The Center on Race and Social Problems released its first report on racial demographics in the greater Pittsburgh area today.

"Pittsburgh's Racial Demographics: Differences and Disparities" found that while this area continues to be listed as one of America's most livable cities, for thousands of black residents, it is anything but.

		Read the study The full text of "Pittsburgh's Racial Demographics: Differences and Disparities" is available on the Center on Racial and Social Problems Web site. Erv Dyer's Invisible Men blog What can the black community do to make a difference?

The report looked at the lives of whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians in the city and in Allegheny county. It is one of the most comprehensive surveys ever done on the quality of life of multiple racial groups.

It explores six areas, including family life, economics, intergroup relations and mental health. In almost all of these areas, blacks in Pittsburgh often severely lag behind their white counterparts and in some cases -- such as professional employment and family life -- are at the bottom of the well among all the racial groups.

"The problems reported on here today are not new, but there hasn't been enough progress," said Ralph Bangs, a director at the Center for Race and Social Policy and a coauthor of the study. "We need better policies and a better political will to change things. We need to do more than we're doing."

The study found that the quality of life of blacks in Pittsburgh is more brutal and disadvantaged than national averages.

In Pittsburgh, blacks live largely in segregated communities where they are disadvantaged by poor transportation and waning public safety and where 75 percent of the families are headed by black females, according to the study.

On the education front, black students in public schools are not as proficient as their white counterparts, based on state test results in grades 5, 8 and 11. The number of black girls graduating, however, has increased.

Economically, black males are hit hardest in Pittsburgh. They have unemployment rates that are two or three times higher than their white counterparts and when they are working, nearly 60 percent are employed in low-paying service or sales positions.

In Pittsburgh, the median black household income was $20,000 -- $10,000 less than the average income for white households.

In this city, the report found, blacks are three times more likely to be poor, greatly impacting their diet, health care, housing and child care options.

These conditions, the study found, lead most African Americans in the city to see race relations as a serious problem. Many blacks feel they are treated less fairly at work, on public transportation and are mistreated by police.

The study found evidence of poor housing and poor diets,as well as higher rates of mental health problems.

In the county, blacks have higher rates of serious mental illness than whites and the more impoverished they are the more likely they are to suffer from serious mental illness.

In a survey of crime, blacks in Allegheny County had significantly higher rates of arrests among juveniles and adults, including those for violent offenses such as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

In 2004, in the city of Pittsburgh, there were 2,700 drug abuse arrests for blacks 18 and over, while there were 609 arrests for their white counterparts.

In 2004, in the city of Pittsburgh, there were 37 black murder victims 18 and over; 11 white ones.