Nation IN BRIEF : NATIONWIDE : Blacks Lag Whites in Family Income

Black Americans continue to lag whites in family income, the Census Bureau reported. The report said that black family income lost ground relative to white family income, even as the median income for black two-parent families rose 31%, from $26,880 in 1969 to $35,230 in 1993. Overall, the median black household income was $21,550 in 1993--virtually even with the inflation-adjusted $22,000 in 1969. But the 1993 figures were well below the median income of $39,310 for white households, which was up 9% from 1969. The Census Bureau also reported that in 1994, 75% of blacks 25 or older had earned high school diplomas, up from 51% in 1980. Bachelor’s degrees rose to 13%, up from 8%.