New surveillance data from the New York State Department of Health highlights profound racial inequities in the ongoing HIV epidemic. While overall new diagnoses have decreased significantly over the last decade, minority communities continue to bear a disproportionate burden of the disease. In 2024, the rate of new HIV diagnoses among non-Hispanic Black individuals was starkly 9.2 times higher than that of non-Hispanic White individuals. Similarly, Hispanic residents faced a diagnosis rate 5.4 times higher than their White counterparts.
These disparities extend beyond new infections to the total population living with the virus. State records show that prevalence rates for HIV are 7.8 times higher for Black New Yorkers and 4.3 times higher for Hispanic residents compared to White residents. Consequently, while Black and Hispanic individuals represent specific portions of the general population, they account for a vast majority of those living with diagnosed HIV. Specifically, Non-Hispanic Black individuals comprise nearly 44% of all persons living with diagnosed HIV in the state, while Hispanic individuals make up roughly 31%. In contrast, Non-Hispanic White individuals represent only about 22% of this group.
The report also details unequal outcomes in mortality. Among the 1,935 deaths of persons with diagnosed HIV or AIDS in 2024, 51.2% were Non-Hispanic Black, and 26.0% were Hispanic. Comparatively, Non-Hispanic White individuals accounted for just 20.6% of these deaths. These figures underscore the deep-seated nature of racial health gaps within the state’s healthcare landscape, persisting even as the state achieves milestones like the elimination of perinatal transmission.
See: “New York State HIV/AIDS Annual Surveillance Report” (September 1, 2025)
