U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Daily Feature for F...( WASHINGTON Feb. 27 -- Following ...),Health

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily Black History Month 2008 "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27: INCOME & HEALTH INSURANCE

Profile America for the 27th day of Black History Month. The progress of any segment of the U.S. population can be measured in many ways. One of them is financial health. Recent figures show that the annual median income for African-American households is just under $32,000. This is up from $26,500 in 1986. In the same period, the proportion of blacks living below the poverty line dropped from 31 percent to just over 24 percent. On the other hand, the percentage of African-Americans who lack health insurance is 20.5 percent, up from 19 percent in one year. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments ready to air on a monthly CD or on Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button). For further information, contact Rick Reed at +1-301-763-2812, fax at +1-301-457-3670, or e-mail at rreed(At)census.gov.