BEI DATA
REPORT
Welcome
Black Equity Fund Report
TOWARD A VISION OF A THRIVING COMMUNITY
The Inland Empire (IE) has historically been a region in flux, undergoing various demographic transitions. With a growing Black population, currently the IE is home to the third largest Black population in the state, and if trends continue, will soon be the second.
Historical practices such as redlining and racial covenants on property deeds have had a profound and lingering impact on Black communities across the United States, and the Inland Empire is no exception. From San Bernardino’s Westside to Riverside’s Eastside, areas that were subjected to redlining experienced sustained challenges, ranging from limited access to quality housing to disparities in educational and health resources, cementing socio-economic disparities that would endure for generations.
The consequences of such institutionalized discrimination are visible even today. As the Inland Empire grows, including some of the fastest growing communities in the state, the Black community continues to navigate challenges that can be traced back to these historically rooted injustices. Data-driven insights reveal these disparities, especially when examining factors like education, employment, health outcomes, and housing stability.
However, viewed against this backdrop of adversity is the remarkable resilience of the Black community in the region.
Churches, cultural festivals, grassroots initiatives, and local enterprises have all played pivotal roles in fostering community cohesion and identity. These institutions not only serve as spaces of celebration, they provide platforms for community members to voice concerns, mobilize resources, and advocate for change.
Yet, the stark disparities revealed by the data cannot be overlooked. These disparities underscore the imperative for informed and targeted interventions. Crafting solutions demands not just an acknowledgment of historical injustices but also a comprehensive understanding of their modern-day manifestations.
To truly address these challenges, a multi-pronged approach is essential. This involves recognizing the legacy of past policies, understanding the current socio-economic landscape, and proactively charting a course for future interventions. Such an approach requires collaborative efforts from grassroots & community leaders, policymakers, businesses, and residents. We hope this data serves to expand the awareness and understanding of the ways anti-Black racism affects the lives of people in the Inland Empire, and serves as a beacon to reveal those things that must change for California and the Inland Empire to exist as a thriving, multi-racial democracy.
The Black Equity Fund
In the face of these complexities and challenges, the Inland Empire’s Black community continues to demonstrate resilience, determination, and a strong commitment to driving positive change, offering hope for a more just and inclusive future in the region. The establishment of the IE Black Equity Initiative’s Fund in 2020 represented a significant milestone in the Inland Empire’s efforts to combat anti-Black racism, promote racial equity, and empower Black-led organizations.
The response to the fund has been laudable, with a diverse group of stakeholders coming together, including statewide, regional, and local funders, private donors, and corporate philanthropy. The fund operates on a trust-based model of philanthropy, ensuring that the decisions about resource allocation are driven by the voices and leadership of the Black Equity Initiative members and to date has more than met its initial goal of $5 million to support Black-led organizations and uplift the Black community in the region.
The primary focus of the IE Black Equity Fund is to provide financial resources to Black-led organizations for core support, program and project initiatives, and capacity building efforts. We thank the many funders and individual donors to the fund, and the collaboration of Black-led and -serving organizations to distribute those funds.
Contributors
Mapping Black California
MBC, a Black Voice News project, equips the state’s population with data-driven knowledge on all things Black and data in California to eliminate regional and local systemic inequities.
Inland Empire Community Foundation
The Inland Empire Community Foundation is a nonprofit, public charity that helps individuals, families and businesses make a meaningful difference on the issues they care about in the community through permanent charitable funds.
Black Equity Initiative
The Black Equity Initiative was formed in 2014 and is composed of Inland Empire organizations that share a desire to improve social conditions through empowerment, education, and policy change.
Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison is committed to helping the region thrive. That is why we invest millions of dollars and lots of manpower every year in local non-profits that help educate young people and protect the environment to help make a lasting difference.
Indicator Categories
BEI’s Inland Reach
BEI Organizations in the IE’s Blackest regions.
Population
Popuation hubs and trends over the past decade.
Health
Environmental and social impact on wellbeing and longevity.
Education
Educational attainment at secondary and post-secondary institutions.
Wealth Gap
Covid-19 and industry trend impact on economic mobility.
Housing
Housing disparites and cost burdens county to county.
Civic Participation & Justice
Civic enagement and indications of justice system refrom needs.
BEI’s Inland Reach
The Black Equity Fund’s grantees are at the front lines of improving the Black experience across the region. Click, zoom and drag within the map to view the areas Black Population centers and the organizations that support them.
Coachella Valley
With each passing year, the Coachella Valley is becoming more diverse. Organizations such as the Brothers of the Desert, the Palm Springs Black History Committee and the Palm Springs Women’s Jazz and Blues Association are working daily to serve the cultural, historical, and safe haven needs of the area’s growing Black community.
High Desert
The high desert region has a rich history that showcases the resilience and unity of the Black community. Starting with only six founding land claims in the early 1900s, the cities in the high desert have grown to become the third-largest Black population in the Inland Empire. Organizations such as the Victor Valley Family Resource Center, I am Love, and Millionaire Mind Kids remain dedicated to prioritizing family well-being in the area.
Ontario-Riverside-San Bernardino Metro
The metropolitan hub of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, the ORSB statistical area is one of the most populous subzones of the Inland Empire. Since the 1970s a rapidly growing population, fed by families migrating in search of affordable housing, has led to exponential residential, industrial, and commercial development. The bulk of BEI Grantees are headquartered in this area, where the rich resources bolster their efforts to serve communities in every corner of the two counties.
Population Changes
People of color in the Inland Empire have demonstrated resilience and strength while growing substantially over the past century to become an integral and vibrant part of the region.
Population Growth Rates, 2013 to 2018
The Inland Empires’ Black population had been on a steady increase during the past decade. This is reflective of the overall populations upward trajectory in the last three decades.
Regional Changes 2013-2023
When comparing counties in the Southern Region, the Inland Empire stands out as having a still increasing Black population density. Indicating a lasting appeal to populations of color to move into the region.
Largest Cities by Black Population Size and Share
Moreno Valley, San Bernardino, and Victorville have emerged as focal points for the region’s Black population. Hover to see how the population has changed in just the past five years.
One of many BEI Grantees supporting the community in this area.
Power Speaks Louder (PSL) is a multidimensional non-profit organization that administers seven programs and services to educate, empower, and transform the lives of youth in crisis, low-income families, and the homeless.
Health Impact
In the Inland Empire, all residents face adverse experiences at various intervention points in their lifetime, unfortunately, children endure disproportionate inequalities that greatly impact their overall wellbeing and longevity.
CA Women’s Wellbeing Index
Considering their overall wellbeing, Riverside and San Bernardino County rank 32nd (previously 39th) and 39th (previously 42nd) out of 58 California counties in terms of Health, Personal Safety, Employment & Earnings, Economic Security, and Political Empowerment for women.
Perinatal and Infant Health at Birth
Birthing persons in the Inland Empire are less likely overall to receive adequate prenatal care during the full term of their pregnancy. This can lead to outcomes like preterm births, low birth weights and longer lasting complications for infants as they grow into adolescence.
Neighborhood Resource Challenges
Negative events in adolescence, termed Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), can significantly affect life expectancy, long-term health and mental well-being. Neighborhoods of Low and Very Low opportunity level are more likely to lack the quality of resources and conditions that matter for children to develop in a healthy way.
Life Expectancy
In general, life expectancy in the Inland Empire is only slightly lower than the California average. There is a significant disparity in life expectancy between people who live in Riverside and San Bernardino and even moreso between the different demographic groups.
One of many BEI Grantees supporting the community in this area.
African American Health Coalition (AAHC) is helping pull toward a common vision of health, clarity and improving the quality of life by providing information, tools and resources. Our hope is to bring us to a greater awareness of the mind and body connection. The foods we eat (including the vegetables), the games we play, the sweat equity that we put into ourselves individually, and as a community, all contributes to our mental health.
Educational Development
The move Inland has paid off educationally for the IEs’ children and young adults. Ever increasing sucesses in secondary education are reflected in high rates of post-secondary and technical certificate attainment.
Barriers to Traditional Success
Students in the inland empire face unique combined circumstances of homelessness, lack of access to physical disability accomadations, lack of access to special needs resources and high rates of economic disadvantage. All of these have grave impacts on their ability to perform across standard educational assements.
Standardized Testing Outcomes
While standardized testing’s value for predicting post-secondary success is debated, such tests reveal that the Inland Empire still needs to improve the quality of educational resources available to students.
Commencement and Retainment
IE students have made remarkable progress in increasing graduation rates over the last decade, and have seen a notable decrease in dropout rates and students continuing to a fifth year of high school.
Higher Education Access
The majority of graduates in the region choose to pursue further education within the state of California. Likely contributable to financial aid availability, graduates directly enroll in University of California and California Community Colleges.
