Black women in the United States are murdered at dramatically higher rates than white women, revealing a stark health disparity rooted in structural racism. Research from Columbia University analyzing data from 1999 through 2020 found Black women were six times more likely to be killed than their white counterparts, with some states showing even more extreme differences.
In 2020, the homicide rate among Black women reached 11.6 per 100,000 population compared to just 3.0 per 100,000 for white women. These numbers remained virtually unchanged over two decades, demonstrating persistent inequities. Wisconsin showed the most extreme disparity in 2019-2020, where Black women faced twenty times the murder risk of white women.
Firearms played a particularly lethal role. Black women were significantly more likely than white women to die by gunfire, especially in the Northeast and Midwest regions. By 2020, Black women in the Midwest were more than six times more likely to be killed by guns than white women.
Lead researcher Bernadine Waller called the findings “heart-breaking” and emphasized the urgent need for structural change. The study identified strong links between elevated homicide rates and deeply entrenched racial inequities affecting education, employment, and wealth distribution.
States with the greatest disparities often had histories of slavery and lynching, high concentrations of poverty, and experienced intense racial justice protests during the pandemic. These patterns underscore how structural racism creates conditions that increase risk for Black women while limiting their access to protective resources.
See: “Black Women in the U.S. Murdered Six Times More Often Than White Women” (February 8, 2024)