For this year’s Special Section, the State of Black America® pairs its accounting of Black America's condition with a national benchmark of Black America's economic power. Built on original research conducted by ThinkNow Cross-Cultural Research for the National Urban League, this report quantifies Black consumer influence across five categories: groceries, health and wellness, saving and investing, beauty, and travel, and introduces "The Why Behind the Buy," a proprietary psychographics index that measures not just what Black consumers spend, but why. Designed to be tracked annually alongside the report, it establishes a data-driven baseline for brands, investors, and policymakers alike.
The findings tell a story of power that is real, growing, and conditional. Black consumers outspend or outgrow the broader market in beauty, wellness, and digital grocery adoption, with the 18 to 34 and 35 to 54 cohorts driving the momentum. Racial Contribution is the single strongest driver of Black purchasing decisions, ahead of trust, price, and long-term value. And that identity shows up in the wallet: nearly half of Black consumers reduce spending or seek alternatives when a brand retreats from its DEI commitments, the largest gap between Black and Non-Black consumers anywhere in the index. Loyalty, the research makes clear, is earned through authenticity and lost without it.
The opportunity is just as measurable as the power. From a 48 percent purchase-share ceiling for Black-owned beauty brands to the wealth-building products that have yet to meet Black consumers where they are, demand for culturally relevant goods and services consistently outpaces supply. The section closes with clear implications for anyone competing for the Black dollar: treat Black consumers as a growth segment, make authenticity a commitment rather than a campaign, and invest in the young, creator-led communities building the next economy.
Research conducted by ThinkNow Cross-Cultural Research for the National Urban League
Special Section: Economic and Psychographic Research on Black America