Chapter 5- Select Reserve Enlisted Accessions and Enlisted Force

As shown in Table 5.9, the proportion of minority Servicemembers varies by Reserve Component. The proportion of Blacks is higher than in the comparable civilian group (18 and 12 percent, respectively), but lower than in the Active Component (23 percent). The USAR has the largest proportion of Blacks (28 percent), while the ANG has the lowest (9 percent). The USMCR has the greatest proportion of Hispanic members (14 percent). The USAR has the greatest proportion of "Other" racial minorities (7 percent), while the USMCR and ANG are close behind with 6 percent each. The USAR data are affected by the large number of FY 1999 accessions with unknown race/ethnicity who are included in the "Other" minorities category.

Table 5.9. FY 1999 Selected Reserve Enlisted Members, by Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Component, and Civilian Labor Force 18–49 Years Old (Percent)
Race/ Ethnicity	Army National Guard		Army Reserve		Naval Reserve	Marine Corps Reserve		Air National Guard	Air Force Reserve		Total DoD
MALES
White	73.6		59.9		73.4	68.1		80.4	73.2		71.4
Black	15.3		23.9		14.0	11.6		7.8	15.9		15.8
Hispanic	7.4		9.6		8.0	14.0		5.7	5.9		7.9
Other	3.6		6.6		4.7	6.3		6.1	5.0		4.9
Total	100.0		100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0
FEMALES
White	61.0		44.0		63.3	60.3		71.8	61.6		56.9
Black	28.6		42.1		24.4	19.2		15.9	27.8		30.9
Hispanic	6.1		7.5		7.7	14.3		5.4	5.4		6.7
Other	4.4		6.4		4.6	6.2		6.9	5.3		5.6
Total	100.0		100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0
TOTAL
White	72.3		56.0		71.4	67.8		79.0	70.8		69.1
Black	16.7		28.4		16.0	11.9		9.2	18.3		18.2
Hispanic	7.3		9.1		8.0	14.0		5.6	5.8		7.7
Other	3.7		6.6		4.7	6.3		6.2	5.1		5.0
Total	100.0		100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE 18–49 YEARS OLD
White		Black		Hispanic			Other			Total
71.3		12.3		11.7			4.7			100.0
Columns may not add to total due to rounding. Also see Appendix Tables C-17 (Race/Ethnicity by Component and Gender) and C-18 (Ethnicity by Component). Source: Civilian data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey File, September 1999

Substantial gender differences exist in the racial and ethnic composition of Reserve Component members (Appendix Table C-17). While Black males represent 16 percent of the male enlisted Selected Reserve, Black females represent 31 percent of females. Approximately 56 percent of USAR females are minorities: 42 percent Black, 8 percent Hispanic, and 6 percent in the "Other" racial category. Conversely, the ANG has the lowest proportion of minority females (28 percent), compared to 29 percent in the 18- to 49-year-old civilian labor force.