An investigation into effects of metropolitan-area black population proportions on earnings inequality examines black population effects on gender as well as black-white inequality. Hierarchical linear analysis of data from the 1990 US Census for 182 metropolitan areas indicates that greater relative black population size is associated with (1) higher white earnings & lower black earnings for men & women & (2) reduced gender inequality among black workers. Thus, black-white inequality is higher relative to gender inequality in labor markets with greater black representation, which has important implications for the study of interaction in stratification systems. 2 Tables, 2 Figures, 54 References.