Research Document
The U.S. Racial Wealth Gap, 1860-2020: A Historical Analysis
Researchers studied the wealth gap between Black and white Americans over 160 years. They found that while the gap got smaller quickly after the Civil War, progress has slowed down since 1950. Today, white families still have about 6 times more wealth than Black families because they started with much more money after slavery ended.
58 pages|1.4 MB|March 5, 2026
Key Takeaways
1
White families have 6 times more wealth per person than Black families in 2020
2
The biggest progress in closing the wealth gap happened in the 50 years right after slavery ended
3
Since 1950, the wealth gap has stayed about the same and even gotten bigger since the 1980s
4
Starting conditions after slavery were very different, which explains why the gap is still so large
5
Income differences alone don't explain the wealth gap - it's much bigger than the income gap
6
Capital gains and property values have mainly helped white families build more wealth
Keywords|Ellora DerenoncourtChi Hyun KimMoritz KuhnMoritz Schularickwelthraceresearchracial wealth gapeconomic inequalityhistorical analysiswealth accumulationcivil rightseconomic disparitiespost-emancipation economics
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