Springfield, IL
> Black population: 11.8%
> Black median income: 44.7% of white income
> White unemployment: 5.0%
> Black unemployment: 16.8%
Springfield has one of the largest gaps in white and black poverty of any metro area. While less than 1 in 10 white residents in the city live below the poverty line, more than 4 in 10 black residents do. One factor contributing to the poverty gap is likely the relative difficulty in finding a job as a minority in Springfield. An estimated 16.8% of the black labor force is unemployed, more than three times the white unemployment rate of 5.0%.
Income is closely tied to health outcomes, and unsurprisingly, in an area with such high income inequality along racial lines, there are also very uneven health outcomes. The difference in age-adjusted premature mortality rate among black Springfield residents compared to their white neighbors is nearly the highest of any metropolitan area.