How Income Inequality and Racial Composition Relate to Fatal Police Shootings in the U.S. Counties

In the United States, police fatally shoot more than 1,000 people each year. New research led by Hossein Zare, an associate research professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School and supported by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, found a relationship between fatal police shootings and income inequalities. 

The study, published in the Journal of Criminal Justice in December 2024, found counties with higher income inequality experienced significantly more fatal police-related shootings, with Black and Hispanic communities bearing the highest risk. 

The researchers used the Gini coefficient - a rigorous measure of income inequality that ranges from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater inequality - to study fatal police shootings from 2015 to 2022. Their analysis looked at 7,082 fatal shootings by police across 3,126 counties in the U.S. Among the victims were 3,612 White individuals, 1,854 Black individuals, 1,300 Hispanic individuals, and 316 individuals from other racial groups, including Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

The researchers found that as income inequality rises, so does the likelihood of fatal police shootings and in those counties, fatal shootings by police were 3.6 times higher overall. Among racial groups, fatal shootings by police were:

• 7.8 times higher among Hispanic individuals
• 7.6 times higher among Black individuals
• 2.3 times higher among White individuals

The study draws from two data sources: the Mapping Police Violence dataset and the Washington Post’s Fatal Force, both of which have tracked fatal police shootings for almost two decades.

The research also underscores the role of racial demographics in contributing to these inequalities. In high-inequality counties, Black non-Hispanic individuals made up 14.23% of the population, compared to 8.5% in counties with low-inequality. This shift coincided with a disproportionately higher number of police-involved fatalities among Black and Hispanic individuals.

“Addressing these inequalities is essential to fostering safer, more equitable communities for all,” said Zare. “By understanding the root causes, policymakers and community leaders can work toward meaningful solutions that reduce fatal police encounters and promote justice.”

Zare also recently completed a study on the connection between zipcodes and gun violence.