Black women in America are murdered at rates nearly four times higher than their White counterparts, revealing a persistent and deeply troubling racial inequity that has shown virtually no improvement over two decades.
In 2020, the homicide rate among Black women aged 25-44 stood at 11.6 per 100,000, compared with just 3 per 100,000 among White women. This gap has remained essentially unchanged since 1999, despite ongoing efforts to address racial and structural inequities across the country.
The disparities vary dramatically by state, with Wisconsin showing the starkest divide. There, Black women in this age group were 20 times more likely to be murdered than White women in 2019-20. Eleven states have actually seen racial inequities worsen since 1999.
Firearms play an increasingly deadly role in these homicides. Women overall had 2.44 times the odds of dying by firearm homicide in 2019-20 compared with 1999-2003, with these deaths disproportionately concentrated among Black women in every region.
The researchers emphasized the urgent need for federal legislation reducing gun access, alongside addressing long-standing structural factors through sustainable wealth-building opportunities, desegregated mixed-income housing, and increased green spaces in communities where Black women predominantly live. The COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified concerns about violence against women, making these interventions more critical than ever.
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See: “Racial inequities in homicide rates and homicide methods among Black and White women aged 25–44 years in the USA, 1999–2020: a cross-sectional time series study” (March 1, 2024)
