Social Justice Statistics in 2026: Poverty, Income, Health, and Discipline Gaps

Social justice statistics at a glance

Social justice statistics are often read as a single story, but the dataset here shows several overlapping systems at work: poverty, income, labor market access, health outcomes, school discipline, and housing instability. The most useful way to read the numbers is to compare them side by side and look for recurring patterns in who is most affected and where gaps persist.

Table of contents

1. At a glance
2. Poverty and income
3. Labor market differences
4. HIV disparities and care
5. School discipline patterns
6. Tuberculosis disparity snapshot
7. What the numbers show together

Poverty and income

Big number: The official U.S. poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, which represented 35.9 million people in poverty (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024).

That figure is only part of the picture. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which captures more of the costs and supports people face, was 12.9% in 2024 (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024). The gap between the official measure and the SPM is a reminder that a poverty rate is not a fixed truth; it is a snapshot that depends on what gets counted.

A key support number stands out: Social Security moved 28.7 million people out of SPM poverty in 2024 (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024). That is a large-scale example of how income support changes the meaning of poverty statistics in practice.

Fast facts on poverty and income

• The official poverty rate decreased for White individuals from 2023 to 2024 (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024).
• The official poverty rate decreased for Asian individuals from 2023 to 2024 (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024).
• The official poverty rate decreased for Hispanic individuals from 2023 to 2024 (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024).
• SPM poverty increased for people age 65 and older from 2023 to 2024 (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024).
• SPM poverty increased for Black individuals from 2023 to 2024 (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024).
• Real median household income was $83,730 in 2024 (Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024).

That income figure becomes more revealing when split by household type. Median household income increased by 5.1% for Asian households and 5.5% for Hispanic households from 2023 to 2024, but it declined by 3.3% for Black households over the same period (Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024). The 90th percentile household income also increased 4.2% from 2023 to 2024 (Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024), which suggests gains at the top of the distribution even as some groups moved in different directions.

Median earnings for full-time, year-round men increased 3.7% from 2023 to 2024 (Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024). That matters because earnings growth does not land evenly across households, and the dataset shows that changes by group can diverge even when broad income measures look positive.

Poverty and income comparison table

Measure	Figure	Source
Official U.S. poverty rate, 2024	10.6%	Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024
People in official poverty, 2024	35.9 million	Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024
Supplemental Poverty Measure, 2024	12.9%	Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024
People moved out of SPM poverty by Social Security, 2024	28.7 million	Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024
Real median household income, 2024	$83,730	Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024
Household income change for Asian households, 2023 to 2024	+5.1%	Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024
Household income change for Hispanic households, 2023 to 2024	+5.5%	Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024
Household income change for Black households, 2023 to 2024	-3.3%	Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024
90th percentile household income change, 2023 to 2024	+4.2%	Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024
Full-time, year-round men earnings change, 2023 to 2024	+3.7%	Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024

Why it matters

The income data is useful because it shows movement at several points in the distribution, not just one average. The poverty data is useful because it shows how measurement choices change the picture. Put together, the supplied numbers describe a country where support programs matter, income growth is uneven, and the cost of looking only at one headline figure is high.

Labor market differences

The labor force and unemployment data add another layer to the same picture. In 2023, the overall U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6% (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023), but several groups had noticeably different unemployment rates.

Unemployment by group

Group	Unemployment rate in 2023	Source
Asian people	3.0%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
White people	3.3%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
People not Hispanic or Latino	3.4%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
Overall U.S.	3.6%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander people	4.1%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
Hispanic or Latino people	4.6%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
People of Two or More Races	5.4%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
Black or African American people	5.5%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023
American Indian and Alaska Native people	6.6%	BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023

The spread is wide. The difference between 3.0% for Asian people and 6.6% for American Indian and Alaska Native people is more than a small fluctuation; it shows a labor market that does not distribute risk evenly (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).

The composition of the labor force adds context to those unemployment rates.

Labor force composition

• White workers made up 76% of the labor force in 2023 (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).
• Black or African American workers made up 13% (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).
• Asian workers made up 7% (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).
• People of Two or More Races made up 2% (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).
• American Indian and Alaska Native workers made up 1% (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander workers made up about 0.5% (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).

The labor force share and unemployment data should not be mixed as if they measure the same thing, but together they help explain why a single national unemployment number can hide very different experiences across groups.

HIV disparities and care

The HIV statistics in the dataset are among the clearest examples of how social justice questions show up in public health data. They combine incidence, diagnosis, status awareness, care access, viral suppression, stigma, and social conditions such as housing and food insecurity.

New infections and diagnoses

There were 31,800 estimated new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). Black/African American people accounted for 37% of estimated new HIV infections even though they were 12% of the U.S. population (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). That single comparison captures the scale of disparity in a way that is hard to ignore.

The diagnosis data points in the same direction. There were 37,981 HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and 6 territories and freely associated states in 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

Group	Estimated new HIV infections in 2022	HIV diagnoses in 2022	Source
Black/African American people	11,900	14,553	CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino people	10,500	12,167	CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity
White people	7,600	9,112	CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity
Multiracial people	1,200	1,056	CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity
Asian people	380	795	CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity
American Indian/Alaska Native people	200	215	CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people	not separately listed in infections total	83	CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity

The dataset also shows change over time.

• HIV diagnoses increased 30% among American Indian/Alaska Native people from 2018 to 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• HIV diagnoses decreased 6% among Asian people from 2018 to 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• HIV diagnoses decreased 5% among Black/African American people from 2018 to 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• HIV diagnoses increased 17% among Hispanic/Latino people from 2018 to 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• HIV diagnoses increased 51% among Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people from 2018 to 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• HIV diagnoses remained stable among White people from 2018 to 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• HIV diagnoses decreased 31% among multiracial people from 2018 to 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

Status awareness and care cascade

The care cascade tells a second story after diagnosis. In 2022, 1.2 million people in the U.S. had HIV (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). Overall, 87 of every 100 people with HIV knew their status (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). That average masks differences by group.

