In regard to the percentage of nonwhites in the population, the States we are considering fall into three groups: (1) those in which the 1950 nonwhite population was less than 20 percent (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia); (2) those in which the nonwhite population was between 20 and 30 percent (Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia); and (3) those in which the nonwhite population exceeded 30 percent (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina). In terms of the proportionate number of segregated pupils to be provided for on a nondiscriminatory basis, the States in Group 1 have the easiest task, those in Group 2 a more difficult one, and those in Group 3 the most difficult.

Table 17 shows that States differ considerably in the distribution of their nonwhite population. Column 4 shows the median percentage of nonwhites by counties. In any State, half of the counties contain more and half less than this median percentage of Negro population. Comparing this figure with the average for the State and with the range between the State's high and low counties, certain characteristics of the population pattern can be deduced.

Thus (A) where the average and the median are close together, there is apt to be a fairly even distribution of Negro population throughout the State within the range of percentages shown for the high and low counties. (B) When the median is substantially below the average for the State, there are more counties with a lower-thanaverage percentage of Negroes. Conversely, there is a higher concentration of Negroes in relatively limited areas where the over-all density of population is greater, as in urban areas. (C) A median substantially higher than the State average shows that there are more counties with a higher-than-average percentage of Negroes than with a lower. This generally means that the Negroes are distributed over a wider geographical area and that they are relatively numerous in the characteristically thinly settled rural counties of the State.

Applying these general rules, the three groups of States can be analyzed as follows:

Group 1 (Negro population less than 20 percent): In six of the eight States of this group, the median percentage is substantially lower than the State average: Kentucky, 3.4 percent; Missouri, 0.6 percent; Oklahoma, 6.5 percent; Tennessee, 5.2 percent; Texas, 4.1 percent; West Virginia, 1.8 percent. This means that on a basis of population percentages, the problem of adjustment should not be great in most of the counties of these States. In fact, only in the few counties that have the highest percentages are extensive adjustments in the school system indicated. A measure of the maximum

difficulty is seen in the percentages of Negroes in the counties of highest concentration: Kentucky, 23.4 percent; Missouri, 21.8 percent; Oklahoma, 29.3 percent; Tennessee, 70.6 percent; Texas, 56.9 percent; and West Virginia, 24.4 percent.

In two States (Delaware and Maryland) the median is higher than the State average and approaches the 20-percent maximum average for the States in the first group. Delaware has only three counties and can therefore be analyzed more simply. Two of the counties average 18.5 percent nonwhites. The third county has only 11.8 percent. The two with a substantial Negro population embrace a relatively large area and face much greater problems of adjustment than in other States in this group. The same may be said of Maryland with a median of 19.1 percent. In half of the counties of Maryland, Negroes constitute from 19.1 to 42.4 percent of the population. Group 2 (Negro population 20-30 percent): Four States fall into this group (Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia). Of these, only Arkansas has so low a median that relatively slight adjustment is entailed in a large number of counties. In North Carolina, the median is slightly lower than the State average, but a range of from 0.3 to 26.2 percent in half of the counties indicates that there is only a small portion of the State in which the adjustment would be slight. In the other half of the counties, the percentage of Negroes ranges up to 66.4 percent. In Florida and Virginia the median is a few points higher than the average and essentially the same as North Carolina's median, so that a somewhat similar situation exists in all three States. In half of the counties of Florida, Negroes constitute 24.9 to 62.5 percent of the population, and in Virginia 24.1 to 81.0 percent.

Of the four States in this group, only Arkansas shows more than a small area in which the number of Negroes alone would not pose a real problem in the adjustment of the school system to a racially nondiscriminatory basis.

Group 3 (Negro population more than 30 percent): The remaining five of the 17 Segregating States (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina) have the most difficult problems of adjustment resulting from high percentages of Negroes. In Alabama, half of the counties have more than 29.4 percent Negroes, and the median figure is even higher in the other four (Georgia 33.6 percent, Louisiana 33.9 percent, Mississippi 43.6 percent, and South Carolina 47.4 percent). Alabama and Georgia have a few counties with a very few Negroes-as low as 0.6 percent in Alabama and less than 0.1 percent in Georgia. But in Mississippi, the county with the fewest Negroes (5.2 percent) has approximately the same proportion as the average for the whole of West Virginia (5.7 percent). The

county with the fewest Negroes in Louisiana and South Carolina (9.3 and 11.2 percent respectively) exceeds the State average for Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma, as well as West Virginia. In South Carolina, half of the counties have more than 47.4 percent Negroes. These counties are predominantly rural in character, with less than average population density. The average for the whole State is 8.5 percent lower (38.9 percent). The problems of adjustment in the States of this group, based on the percentages of people discriminated against, would be very great.

Thus, it appears that in severity of impact and problems of adjustment on a state-wide basis, the states might be classified as follows, based upon the criteria considered:

(1) Least impact: Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia.

(2) Greater impact: Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia. (3) Greatest impact: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina.