Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
HBCUs propel grads up the American economic ladder
Diversity & Inclusion | Education | Economics
August 6, 2021 – Graduates of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) climb the economic ladder at rates well above those of their non-HBCU-graduate peers. HBCU graduates are 51 percent more likely to move into a higher-income quintile than graduates of non-HBCUs. Moreover, the economic mobility rate for HBCUs is nearly double that of all US colleges.
To read the article, see “How HBCUs can accelerate Black economic mobility,” July 30, 2021.
customizer here
Visual form
Ranked vertical bar chart with a benchmark line.
Layout / body structure
The chart is a single long bar ranking read left to right across 50 HBCUs. Start with the dashed benchmark line near the lower part of the chart, then scan the bars from the shortest at left to the tallest at right.
What is being compared
The chart compares mobility rates across 50 historically Black colleges and universities. It also compares those school-level rates against the mean mobility rate for all U.S. colleges.
Measurement system
The vertical axis measures mobility rate in percent, defined in the chart text as the share of students from the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution who reach the top 20 percent. A dashed horizontal line marks the all-U.S.-college mean at 1.6 percent.
Visible structure inside the graphic
A long run of bars spans the page, with a few darker bars at the left and a larger field of blue bars stretching across the rest of the ranking. The dashed benchmark line cuts horizontally across the display, and annotation text inside the chart explains the mobility-rate definition while a bottom arrow labels the full set as 50 HBCUs.
Main takeaway from the visual
The whole HBCU distribution sits notably above the national benchmark, and many schools rise far beyond it. The visual message is not just that one or two institutions outperform, but that the ranked HBCU set as a whole clears the all-college average by a wide margin.
Key standout values or extremes
The benchmark for all U.S. colleges is 1.6 percent, while the headline states the mean mobility rate for HBCUs is 3.0 percent. The shortest bars at the left begin around 1.0 to 1.6 percent, and the tallest bars at the right climb a bit above 5 percent, showing a range that still stays largely at or above the national average.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.