Report: R.I. highest in New England for racial integration, among highest for racial progress

WALLETHUB SAID Rhode Island ranks 22nd on a list of the most racially integrated states and 21st on another list of states that have made the most racial progress. / COURTESY WALLETHUB
WALLETHUB SAID Rhode Island ranks 22nd on a list of the most racially integrated states and 21st on another list of states that have made the most racial progress. / COURTESY WALLETHUB

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island ranks 22nd on a list of the most racially integrated states and 21st on another list of states that have made the most racial progress.

The lists, compiled by WalletHub, the financial services website, were released Monday, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, named after the civil rights pioneer, next week.

Washington, D.C., also was included in the rankings, which placed Hawaii first in the most racially integrated states ranking, and Georgia first for most racial progress.

Rhode Island ranked the highest among New England states on the list of most racially integrated states, followed by New Hampshire at 26th; Massachusetts, 33rd; Connecticut, 36th; Vermont, 41st; and Maine, 46th. Last on that list was Washington, D.C.

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Connecticut was the top ranked New England state on the racial progress list, coming in 20th. Massachusetts was 23rd; New Hampshire, 37th; and Vermont, 49th. Maine was last on the list, at 51st.

WalletHub said its analysts measured the gaps between blacks and whites in 16 key indicators of equality and integration, including median annual income, standardized test scores, voter turnout, poverty rate, business ownership rate, jobless rate and suicide rate.

“This report examines the differences between only blacks and whites in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against blacks,” WalletHub said.

WalletHub cited a survey by the Pew Research Center that said “Nearly half of U.S. voters (46 percent) expect Trump’s election to lead to worse race relations. … By contrast, after Obama’s election eight years ago, 52 percent of voters expected race relations to improve.”

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