San Antonio’s annual MLK Jr. Day March is among the largest in the nation. Credit: Sarah Brooke Lyons

Despite Texas’ history of slavery and segregation, the state’s made significant strides when it comes to racial equality, according to a new study from personal finance blog WalletHub.

Indeed, Texas ranks as the state that’s logged the most racial progress in the past three decades, the report states.

Among other moves forward, Texas has reduced the gap in health insurance coverage between white and Black residents by 12.4% since 1995 — more than any state.

What’s more, between 2002 and 2021, the difference between the number of white and Black Texans who own businesses also declined by 6.4%, while the gap between the percentage of Black and white business executives shrunk by 8%.

Additionally, Texas was the state with the fourth-most significant improvement when it came to the share of Black residents who were on parole, according to the research.

WalletHub compared which states had made the most significant progress in closing the gap between Black and white residents by analyzing 22 metrics, including differences in unemployment rates, educational attainment and the share of adults in poor health.

The No. 2 and No. 3 states in the report are Wyoming and Mississippi, in respective order.

While Texas has made major leaps forward, according to the study, Black and white residents are still not on equal footing — far from it. White residents, on average, still earn more money, have better health outcomes and have higher levels of educational attainment on average, the numbers show.

In a statement, Rodney Coates, a professor of critical race and ethnic studies at Miami University in Ohio, said state and local governments can further close gaps between white and Black residents by investing in job training programs, public education and mass transportation.

“Relocation incentives could also be utilized to promote relocation of poor residents to areas with job opportunities,” Coates said.

Despite Texas’ past progress, it also remains to be seen whether Republican elected officials, who control every lever of power in the state, are willing to invest in programs that can help shrink the remaining gaps.

Texas has the nation’s highest rate of uninsured residents, for example, and it’s one of just 10 states that have turned down Medicaid expansion funds from the federal government.

What’s more, the state Republican leaders have repeatedly targeted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which are designed to address inequities against historically marginalized groups within businesses, schools and government entities.

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