• For every 100 American Indian/Alaska Native people with HIV, 77 knew their status (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• For every 100 Hispanic/Latino people with HIV, 84 knew their status (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• For every 100 Black/African American people with HIV, 88 knew their status (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• For every 100 White people with HIV, 89 knew their status (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• For every 100 Asian people with HIV, 93 knew their status (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

Among people with diagnosed HIV, 76 of every 100 overall received some care, 54 of every 100 were retained in care, and 65 of every 100 were virally suppressed in 2022 (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

One group-specific care measure stands out: among Black/African American people with diagnosed HIV, 52 of every 100 were retained in care (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). Among White people with diagnosed HIV, 71 of every 100 were virally suppressed (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

Stigma, health, and unmet needs

The survey measures beyond treatment are equally important. The median HIV stigma score among all people with HIV was 28 on a 0-to-100 scale (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). Group medians ranged from 26 for White people to 30 for Hispanic/Latino people, with 29 for multiracial people and 29 for Black/African American people (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

Self-rated health and unmet need show the same broad pattern of strain.

• Overall, 72% of people with HIV rated their health as good or better (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 73% of White people with HIV rated their health as good or better (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 72% of Hispanic/Latino people with HIV rated their health as good or better (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 71% of multiracial people with HIV rated their health as good or better (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 70% of Black/African American people with HIV rated their health as good or better (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• Overall, 21% of people with HIV reported unmet mental health services in the past 12 months (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 29% of Black/African American people with HIV reported unmet mental health services in the past 12 months (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 23% of Hispanic/Latino people with HIV reported unmet mental health services in the past 12 months (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 20% of White people with HIV reported unmet mental health services in the past 12 months (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• 17% of multiracial people with HIV reported unmet mental health services in the past 12 months (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

The social conditions attached to HIV make the disparity more concrete. Among Black/African American people with HIV, 20% reported homelessness, 19% reported unemployment, and 17% reported food insecurity in the past 12 months (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). Among Hispanic/Latino people with HIV, 20% reported unemployment, 20% reported food insecurity, and 17% reported homelessness or unstable housing (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). Among White people with HIV, the corresponding shares were 15% unemployed, 13% homeless or unstably housed, and 12% food insecure (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity). Among multiracial people with HIV, 24% reported homelessness or unstable housing, 21% reported food insecurity, and 17% reported unemployment (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).

School discipline patterns

The school discipline data is older than the other sections, but it still illustrates how structural disparities show up early in life. The U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection snapshot covered 49 million students in 2011-12 (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).

Discipline outcomes were large in scale:

• 3.5 million students experienced in-school suspension (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• 1.9 million students experienced a single out-of-school suspension (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• 1.55 million students experienced multiple out-of-school suspensions (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• 130,000 students were expelled (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).

Discipline disparity snapshot

Group	Share of students	Share of suspended or expelled students	Source
Black students	16%	32% to 42%	U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline
White students	51%	31% to 40%	U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline

The preschool numbers show how early these patterns begin. Black children were 18% of preschool enrollment but 48% of preschool children receiving more than one out-of-school suspension (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline). White children were 43% of preschool enrollment but 26% of preschool children receiving more than one out-of-school suspension (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).

Gender is also part of the picture. Boys were 54% of preschool enrollment but 82% of children receiving multiple out-of-school suspensions (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline). The dataset also notes that on average, 5% of White students were suspended compared with 16% of Black students (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).

Some of the most striking details are the subgroup rates:

• Black girls were suspended at a rate of 12% (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• American Indian and Native-Alaskan girls were suspended at a rate of 7% (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• White boys were suspended at a rate of 6% (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• White girls were suspended at a rate of 2% (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• American Indian and Native Alaskan students were less than 1% of the student population but 2% of out-of-school suspensions and 3% of expulsions (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).

Tuberculosis disparity snapshot

The final dataset item extends the same theme into infectious disease disparities outside HIV. Black/African American people had TB disease rates of 8.8 cases per 100,000 in 2008 and 4.4 per 100,000 in 2018 (CDC, Health Disparities in Black or African American People).

That 2018 rate was more than eight times higher than the White rate of 0.5 per 100,000 (CDC, Health Disparities in Black or African American People). Even without adding more context, the comparison is stark: a lower rate over time does not eliminate a large racial gap.

What the numbers show together

The strongest pattern across the supplied statistics is not one single problem, but a repeated mismatch between national averages and lived outcomes by group. Poverty, labor markets, HIV, school discipline, and TB all show that disparities can be measured in rates, counts, shares, retention, and access to care.

A few cross-cutting points are especially important:

• Income and poverty move together, but not always in the same direction for every group (Census Bureau, Poverty in the United States: 2024; Census Bureau, Income in the United States: 2024).
• Labor market unemployment rates are materially different across groups, even when the national rate is relatively low (BLS, Labor force characteristics by race and ethnicity, 2023).
• Health disparities are visible not only in new infections and diagnoses, but also in status awareness, retention in care, stigma, housing, food insecurity, and mental health access (CDC, Fast Facts: HIV in the US by Race and Ethnicity).
• School discipline disparities appear early, across preschool through K-12, and they are not explained by a single subgroup statistic (U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot School Discipline).
• A single disease-rate comparison can still reveal a major gap, as shown by the TB numbers for Black/African American and White people (CDC, Health Disparities in Black or African American People).

For readers tracking social justice statistics, the value of this dataset is in the combinations. The data does not support a simple headline. It supports a layered reading of how inequality shows up in income, opportunity, care, and exposure to harm.