This report presents a statistical portrait of the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of blacks in the United States. The portrait is based on data from the March Supplement to the 1990 and 1989 Current Population Surveys (CPS) with additional data from the October 1988 Supplement to the CPS. The data are estimates based on sample surveys and are subject to sampling variability. Topics covered include population growth, education, family composition, employment, income, earnings, poverty status, and comparisons and changes in selected characteristics of black males and black females. Highlights of the major findings include the following: (1) in March 1990, 9.2 percent of black females were 65 years of age and over, compared with 7.0 percent of black males; (2) in 1988 the percent of black males aged 18 to 24 years who were high school graduates was below that for Black females; (3) in 1988 the percent of black male high school graduates 18 to 24 years old attending college was lower than that of black females, which represents a change from earlier decades when there was no statistical difference; and (4) black families had a median income of $20,210 in 1989, which is not statistically different from the 1979 level with adjustments for inflation. Included are 37 tables; 10 graphs; and appendices containing definitions and explanations, details of the data collection, a facsimile of the March 1990 questionnaire, and a list of current population reports on the black population published since 1970. (JB)