Texas is the best state in the US for racial progress among Black, white people, says study
Despite its history with racism and discrimination, a new study found that Texas made the most racial progress out of any other state in 2025.
WalletHub released Tuesday its annual report that measures disparities between Black and white people across the nation and found that Texas made more effort to improve racial equality than other states.
“Texas has done a lot to close the gap in health outcomes between white and Black residents. The state has reduced the gap in health insurance coverage by 12.4 percentage points since 1995, the most of any state,” the report said. “In addition, Texas has done the most to decrease the share of Black residents suffering from poor health and diabetes. It’s made the second-most progress when it comes to obesity, too.”
Since the Civil Rights Movement, according to the study, Texas, Wyoming, and Mississippi have made the most strides toward racial equality, while the District of Columbia, Iowa, and Vermont have made the least.
However, Texas placed lower in the report in terms of racial integration progress. Among the states with the most progress toward Black and white integration, Texas came in at number five.
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How did WalletHub come up with its findings?
WalletHub analyzed the disparities between Black and white people across 22 important equality metrics to identify the states that have made the most progress. The report only focuses on racial progress among Black and white people.
“We released this report ahead of the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against Black people,” the report stated.
The study looked at four measurable categories: employment & wealth, education, social & civic engagement and health. Its data set included more information on voter turnout, standardized test results, and median yearly household income.
The study used two key factors to determine the rankings: racial progress and racial integration.
Using the most recent data available, both factors were calculated by subtracting the values assigned to Black and white people for a certain metric.
The study determined the percentage of progress for that particular metric throughout the examined time based on the outcome.
Lastly, experts calculated the weighted average of each state and the District across all parameters to generate its overall score. Experts then used the scores to rank order the states. Each metric was graded on a 100 point scale.
What else did the study say about Texas?
The study also found that Texas has made significant racial progress in the business sector.
For instance, between 2002 and 2021, the white-Black business ownership difference shrank by 6.4 percentage points, which was the sixth-largest decline in the country.
The seventh-largest decline was the nearly eight percentage point drop in the white-to-Black gap in the percentage of company leaders.
Lastly, Texas ranked fourth in the study in terms of racial advancement in the parole system, which is significant given that Black people have historically experienced significant discrimination in the criminal justice system.
“It’s encouraging to look at the data and see that some states have made significant strides toward racial equality over the past few decades,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo wrote. “This change demonstrates that state-level policies and residents’ attitudes regarding equality have grown considerably better.”