The Attainment Race and Gender Gap
IE residents are achieving post-secondary certifications at relatively high levels. However, a lack of demand for postsecondary education in the local job market may contribute to disparities in attainment across gender and race, as many job opportunities do not require education beyond a high school diploma.
One of many BEI Grantees supporting the community in this area.
The Hamilton Essentials Foundation, Inc., in partnership with The Hamilton Essentials House LLC, facilitates creative mental health through the arts, leadership development and STEAM services for transitional youth at neighborhood centers, faith based and academic institutions. Our Vision is Simple: To provide Creative Youth Programming for a Better Community!
Economic Opportunity
Seeking economic flexibility, the residents of the Inland Empire aim to overcome disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, changing industry needs and limited wage mobility.
High-Skill Roles
There is strong employment in high-skill management, business, science, and arts roles in the Inland Empire, with even distribution among sales, service, and production roles. This, combined with high post-secondary attainment levels among residents, signals the need for increased investment in skilled positions within the region.
Demographic Income Disparity
The Inland Empire has overall some of the lowest average wages of any region in California. This income disparity is exacerbated across racial and gendered lines and has only grown wider in the years post Covid-19.
Struggle to Stay Afloat
Utilizing United Ways’ Real Cost Measure, 38% of all households in the Inland Empire are making less than the minimum Annual Income needed to make ends meet based on $15.50 per hour, 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year.
One of many BEI Grantees supporting the community in this area.
At High Expectation Development Corporation (HEDC), we are committed to transforming lives by providing the tools, resources, and support that help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency. Our mission is to uplift underserved communities across Los Angeles County, Riverside County, Hemet, and San Jacinto by addressing critical needs such as housing support, employment assistance, mental health resources, and self-sufficiency workshops.
Housing Access
The population’s upward trajectory reflects the Inland Empire’s draw as an affordable alternative to coastal cities, however, many have encountered the same housing market problems seen statewide.
Unequal Homeownership
Owning a home not only provides a sense of stability and security but also serves as a source of wealth accumulation over time. In the IE Homeownership is a deeply segregated topic along both racial and class lines.
County Home Value Disparities
Many residents were originally drawn to the Inland Empire by affordable home values and suburban living that appealed to young families. Now, as these families look to sell, they are discovering that disparities in home values often exist along racial lines.
Cost-Burdened Housing
Homeowners spending more than 30% of their income on housing expenses are considered cost-burdened, while those spending more than 50% face extreme cost burden. For renters, these burdens can indicate an even more pressing situation, as fewer options may be available to retain or find new housing in an emergency when income is limited.
Disproportionate Homelessness
Riverside and San Bernardino counties mirrored California’s upward trend in homelessness from 2021-2024, with increases in total homeless populations. The Black community remains overrepresented, making up nearly one quarter of all unhoused individuals identified during the 2024 Point-In-Time count for the Riverside and San Bernardino CoCs.
One of many BEI Grantees supporting the community in this area.
With Open Arms, Inc. advocates and provides safe, stable, and supportive housing for unaccompanied adults, seniors, K-12 students and their families, and transitional age youths who are homeless or at risk of homelessness within the Inland Empire.
Civic Participation
Residents are leading a momentum of change through a continuing legacy of strong civic engagement and high voter turnout across the Inland Empire.
Strong National Voice
In response to racially and politically motivated mid-cycle gerrymandering, California voters approved Proposition 50 in November 2025, which temporarily enabled the congressional map outlined in AB 604 (changes shown below). The measure passed with strong support both in the Inland Empire and statewide, with 63.9% voting Yes.
Decennial Census Count
Despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Census achieved impressive response rates across all racial and ethnic groups, a testament to the dedication of community leaders, self-responders, census takers alike. This collective effort ensured that the Inland Empire’s diverse communities were accurately counted during one of the most difficult periods in recent history.
Election Registration and Poll Turnout
Civic engagement within the Inland Empire exhibits encouraging trends. Notably, the community demonstrates robust registration rates and high participation in presidential elections. These positive trends showcase a commitment to democratic processes and meaningful representation.
One of many BEI Grantees supporting the community in this area.
At the Center Against Racism and Trauma, we empower individuals, communities and governments to help unshackle systems from their racist and discriminative roots. We provide racial equity tools and resources that help support policy makers in making more enlightened decisions while encouraging individuals to take action through community action days. Our priority is our people, making our resources available to those who need them.
The Inland Empires’ Black Equity Initiative and Black Dense Population Zones
Sponsors
Contact Us
Riverside, CA 92501”