
National insurance statistics for 2023 show a large difference among working-age adults. The uninsured rate for Hispanic adults ages 18–64 was 24.8%, compared with 10.4% for Black non-Hispanic adults, 6.8% for White non-Hispanic adults, and 4.4% for Asian non-Hispanic adults. Among White non-Hispanic adults, the rate fell from 10.5% in 2019 to 6.8% in 2023. CDC, U.S. Uninsured Rate Drops by 26% Since 2019
| Measure | Percentage or count |
|---|---|
| People of all ages uninsured, 2023 | 7.6% (25.0 million) |
| Working-age adults ages 18–64 uninsured, 2019 | 14.7% |
| Working-age adults ages 18–64 uninsured, 2023 | 10.9% |
| Hispanic adults ages 18–64 uninsured, 2023 | 24.8% |
| Asian non-Hispanic adults ages 18–64 uninsured, 2023 | 4.4% |
The 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System adjusted analysis adds measures of affordability. Lack of health insurance affected 12.9% of Hispanic adults, compared with 6.7% of White adults. A cost barrier to needed medical care affected 15.6% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults, compared with 10.5% of White adults. CDC, Racial and Ethnic Differences in Social Determinants of Health and Health-Related Social Needs Among Adults — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2022
The BRFSS figures are adjusted prevalences from a Social Determinants and Health Equity module collected by 39 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are not a complete national adult sample. Race and ethnicity categories, including Hispanic-origin treatment, follow each source’s definitions.
Food, housing, utilities, and transportation
The same 2022 BRFSS adjusted analysis measured health-related social needs. Food insecurity affected 26.2% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults, 20.0% of Black adults, and 18.4% of American Indian or Alaska Native adults, compared with 11.2% of White adults.
Housing insecurity affected 19.6% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults, 17.6% of Black adults, and 15.1% of American Indian or Alaska Native adults, compared with 9.6% of White adults. Threats to shut off utility services affected 16.6%, 12.5%, and 10.1% of those same groups, respectively, compared with 6.6% of White adults.
Transportation access also varied. Lack of reliable transportation affected 13.6% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults, 11.9% of American Indian or Alaska Native adults, and 10.3% of Black adults, compared with 7.3% of White adults. These measures describe reported needs in the 2022 module; they are not measures of medical diagnoses.
Social connection, employment, and mental stress
Social support showed some of the largest differences in the supplied 2022 BRFSS measures. Lack of social and emotional support affected 39.5% of Asian adults and 36.3% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults, compared with 22.5% of White adults. The figure for Black adults was 29.3%.
For social isolation or loneliness, the adjusted prevalence was 37.9% among Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults and 36.4% among multiracial adults, compared with 32.4% among White adults. The categories measure reported social conditions, and the comparisons should not be read as a ranking of every racial or ethnic group.
Employment disruption was reported by 18.9% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults and 15.2% of Black adults, compared with 10.9% of White adults. Mental stress affected 18.7% of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults and 16.8% of multiracial adults, compared with 15.9% of White adults. All of these BRFSS estimates refer to the 2022 adjusted analysis and its participating jurisdictions.
HIV diagnoses
The CDC’s 2023 HIV figures cover persons age 13 and older and include the United States plus six territories and freely associated states unless a measure is identified as U.S.-only. The HIV diagnosis rate among Black or African American persons age 13 and older was 41.9 per 100,000 population. Black or African American people accounted for 38% of HIV diagnoses while representing 12% of the population in that age range. CDC, Diagnoses, Deaths, and Prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 Territories and Freely Associated States, 2023: Figures
Hispanic or Latino people accounted for 34% of HIV diagnoses while representing 18% of the population age 13 and older. In counts, Black or African American people had 14,754 diagnoses in 2023, compared with 8,914 among White people. Hispanic or Latino people had 13,410 diagnoses, also compared with 8,914 among White people.
Among females age 13 and older, Black or African American females accounted for 50% of HIV diagnoses while representing 13% of the female population. Their diagnosis rate was 19.6 per 100,000 population. For Black or African American females ages 35–44, the rate was 31.8 per 100,000 population.
These HIV statistics measure diagnoses, not the total number of new infections or the circumstances behind any individual’s diagnosis. Across the maternal, infant, insurance, social-needs, and HIV measures above, the periods and populations differ, but each source documents a measurable disparity in a specific U.S. health or health-related outcome.