There’s a racial gap in the economic security of Americans nearing retirement
Racial disparities in the United States lead to many inequalities, but perhaps one of the most lasting is how these inequalities affect income, wealth, and economic well-being in retirement and across generations. The research, by HKS Professors Karen Dynan and Douglas Elmendorf, examines changes in racial gaps in the economic security of retirees, focusing on the relative position of Black and white families. The study, which uses data from the first two decades of the 2000s to explore disparities in the economic security that families of different races are likely to experience in retirement, has several key findings—most importantly, that the gaps are sizable. “Families with Black heads, on average, are likely to experience a lower standard of living in retirement than families with white heads,” the authors said in a recent Q&A. | 
