The Poverty Described by Census is Not Equal Opportunity

Ruth McCambridge

September 14, 2011

September 13, 2011; Source: Forbes | The poverty rate, which has increased for all ethnic groups but Asians, is far higher for blacks, at 27.4 percent, and for Hispanics, at 26.6 percent, than for the overall population, which is at 15.1 percent—and especially compared to whites, whose rate of poverty is now at 9.9 percent.

Hispanic household wealth fell a whopping 66 percent between 2005 and 2009, according to a separate Pew analysis.

Declines in real median income were felt in the South, Midwest, and West, while the Northeast showed no statistically significant decline.—Ruth McCambridge

About the author

Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

More about: Inequality

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today